Gretna Theatre to Present Family Series This Summer

Gretna Theatre will present four Family Series productions this summer at Mt. Gretna Playhouse. Each event is at 11:00 am on a summer Saturday morning, and sure to be fun for the whole family! Three of four performances will feature the 2023 Acting Apprentice Class, including Kayla Bassoff, Gerson Malave, Cassie Molloy, Tyler Shadle, Jeremiah Rosado, and Olivia Whitner. Gretna Theatre's Acting Apprenticeship is a professional development opportunity for college students and recent graduates interested in pursuing theatre professionally. Over the course of the ten-week program, Acting Apprentices will not only make up the cast of Gretna's popular Family Series, but will also be featured in the ensemble of Gypsy on the main stage.

The Musical Adventures of Flat Stanley

Book by Timothy Allen McDonald

Music by David Weinstein, Jonathan K. Waller, Timothy Allen McDonald & Stephen Gabriel

Lyrics by Timothy Allen McDonald & Jonathan K. Waller

June 10, 2023

Stanley Lambchop is your ordinary, everyday, run-of-the-mill, ten-year-old: normal mom and dad, normal little brother, normal life. That's just the problem... for Stanley, life is too normal. He wants to travel the world, do something amazing, something no one's ever seen before. Careful what you wish for, Stanley! One night, the bulletin board on the wall above Stanley's bed comes loose and falls - right on top of Stanley! The next morning, Stanley Lambchop wakes up flat. Not just a little flat... really, REALLY flat! In a whirlwind musical travelogue, Stanley - the ultimate exchange student - scours the globe for a solution to his unusual problem. And, whether he's thwarting a robbery at the Louvre Museum in Paris, or "hanging ten" off the coast of Hawaii, Stanley is closing in on his goal of being a three-dimensional boy once more.

Don't Let Pigeon Drive the Bus

Based on the book Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! by Mo Willems

Lyrics by Mo Willems

Script by Mo Willems and Mr. Warburton

Music by Deborah Wicks La Puma

Dramaturgy by Megan Alrutz

June 24 and July 1, 2023

Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! The Musical! is even more fun than staying up late and having a hot dog party! It's not easy being the Pigeon - you never get to do ANYTHING! But when the Bus Driver has a crisis that threatens to make her passengers late (gasp!), maybe that wiley bird CAN do something.

Featuring an innovative mix of songs, and feathers, Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! The Musical! is sure to get the whole family's wings flapping.

Marian and Friends, Ventriloquist

July 29, 2023

Get ready to laugh and clap along with Marian and Friends this summer! This upbeat, interactive ventriloquist show will tickle your funny bone and keep your imagination engaged. Audiences of all ages love Marian's creative and zany puppet characters and her family-friendly humor. The Marian and Friends Ventriloquist show will put smiles on everyone's faces.

Curious George : The Golden Meatball

Based on the books by Margret & H.A. Rey and the Play Owned by Universal State Productions

Music by John Kavanaugh

Book & Lyrics by Jeremy Demson

August 5, 2023

All You-Can-Eat Meatball Day comes just once a year. George had been waiting all month for that day, a day almost bigger than his birthday! On Meatball Day, George helped his friend, Chef Pisghetti, cook some delicious meatballs and serve them to the hungry crowd. But this year, the crowd had vanished! Something was keeping people away... something pretty big. And that something was Phinneas T. Lightspeed and his speedy Meatballs-o-Matic machine. In despair, Chef Pisghetti vows to cook no more. Determined to help his friend, George goes on a mission to enter the Chef's meatballs in the world-famous Golden Meatball Contest in Rome.

ABOUT THE ACTORS

Kayla Bassoff (she/her) is a Lititz native, and excited to make her Gretna Theatre debut as an Apprentice! She is a theatre and art history double major at Muhlenberg College where she is also involved in Coda Acapella and works as a box office assistant and house manager. Her favorite past credits include The Little Prince, The Scarlet Verse, Oklahoma!, and Spring Awakening.

Gerson Malave is a Mount Joy native, and a recent graduate of Temple University.

Cassondra Molloy (she/her) is excited to be making her Gretna Theatre debut as an acting apprentice. Cassondra is a musical theater major at The HARTT School at the University of Hartford. She has performed in many musicals at the Belmont Theater and the ACTS of Kindness Theatre Company, including Annie, Matilda, Legally Blonde, Mamma Mia, and SpongeBob the Musical. Some of her favorite roles include Mrs. White (Clue!) and Betty Parris (The Crucible). She would like to thank her family, partner, and friends for supporting her passion of dance and theater.

Jeremiah Rosado (he/him) is a senior at Kean University pursuing his BFA in Theatre Performance (Musical Theatre). He has accumulated numerous credits, including Animal Farm (Squealer), The Tempest (Antonio), Into the Woods (Narrator / Mysterious Man), Avenue Q (Rod), I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change (various roles), Indecent (u/s Lemml / ensemble), In the Heights (u/s Sonny / ensemble), Sister Act (Fantasy Dancer / male ensemble), The Pillowman (Michal), Time Flies (Horace), and You're Cosplaying my Song (Boy). Jeremiah has worked on numerous devised pieces, including a production with fight choreographer Rick Sordelet. Jeremiah is also a member of AѰὨ, The National Theatre Honor Society. He gives all his thanks to his friends and family and looks forward to many more upcoming productions.

Tyler Shadle (he/him) is thrilled to be making his Gretna Theatre debut as an Acting Apprentice this summer! He fell in love with acting while studying at Susquehanna University, where he graduated in May 2022 with degrees in both Music Performance and Theatre. Recent roles include Prince Andreas in Rapunzel (Fulton Theatre), Jack/Steward in Into the Woods, Young Scrooge/Solicitor in A Christmas Carol (Open Stage), Frederic in The Pirates of Penzance, and Bobby Strong in Urinetown (Susquehanna University). Tyler is also a member of Inside Voices (a semi-professional a cappella group - @theinsidevoices_) and is looking forward to starting a private studio for music lessons in the fall! @tylershadle73

Olivia Whitner (she/her) currently attends Belmont University and will be graduating in May with her BFA in Musical Theatre. She's from Pensacola, FL and has never lived up North before but is so excited to be working with Gretna this summer!

ABOUT GRETNA THEATRE

Gretna Theatre is one of south-central Pennsylvania's few professional theatres, and one of the oldest summer theatres in America. Gretna Theatre is located in the arts/resort community of Mt. Gretna, PA where theatre has been produced at this same location since 1927! The original Playhouse dates back to 1892 when it was built as the centerpiece of the newly-created Pennsylvania Chautauqua. Gretna Theatre is a non-profit organization producing exciting theatrical productions in conjunction with the professional unions of Actors' Equity Association and Stage Directors and Choreographers. Many Broadway stars have performed at Gretna Theatre - including Bernadette Peters, Charlton Heston, Faith Prince, Laurie Beechman, and Sally Struthers.