Did you know that there was a time before smartphones…before Youtube…and even before television…There was a time when families would stop what they were doing and gather around their radioa and listen to daring adventures, exciting westerns, flowery romances, hilarious comedies and tense thrillers. Through the power of spoken word (and sound effects!) listeners could travel deep into their imaginations to explore exotic locales and meet interesting, bizarre and maybe even dangerous people!!!
With the resounding success of the Stage at Home video series over the summer, we have decided to try to recreate that magic with a new project that we’ve titled:
Hard Road Theatre Stage at Home Radio Serials –– where we step back in time and bring you tales from the Golden Age of Radio!
Our plan is produce and release a high quality, expertly produced vintage radio show with period commercials on a weekly basis throughout these cold fall and winter months. We have assembled a talented production staff and have cast these shows with top notch talent! Our initial run will include familiar favorites like Father Knows Best, Burns & Allen and Suspense Theater. Episodes will be released every Friday evening around 5:00pm on Facebook, the Hard Road website and because this is audio –> for the first time ever, as a podcast through your favorite podcast provider!
*****But here’s the great news! Because of the Thanksgiving holiday next week, our premiere episode will drop a few days early!!!! So mark your calendars for Wednesday, November 25 at 5:00pm and prepare to be amazed!*****
Finally, we are still looking for a few sponsors for these shows, so if your business is interested let us know and we can send you some info!
The first production of our 20th Anniversary Season is our kids show, Disney’s Moana, Jr! We are excited to be one of the first community theaters in the area to stage this show!
This thrilling and heartwarming coming-of-age story follows the strong-willed Moana as she sets sail across the Pacific to save her village and discover the truth about her heritage.
We are grateful to have our long-time kid’s show director, Gentry Fifer, at the helm again this year! Her dynamic vision and experience promise to make Disney’s Moana, Jr. one of our best and most memorable productions ever! She has put together a wonderfully talented production team who are already preparing for this summer’s show!
Here are some important dates for the show:
Auditions @ Highland Elementary Auditorium : Friday, April 17 @ 6pm Saturday, April 18 @ Noon Sunday, April 19 – Callbacks as needed
Show Dates @ Highland Elementary Auditorium: Friday, June 19 @ 7pm Saturday, June 20 @ 7pm Thursday, June 25 @ 7pm Friday, June 26 @ 7pm Saturday, June 27 @ 7pm Sunday, June 28 @ 2pm
Age Range for the show – 1st grade going into 2nd through Freshman going into Sophomore
More details about auditions and audition materials/forms will be released soon, so check back often!
It was announced today that Springfield High School’s student musical group, The Marvelous Wonderettes, have been selected to perform at the “Class of 1958 Super Senior Prom.” School Principal, Mr. Varney explained, “We wanted to showcase the amazing talent we have here at SHS and these ladies are . . . well, marvelous! We’re all very excited.”
Cindy Lou, Missy, Suzy and Betty Jean – The Marvelous Wonderettes
The group is made up of four SHS seniors, Cindy Lou Huffington, Betty Jean Reynolds, Suzy Simpson and Missy Miller. When asked how the group came to be, Cindy Lou (the self-appointed spokesperson) offered, “Well, I love to sing and have always wanted to sing doo wop with my own backup singers. I mean, I absolutely ADORE The Chordettes and The Pony-Tails! So, I started my own group!” (This seemed to raise a bit of objection from the other three members of the quartet, but they seemed resigned to deferring to Miss Huffington.
The Super Senior Prom-goers will be entertained with songs such as: Mr. Sandman, Lollipop, Dream Lover and Stupid Cupid, among others. The ladies promise that everyone will have a “Marvelous” time at their prom.
The Marvelous Wonderettes are certain to entertain and can be booked for other events through their agent, Hard Road Theater Productions at the Facebook Agency.
Hard Road Theatre Productions and Staunton Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep-Ram in association with the Highland Arts Council are proud to present the 2018 Summer Production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! Performances are July 27th & 28th and August 3rd & 4th at 7:30 p.m. and July 29th and August 5th at 2:00 p.m.
This year marks the 75th Anniversary of Oklahoma! The show first opened on Broadway in March 1943 and ran for more than 2,200 performances. It is one of the most performed musicals of all time. The Broadway show was adapted into a movie in 1955.
This summer’s production is brought to you by an experienced production team headed by director Mike Huelsmann of Breese. He is joined by David Wilton of Carlyle as the music director and Christine Taylor of Highland is the choreographer. The cast is headed by Hard Road veterans Eric Sykes, Lynne Huelsmann, Tim Albaugh, & Westin Holzinger. They are joined by newcomers to the Hard Road stage Olivia Bosaw & Hannah Wudtke. There are 26 total members of the cast.
Oklahoma! is based on Lynn Riggs’ 1931 play, Green Grow the Lilacs. It is the first collaboration between the two writers, Rodgers and Hammerstein. The duo later created some of the most famous and well received musicals in the history of the Broadway stage. The story is set in the territory of Oklahoma near the town of Claremore in 1906.
