Sauk Announces 2019 Season Of Plays, Musicals

The Sauk, Hillsdale County's community theatre, is excited to announce a new season of comedy, drama, epic musicals and original work. Founded in 1961 as the "Broad Street Players," The Sauk owns and operates the Sauk Theatre, located at 240 E. Chicago St., Jonesville.

"Season selection is the hardest thing we do every year," said Sauk Executive Director Trinity Bird. "Our play selection committee spends months reading scripts and putting together a season that offers something for everybody."

The Sauk season will open with the hysterical comedy "Nana's Naughty Knickers." When law student Bridget moves in with her favorite Nana for the summer, she soon learns grandma has a "naughty" secret...she is running an illegal lingerie boutique for senior women out of her apartment. The comedy opens the season February 7-10 and 14-17. This production is sponsored by Playford Real Estate, Country Carpets and Don Toffolo of Edward Jones.

In October 1998, a twenty-one-year-old student at the University of Wyoming was kidnapped, severely beaten, and left tied to a fence in the middle of the prairie outside Laramie, Wyoming. His name was Matthew Shepard, and he was the victim of this assault because he was gay. Moisés Kaufman and fellow members of the Tectonic Theater Project made six trips to Laramie over the course of a year and a half, in the aftermath of the beating and during the trial of the two young men accused of killing Shepard. They conducted more than 200 interviews with the people of the town. Some people interviewed were directly connected to the case, while others were citizens of Laramie, and the breadth of the reactions to the crime is fascinating. "The Laramie Project," the Sauk's second production of the season, is a breathtaking collage that explores the depths to which humanity can sink and the heights of compassion of which we are capable. Performances are March 28-31. The production is sponsored by Mark & Susan Pedrick.

The Sauk's annual celebration of the 10-minute play, "Sauk Shorts" will be performed April 25-28. This year's production will include 12 short plays including works from Michigan playwrights G.M. (Bud) Thompson, David MacGregor and The Sauk's own Bud Vear. "Sauk Shorts" is sponsored by Nash Drugs, Inc.

Disney's family musical "Beauty and the Beast" will come to life on the stage June 6-9 and 13-16. The classic story tells of Belle, a young woman in a provincial town, and the Beast, who is really a young prince trapped under the spell of an enchantress. If the Beast can learn to love and be loved, the curse will end and he will be transformed into his former self. But time is running out. If the Beast does not learn his lesson soon, he and his household will be doomed for all eternity. This production is sponsored by Jonesville Lumber and The Udder Side.

The international musical sensation featuring the songs of ABBA, "Mamma Mia!" comes to The Sauk for eight performances, Aug. 8-11 and 15-18. On the eve of her wedding, a daughter's quest to discover the identity of her father brings three men from her mother's past back to the island they last visited 20 years ago. A mother. A daughter. Three possible dads. And a trip down the aisle you'll never forget! This production is sponsored by Olivia's Chop House.

Mix a Hitchcock masterpiece with a juicy spy novel, add a dash of Monty Python and you have "The 39 Steps," a fast-paced whodunit for anyone who loves the magic of theatre! This play is packed with nonstop laughs, over 150 zany characters (played by a ridiculously talented cast of four), an onstage plane crash, handcuffs, missing fingers, and some good old-fashioned romance! "The 39 Steps" will be performed September 5-8 and is sponsored by Flagstar Bank.

Based on the celebrated novel, "Lord of the Flies" is a coming of age tale of the breakdown of civilized behavior in a setting of isolation and fear and highlights the contrast between cooperation and competition. The story is set against the background of some type of nuclear war and a plane crash that forces a group of boys to cope with the human need for society and the animal need for survival. While protecting themselves from the outward threat of the island "beast," they discover that the real threat is their own primitive impulses. The show will be performed October 10-13 and 17-20. "Lord of the Flies" is sponsored by Southern Michigan Bank & Trust.

The classic holiday tale of Ebenezer Scrooge, "A Christmas Story" will end the season December 5-8 and 12-15. Nineteenth-century London comes to life and recaptures for audiences the spirit of an old-fashioned Christmas with this timeless Dickens classic and all the favorite characters-Tiny Tim and the Cratchit family, Jacob Marley and the Ghosts of Christmas past, present and yet-to-come. This production is sponsored by County National Bank.

All performances take place at the Sauk Theatre, 240 E. Chicago St., Jonesville. Thursday through Saturday performances are at 8 p.m., with Sunday matinees performed at 3 p.m. The first performance of each production is a "pay-what-you-can" preview night. Season and individual tickets are available at www.thesauk.org or by calling (517) 849-9100. You can also find show information and audition dates at the website.

In 2018, over 300 volunteers were involved in the organization's eight productions. The volunteers represent Hillsdale, Branch, Jackson, Lenawee, Calhoun and Kalamazoo counties in Michigan and several areas in Ohio. The entire organization is completely volunteer except a full-time, grant-funded executive director. New volunteers are always encouraged and welcomed.

The 2019 season is sponsored by Expressions Photography & Design. The orchestras for our live musicals are sponsored by Moore Insurance Services. The Sauk is also supported by the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs and the National Endowment for the Arts.

SIDE BAR: Special Events

The Sauk will also host three special events throughout the year. They are:

• "A Night of Improv Comedy" - GoProv, an improvisational comedy troupe from Indiana, will perform a "Whose Line is it Anyway?" style show at 7:30 p.m. on May 18. Event sponsored by Drews Place Assisted Living Communities.

• The fifth annual Plays-In-Development series will present free staged readings of an exciting new play. Details will be announced in early February. The public readings, followed by a talkback for input from the audience, are at 7:30 p.m. June 28 and 29.

• The Pigeon Creek Shakespeare Company, Michigan's only professional year-round traveling Shakespeare company, will present "Twelfth Night" at 8 p.m. on Nov. 2. Sponsored by B's Shop & Fly.