Season Overview

The Yellow Boat

By David Saar

Dates:  Sept. 19-22

Thursday to Saturday at 7:30 p.m.   

Sunday at 2:30 p.m.

The Yellow Boat is based on the true story of David and Sonja Saar’s son, Benjamin, who was born with congenital hemophilia and died in 1987 at the age of 8 of AIDS-related complications. A uniquely gifted visual artist, Benjamin’s buoyant imagination transformed his physical and emotional pain into a blaze of colors and shapes in his fanciful drawings and paintings. Though it touches on and sensitively explores the serious issues of death and dying, this is a play about living. It is about the power of imagination and art to transform our lives and make them full of color and hope.

Rating: PG (10+)

Produced by special arrangement with THE DRAMATIC PUBLISHING COMPANY of Woodstock, Illinois

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

Dates: Nov. 14-17, 21-24

Thursday to Saturday at 7:30 p.m. 

Sunday at 2:30 p.m. 

Six spellers enter; one speller leaves as the champion of the The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee! Join this group of eccentric mid-pubescents as they spell their way through a myriad of difficult words, hoping never to hear the soul-crushing, pout-inducing, life un-affirming “ding” of the bell that signals a spelling mistake. While vying for first place, each speller candidly discloses hilarious and touching stories from their own lives. This Tony Award-winning musical is wildly funny, charmingly witty, and truly unforgettable.

Rating: PG-13 for adult themes and mature language

THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE
Is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI).
All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI.
www.mtishows.com

Any video and/or audio recording of this production is strictly prohibited.

THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE
Music & Lyrics by William Finn Book by Rachel Sheinkin
Conceived by Rebecca Feldman
Additional Material by Jay Reiss
Originally Directed on Broadway by James Lapine

RCU’s Christmas Sing-Along Extravaganza

Date: December 5 at 7:30 p.m. 

Rating: G (5+)

But God’s First 

By Ronald Gabriel Paolillo 

Dates: Feb. 6-9 

Thursday to Saturday at 7:30 p.m. 

Sunday at 2:30 p.m. 

‘I die the King’s good subject, but God’s first.’ In the aftermath of Sir Thomas More’s execution by King Henry VIII, More’s wife, Alice, and daughter, Meg, are left grappling with his life, legacy, and final words. Within the now sparse walls of More’s estate, Alice and Meg work to find a way to surmount their grief and honor the principles that led to his death. Written by the late actor Ron Paolillo (famous initially for his role as Horshack in the TV Series Welcome Back, Kotter), But God’s First is filled with heart-wrenching drama and surprising comic moments. This production is the world premiere of But God’s First.

Rating: PG-13

Romeo and Juliet 

By William Shakespeare 

Dates: April 24-27, May 1-4

Thursday to Saturday at 7:30 p.m. 

Sunday at 2:30 p.m. 

‘I die the King’s good subject, but God’s first.’ In the aftermath of Sir Thomas More’s execution by King Henry VIII, More’s wife, Alice, and daughter, Meg, are left grappling with his life, legacy, and final words. Within the now sparse walls of More’s estate, Alice and Meg work to find a way to surmount their grief and honor the principles that led to his death. Written by the late actor Ron Paolillo (famous initially for his role as Horshack in the TV Series Welcome Back, Kotter), But God’s First is filled with heart-wrenching drama and surprising comic moments. This production is the world premiere of But God’s First.

Rating: PG-13