The spirited rivalry between the local farmers and cowboys provides the backdrop for the love story between Curly, a handsome though shy ranch hand, and Laurey, a beautiful farm girl. Will Parker, Ado Annie Carnes, and Alli Hakim in a love triangle provide much of the comic relief. Add in Judd Frey, the not so reputable hired hand who has his eyes set on Laurey, as the villain and you have one rip-roaring story.
This production will include all of the musical song and dance numbers written for the show, many of which get cut in high school and community theater productions. These include, the tap dance number, “Kansas City,” the ballet style numbers of “Many a New Day” and “The Dream Sequence,” and Jud’s song, “Lonely Room.”
Tickets are $11 for children (ages 4-12) and seniors and $12 for everyone else. Tickets can be purchased online at the Hard Road website (hardroad.org). Physical tickets can be purchased at the Highland Chamber of Commerce Office or at the door.
Hard Road Theatre Productions is a non-profit theatre organization committed to providing Highland and the surrounding area with high-quality, affordable, live theatre productions.
Lee’s Fine Jewelry and More, Rinderer Law Firm, and Scott Credit Union in association with Hard Road Theatre are proud to present Annie Jr. Based on the popular comic strip and adapted from the Tony Award-winning Best Musical, with a beloved book and score by Tony Award-winners, Thomas Meehan, Charles Strouse and Martin Charnin, Annie Jr. features everyone’s favorite little redhead in her very first adventure.
With equal measures of pluck and positivity, little orphan Annie charms everyone’s hearts despite a next-to-nothing start in 1930s New York City. Annie is determined to find the parents who abandoned her years ago on the doorstep of an orphanage run by the cruel Miss Hannigan. Annie eventually foils Miss Hannigan’s evil machinations, finding a new home and family in billionaire Oliver Warbucks, his personal secretary, Grace Farrell, and a lovable mutt named Sandy. Annie Jr. features several audience favorite tunes including “It’s the Hard Knock Life”, “You’re Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile”, and “Tomorrow.” The cast is composed of students from communities all around the area including Highland, Grantfork, Troy, Edwardsville, and Hillsboro. The show is directed by Angela Nuxoll, assistant directed by Kristy Hindman-Cook with musical direction by Dani Boulanger and choreography by Karlee and Kenzie Holzinger.
Performances for Annie Jr. are July 12, 13, and 14th at 7:00 p.m. and July 15th at 2:00 p.m. the Highland High School Kennel, 12760 Troxel Ave., Highland, IL. House doors open approximately 30 minutes before the scheduled show time. Tickets are $10 for adults and $9 for children (4-12) and senior citizens. Tickets can be purchased online at the Hard Road website (hardroad.org). Physical tickets can also be purchased at the Highland Chamber of Commerce or at the door. Seating is on a first come, first serve basis. All online ticket sales stop approximately 30 minutes before scheduled show time.
Hard Road Theatre Productions is a non-profit theatre organization committed to providing Highland and the surrounding area with high-quality, affordable, live theatre productions.
Hard Road Theatre is proud to announce their winter musical: Breaking Up Is Hard to Do. Breaking Up Is Hard to Do is an original jukebox musical featuring 18 Neil Sedaka songs, including “Breaking Up Is Hard to Do”, “Where the Boys Are”, “Sweet Sixteen”, “Calendar Girl”, “Stupid Cupid”, and “Love Will Keep Us Together.” Set during Labor Day weekend in 1960, the show follows two friends, Lois and Marge, who travel to a resort, Esther’s Paradise, in the Catskill mountains to help Marge overcome a recent breakup. While there, romance flourishes in the most unusual places and a visitor from Dick Clark’s American Bandstand might just save Esther’s Paradise from financial ruin.” I love the music in this show and that’s what attracted me to it,” said co-director Tom Varner. “It’s a fun and charming show that audiences are going to love.”
Breaking Up Is Hard to Do stars Breanna Noe as Marge Gelman, Kenzie Holzinger as Lois Warner, Eric Sykes as Del Delmonaco, Weston Holzinger as Gabe Green, Lori Wahl as Esther Simowitz, and Bill Sullivan as Harvey Feldman. Members of the ensemble include Linda Collman, Karlee Holzinger, Mary Knebel, Sandy Leitschuh, and Gentry Fifer. The show has musical direction by David Wilton, choreography by Christine Taylor, and is directed by Gentry Fifer and Tom Varner.
Performances for Breaking Up Is Hard to Do are Jan. 19, 20, 26, and 27 at 7:30 p.m. and Jan. 21 at 2:00 p.m. at the Highland High School Kennel, 12760 Troxel Ave., Highland, IL 62249. House doors open approximately 30 minutes before the scheduled show time. Tickets are $12 for adults and $11 for children (4-12) and senior citizens. Tickets can be purchased at the door, at the Highland Chamber of Commerce, or online. It is recommended that tickets be purchased in advance, if possible. All online ticket sales stop approximately 30 minutes before the scheduled show time.
Hard Road Theatre Productions and Staunton Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep-Ram in association with the Highland Arts Council are proud to present the 2018 Summer Production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! Performances are July 27th & 28th and August 3rd & 4th at 7:30 p.m. and July 29th and August 5th at 2:00 p.m.
