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Theatre Arts 2022-2023 Season

Expectations!

Throughout our season, characters have high expectations of victory, of accountability, or even to have cucumber sandwiches. We expect you’ll be delighted with our range of shows, including a fun-filled musical, our Second Stage Series – presenting two shows in rotation – as well as another great VIP (Voices Included for People of Color) Show. See you at the Helfaer Theatre... we’re expecting you.

2022-2023 Season

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
The Wolves
From White Plains
The Importance of Being Earnest
Detroit '67 (A VIP Theatre production)

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For questions about performances, please contact the Helfaer Box Office.

25th annual putnam spelling bee

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

Book by Rachel Sheinkin, Music by William Finn

October 7, 8, 13, 14, 15 at 7:30 pm
October 9, 16 at 2:30 pm

In this wildly funny and touching musical, six awkward tween-age spelling champions compete to be the best. As we learn about each contestant, they learn that winning (and losing) isn't everything. Dust off your dictionary and expect to laugh out loud with this fun-filled, Tony Award-winning show. (Contains some PG-13 humor.)

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Wolves

The Wolves*

By Sarah DeLappe

November 18, December 1, 3 at 7:30 pm
November 19, December 4 at 2:30 pm

This Pulitzer Prize-finalist features an all-female cast. "The Wolves"* explores the world of high school soccer players in suburban America. As they warm-up before games, the girls discuss everything from boys to eating disorders, the new girl and the Khmer Rouge. While the team expects victory, they learn about real loss and identity in a writing style that rings amazingly true. (Includes some strong language)

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*Our Second Stage Series offers two alternating, stripped-down shows with intimate seating, putting the acting in the spotlight!

From White Plains

From White Plains*

November 19, 30, December 2 at 7:30 pm
November 20, December 3 at 2:30 pm

While watching the Academy Awards, 30 year-old Ethan finds himself having to confront who he was and what he did as a teenager. "From White Plains" follows four men as they deal with responsibility for past actions and expect to move beyond them, complicated by social media and viral videos. The play examines how male relationships change as boys grow into men and the lasting effects of LGBTQ+ bullying. (Some strong language and mention of suicide.)

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*Our Second Stage Series offers two alternating, stripped-down shows with intimate seating, putting the acting in the spotlight!

The Importance of Being Earnest

By Oscar Wilde

February 17, 18, 23, 24, 25 at 7:30 pm
February 19, 26 at 2:30 pm

Oscar Wilde’s beloved comedy classic! When Jack and Algernon expect to achieve romantic success by using the same pseudonym, hilarity ensues. This piece of theatre perfection is permeated with Wilde’s wit and his charismatic characters - from a tempestuous tea with Gwendolyn and Cecily, to the biting rebuffs of Lady Bracknell...perhaps Miss Prism will put things right!

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Detroit '67 (A VIP Theatre Production)

By Dominique Morriseau

April 14, 15, 20, 21, 22 at 7:30 pm
April 16, 23 at 2:30 pm

In 1967 Detroit, Motown music is getting the party started, and Chelle and her brother Lank are making ends meet by turning their basement into an after-hours joint. But when a mysterious woman finds her way into their lives, the siblings clash over much more than the family business. As their pent-up feelings erupt, so does their city, and they find themselves caught in the middle of the '67 riots.

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