MEN ON BOATS by Jaclyn Backhaus to be Presented at Windham Theatre Guild

Celebrate the unofficial start of summer with the true-ish story of adventure in the Grand Canyon, Men on Boats by Jaclyn Backhaus presented by the Windham Theatre Guild!

Running May 29th through June 7th Men on Boats is a comedic and compelling tale of the 10 men who joined in the first government sanctioned expedition through the Grand Canyon. When Backhaus wrote this piece she included the note on casting "The characters in Men on Boats were historically cisgendered white males. The cast should be made up entirely of people who are not that." Director Ava R. Molnar followed that note and built an ensemble performers who bring depth to each of these historical figures. "Beyond the blend of silliness and sincerity in the script, the casting note is something that really drew me to this piece. It provides the opportunity for people who have such a great command of character to play roles that in other variations of this story they would never even be considered for."

Abby Duell, who was recently seen on stage as Cecily in The Importance of Being Earnest, plays the enthusiastic leader, John Wesley Powell.  The cast is rounded out by returning performers Meg Clifton as true adventurer Sumner, Mark Kulow as the enigmatic Old Shady, Yvette Charice as publisher turned explorer OG Howland, AJ Beauregard as the well-to-do Goodman, Olivya DeLuca as map maker Hall and Corey Mason as hot headed but heartfelt Hawkins. Coming up from their youth program and coming to the WTG stage for the first time are Jaelyn Middleton and Aspen Fleming, respectively, playing the loyal hearted Seneca and Bradley. 

2026 Theater Fans' Choice Awards - Live Stats

Best Sound Design - Top 3

1. Adam Fisher - The Lost Boys

36.8% of votes

2. Tony Gayle - Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)

11.2% of votes

3. John Shivers - Chess

7.3% of votes

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