THEATRE UNDER THE STARS

Theatre Under the Stars has been bringing culture and entertainment to Waterville Valley for over 18 years. This in-house professional summer-stock theatre troupe performs family-friendly theatrical productions for locals and guests free of charge. Featured by the Boston Globe and New York Times, Theatre Under the Stars offers a variety of summer shows, matinees, and kids camps.

Led by Donna Devlin - an award-winning, Emmy-nominated theatre, film and television professional - Theatre Under the Stars offers visitors the opportunity to enjoy spectacular theatrical productions with panoramic mountain views as the backdrop. Over 20,000 people from across the East Coast have seen their shows, from plays by children's theatre troupes to entire productions performed by groups of established actors, some of whom have performed at some of the most distinguished Shakespeare festivals across the globe. The Waterville Valley Community is incredibly lucky to have these resident thespians throughout the summer.

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SUMMER THEATRE OFFERINGS

Performances Running from August 8th - 24th, 2024

ALL SHOWS ARE FAMILY FRIENDLY!

All shows are Pay-What-You-Can/By-Donation in honor of our first kid camper, SPC Marc Paul Decoteau, who lost his young life in service to the word "free" in Afghanistan in 2010.

SHOW SCHEDULE:
6:00pm | House Opens for General Admission and pre-show picnics
6:30pm | Curtain

ALL SHOWS ARE RAIN OR SHINE!

SHINE LOCATION:
Outdoor stage at the Gazebo Hill Amphitheatre, behind the Town Square Ice Rink and next to the Town Square Disc Golf Course.

RAIN LOCATION:
Indoor stage in Town Square Lower Level, adjacent to the Snowy Owl Inn.

Bring a blanket or camp chair, pack a beverage of your choice, picnic (or buy food from Town Square shops and restaurants) and come see "bare bones bard (and other classics) at its' best"! Adult beverages, water, and snacks available at the Shakespeare in the Valley concessions stand as well as a limited number of chairs for rent for a small donation (all proceeds fund the Creative Adventurers Club Kids Camp scholarships).

THREE DIFFERENT MAINSTAGE SHOWS

THE OX PASTURE INCIDENT: A MURDER MYSTERY MELODRAMA

World Premiere
Written & Directed by Donna Devlin

SHOWINGS: Friday-August 9th, & Saturday-August 17th

Based on a real-life murder mystery, this world premiere play tells the story of Mary Scanell, a young wife and mother living in a timber mill encampment in NH's North Country. In 1860 she disappeared after a raucous thanksgiving celebration, only for her body to turn up in an isolated ox pasture once the snows had melted in the spring of 1861. Her husband and several others were brought in as suspects, but the secret of "whodunnit" remained a mystery... until now! Told in a classic Victorian melodrama style that was all the rage in the North Country in the 1860's, interspersed with historical news articles and court documents this music filled tale, told by professional actors from all across the country, will captivate you with a daring story and a surprise ending where the audience decides "whodunnit"! PG RATED

INTERACTIVE ROBIN HOOD

WRITTEN by ASH SINGER

SHOWINGS: Saturday-August 10th, Friday-August 16th, & Friday- August 23rd

A fun-for-all-ages hilarious and raucous parody "send-up" of classic Robin Hood movies where the audience decides plot points (small and big) and where every show has a different ending! Never the same show twice! G RATED

LOVE’S LABOUR’S LOST

WRITTEN by WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
DIRECTED BY DONNA DEVLIN

ONE NIGHT ONLY! CLOSING NIGHT CELEBRATION SATURDAY-AUGUST 24TH

In Love’s Labour’s Lost, the King of Navarre and his schoolmate are ripe for an education in love from the Princess of France and her lady in waiting. Joining the lovers is a brilliantly goofy troupe of clowns, including the love-warrior Don Armado and the lust-sick rogue Costard, who ardently pursue the affections of a winsome country maid — and who perform an unforgettable pageant for the royals. Written around the same time as Romeo and Juliet and A Midsummer Night’s Dream, this giddy and extravagant romantic comedy is Shakespeare’s most exuberant wordfest — a joyful carnival of love, loss, and hope.

CREATIVE ADVENTURERS CLUB - KIDS CAMP

Mon Aug 12-Sat Aug 24th, 2024

The award-winning Theatre Under The Stars presents The Creative Adventurers Club, an innovative “Outward Bound for the Arts”. This multi-disciplinary art, sport and recreation camp is a 2 week-long day camp where kids age 5-16 explore various art mediums geared to the interests of the kids we have that summer, guided by adult teaching artists working in those fields. Past camps have explored poetry, creative writing, filmmaking,Shakespeare, theater, dance, musical instruments, stage combat, playwriting, singing, songwriting and the visual arts. Together the adult mentors and kid adventurers engage in nature, recreational and arts activities; exploring all the various ways that the inspiring beauty of the natural surroundings of Waterville Valley fuels the artistic expressions of the soul. At the end of camp, the campers present a multi-art production that is always the highlight of the theatre's season! CAMP RUNS 10-2 MON-SAT EACH WEEK! AS THE CAMP EXPERIENCE IS PROGRESSIVE, CUMULATIVE AND WORKS TOWARDS A FINAL NIGHT PRODUCTION, KIDS ARE ENCOURAGED TO DO BOTH WEEKS BUT ONE WEEK ATTENDANCE IS ALLOWED IN CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES. Camp is $450 but, in SPC Marc Paul Decoteau's name, NO CHILD IS TURNED AWAY FOR LACK OF ABILITY TO PAY.

For scholarship info or camp info call 603-960-2685. Info is also available at www,shakespeareinthevalley.com (under the "Camp" link). Info and reg forms available at Dreams and Visions and Bookmonger in WV Town Square!

Camp Schedule