St. Luke's United Methodist Church Announces 2019-20 Season Of Tapestry Players

St. Luke's United Methodist Church is pleased to announce the Tapestry Players 2019-20 season with five productions, representing diverse musical theater and drama offerings for all ages. This season also marks the 40th anniversary of the church's iconic Rotunda Theater, which has served to showcase the church's renowned music ministry and its very own theatrical production company, Tapestry Players, about to embark on its eighth season.

Tapestry Players, geared toward adult actors and singers, has presented 33 plays and musicals since its inception in 2012. Tryouts are held in advance of each production, and those who perform in the productions are St. Luke's members and non-members alike, including several professional singers and actors. As part of the church's fine arts ministry, Tapestry Players, a "community of storytellers," strives for "every person to experience God through the production and performance of theater, embracing all ages and levels of experience in our community."

For the young and young at heart, Tapestry Players begins the new season with Goldilocks & the Three Bears in August, followed by the holiday offering of Lux Radio Production's Miracle on 34th Street. Starting off the New Year in 2020 is The Mystery of Edwin Drood, then the June production of The Man Who Came to Dinner and ending with the timeless beauty of Rodgers and Hammerstein's South Pacific.

"We have built a beautiful ministry with Tapestry Players, one which is inclusive and encouraging for those who love performing for theater and wish to express themselves creatively," says Sid Davis, Director of Music and Fine Arts for St. Luke's United Methodist Church. "Our audiences come from within our church but also from all over the city, as do our performers. Over the years, actors have actually become church members and continued their involvement in the performing arts."

Davis notes that St. Luke's is unique in having a dedicated theater on its campus from which to engage the public through drama, comedy, musicals, concerts and lectures. "The Fine Arts Ministry was a vision of former St. Luke's pastor and Methodist Bishop Walter Underwood," says Davis. "His dream became a reality in 1980 with the Rotunda Theater, as well as our Rotunda Gallery, which features exhibits from local and regional visual artists. We are blessed to have leaders with forethought who understood the transformative power of the arts."

St. Luke's UMC Tapestry Players 2019-2020 Season

Goldilocks & the Three Bears

Children's Production

Oct. 18-20

In this adaptation by William Goldsmith of the popular fairy tale, Baby Bear and Goldilocks (now friends) have very different recollections of the details of that fateful day. A reenactment of the story ensues, with plenty of laughs and some important life lessons. The show runs under an hour and promises to be excellent exposure to theater for young audience members.

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Miracle on 34th Street

Dec. 1

Our actors transform the classic holiday film into a live radio drama with costumes, radio mics, sound effects, and more. The original Lux Radio Theater production aired three times-in 1947, 1948, and 1954-and starred Maureen O'Hara, John Payne and Edmund Gwenn.

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The Mystery of Edwin Drood

Jan. 9-12, 2020

The audience gets to solve a mystery in this hilarious musical adaptation of Charles Dicken's final (and unfinished) novel. Since Dickens left no clues about the ending before he died, our actors will invite the audience to decide "whodunit."

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The Man Who Came to Dinner

June 11-14, 2020

Set in the 1930s, notable radio personality Sheridan Whiteside slips on the ice and dislocates his hip upon arrival for a dinner invitation at the home of Ernest and Daisy Stanley. Due to his injury, he overstays his welcome by six tumultuous weeks as he takes over the Stanley's living room and their lives.

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South Pacific

July 23-26; July 30-Aug. 2, 2020

Set during World War II in a tropical paradise, this classic Rodgers and Hammerstein musical adaptation of James Michener's "Tales of the South Pacific" explores the perils of prejudice and war through the lives of two pairs of lovers. With a score full of memorable songs -"Some Enchanted Evening," "There Is Nothin' Like A Dame," "I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outta My Hair"-and a timely message about racism, South Pacific continues to captivate audiences 50 years after it first opened on Broadway.

Tickets for the 2019-2020 season go on sale in September. You can go to tapestryplayers.org/events to view the schedule and buy tickets.

Photo by Patrick Laughrey