Our 2023 Theatre Season!
For the safety of the cast and audience, The Playhouse will follow current CDC COVID guidelines. Please visit the CDC website for more information.
This July, we invite you to come sit a spell. The Playhouse at McConnellstown is proud to present “Foxfire,” written by Susan Cooper and Hume Cronyn with music by Jonathan Holtzman. Running July 21st through July 30th, this tribute to Appalachian life is based on the series of “Foxfire” books.
“FoxFire” is a tale which transports us to the not-so-distant past in the restful Blue Ridge Mountains of Georgia. Annie Nations is a strong-willed Appalachian woman who lives on her mountain farm with her sharp-tongued, bull-headed husband, Hector. Annie becomes vulnerable when a determined real estate developer plans to turn her simplistic home into a vacation resort.
She anxiously anticipates a visit from her son, Dillard, who abandoned the traditional rural life of his parents for a career in the music industry. Dillard’s visit is the catalyst for a series of flashbacks, which allow Annie to relive memories of the simple and sincere life she crafted on her mountainside homestead with her husband. Is she ready to cut these roots and move off of the land which served as the backdrop for everything life has given her?
“Acting in Foxfire’ is a privilege. It’s an emotional journey that delves into ourselves and our ancestry in a heartfelt way,” commented cast member Dan Weston. “Laughter and tears intertwine as we navigate tradition and the bittersweet reality of moving on. It’s a testament to the enduring power of family, both the good, and the bad.”
Annie Nations is played by Jeanne Nagurny, and Hector Nations is portrayed by Keith Sutton. Kylee Roles is Holly with Dan Weston as Dillard. Prince is played by Michael Cantrell, and Joe Kraybill is the doctor.
We are invited to understand the struggles and challenges faced by those who came before us, while realizing our contemporary challenges are just as real,” Weston added.
The creative team for this production includes Rick Brown (sound and musical arrangement), Keith Sutton (lighting), Barb Hughes (technical assistance) and Jeanne Nagurny (costumes). The set construction team includes the cast, the creative team, Luke Beaver, Mike Dietz, Hunter McVey and Jennifer Snyder.
For the safety of the cast and audience, The Playhouse will follow current CDC COVID guidelines. Please visit the CDC website for more information.
“Foxfire” opens on July 21st and continues July 22nd, 28th and 29th at 7:30 p.m. Sunday matinee showings are July 23rd and 30th at 2:00 p.m. Ticket prices are $15 for regular admission and $13 for seniors (age 60 and older) and students (age 6 and older). Payment options include cash, check, debit or credit card. For reservations, please call 814-627-0311.
Our 45 year journey…
The Playhouse at McConnellstown is an all-volunteer theatre company, incorporated as Go West Productions in the early 1980s. The company regularly performs in its own seventy-seven seat theatre housed in an historic 1872 church in the village of McConnellstown, PA, five miles south of Huntingdon on Route 26.
Our mission is to support a community theatre company, developing and providing access to the performing arts and arts education in rural Huntingdon County, through interpretation of existing plays, developing new works and providing training, coaching, and experience to people interested in the performing arts.
From its beginnings, The Playhouse at McConnellstown has strived to maintain a strong presence in the local community. The company welcomes people of all ages and different walks of life, and boasts talent ranging from newcomers to former Broadway and television veterans. These members work together to bring performing arts to a location which lacks the cultural attributes of a larger, more urban area.