For its 84th consecutive season, the Barn will be offering a mix of classic and contemporary musicals and plays, presented with the extraordinary performances and production values that the community has come to expect. The theater is coming to the summer following the extraordinary success of 2015, a season which saw record audiences and which was ultimately recognized with an astonishing 12 New Hampshire Theater Awards for its artistic excellence.
The summer kicks off with the gorgeous romance Brigadoon. Running June 15 through 26, this bewitching musical tells the tale of two American tourists who stumble upon a mysterious Scottish village that magically appears out of the Highland mists only one day every 100 years.
Next comes an uproarious send-up of big business in the era of highballs and chain-smoking. How to Succeed In Business Without Really Trying, a classic musical and the winner of both a Pulitzer and multiple Tony Awards, will run June 29 through July 17.
Based on the Oscar-winning film and nominated for eight Tony Awards, the ingeniously clever Shrek the Musical is an utterly zany musical adventure that will delight adults and children alike. It will run July 20 through 30 and will be followed by the lightning-paced Hitchcockian whodunit The 39 Steps. Playing August 3 through 7 only, this comedy tour de force packs in murder, secret organizations, speeding trains, missing fingers, and much more.
From August 10 through 21, the Barn will present Crazy for You, a madcap romantic comedy featuring jaw-dropping dancing and a cavalcade of immortal Gershwin melodies including I Got Rhythm, Embraceable You, and Someone to Watch Over Me.
And to send you into the fall laughing, the season-closer will be Don’t Dress for Dinner, a deliciously naughty bedroom farce about marital treachery, mistaken identity, and gourmet French cooking that will run August 24 through September 4.
Monday Night Series
The Barn’s hugely popular New London Barn Intern Idols will return for a sixth season. The Acting Intern Company will split into competing teams on select Monday nights, with members of each team singing their hearts out to earn the audience’s votes. Each date features a different evening of musical competition, with the themes:
- July 11: I’ll Be Seeing You: A tribute to the Greatest Generation and the music that got them through World War II
- July 25: Sinatra! Celebrating America’s original pop idol and the coolest cat of them all
- August 15: Intern’s Choice: The Company puts together their very own farewell revue
Each Idols evening offers two curtain times, at 5 and at 7:30 PM.
Children’s Theater Series
The Barn’s Junior Intern (JI) Company is comprised of approximately 25 dedicated young performers, ages 12 through 18, who produce and perform the Children’s Theater Series productions. The Series includes five shows; four appear on the Barn stage, with one additional free outdoor production.
This summer, the JIs will present Opening Night on July 2, Humpty Dumpty is Missing! on July 16, The Tempest on July 23 in a free outdoor performance, Sleeping Beauty on July 28, and The Wizard of Oz on August 18 and 20. All performances are 11 AM and at 2 PM; tickets are available at NLBarn.org or 526-6710.
Flex Passes
The best deal of the summer, Barn flex passes offer the ultimate in flexibility and savings. The four-pack passes can be redeemed in any combination and at any point, offering savings of up to 18% over single-ticket prices. But they must be purchased by June 14! More information is at NLBarn.org/subscriptions.
Summer Camps
Arts education changes lives; a fun and exhilarating introduction to the performing arts can lay the groundwork for an enduring love of theater that may last a lifetime, enriching a child’s experience of the world for decades to come.
The Barn is proud to offer five weeks of theater camps this summer from July 11 to August 12, with options each week for ages six through 16. Each weekly camp runs either in the morning or the afternoon; camps are taught by Barn staff, members of the Acting Intern Company, and professional guest artists. Information and camp descriptions are available at NLBarn.org/summer-camps.
The New London Barn Playhouse is one of the oldest continuously-operating summer theaters in the country. Housed in an historic converted barn, the theater features professional Broadway actors alongside emerging young artists in an intimate, air-conditioned setting with no seat more than 30 feet from the stage. The Barn has received countless accolades, including over 127 nominations from the New Hampshire Theater Awards since 2010. Tickets are available at NLBarn.org or by phone at 526-6710.