Round Barn Theatre at Amish Acres to Present PLAIN AND FANCY, 5/25-10/15

The Round Barn Theatre at Amish Acres is celebrating its 30th anniversary of Plain and Fancy which opens May 25 and runs through October 15. With over 3,600 performances before audiences totaling 355,000, it has become one of the longest running musicals of all time.

Plain and Fancy is a heartwarming tale of a sophisticated New York couple that experiences a glimpse of life and love on an Amish farm. Written by Joseph Stein with Will Glickman, Plain and Fancy opened on Broadway in 1955 where it ran for 462 performances and won a Tony Award for best musical. Since then, The Round Barn Theatre has become its national home with more performances than the original Broadway runs of Hello Dolly!, My Fair Lady, Oklahoma, South Pacific, The Sound of Music, and The Music Man. It has surpassed the original Broadway production of Fiddler on the Roof, also written by Stein, which opened in 1964 and had the first musical theatre run in history to surpass 3,000 performances. Fiddler held the record for the longest-running Broadway musical for almost 10 years until Grease surpassed its run.

Nearly than 600 actors have performed Plain and Fancy since its debut at Amish Acres in 1986 where it played with only four actors and a single piano on a tiny stage in a constructed replica of the old Locke Township Meeting House. It played for seven seasons on the tiny stage before moving to The Round Barn Theatre constructed in 1991. From that expansion, The Round Barn Theatre has grown into a major regional theatre.

Several former cast members have gone onto to star on Broadway and international tours since their time at Amish Acres. Perry Ojeda starred in the 1998 revival of Leonard Bernstein's On the Town; Jerry O'Boyle has starred as Edna Turnblad in the international tour of Hair Spray for the last three years; and Kent Lewis was recently nominated for a Jeff Award for his starring role as Johnny Cash in the production of Ring of Fire at the Mercury Theatre in Chicago. Among others, Laura Freeman has become a fixture on the Chicago stage and cabaret circuit and Jenny Sophia was recently seen in the Chicago Lyric Opera production of The Merry Widow.

The season is dedicated to Plain and Fancy author Joseph Stein, friend and mentor of The Round Barn Theatre and for whom the theatre stage is named, who died in October 2010 at the age of 98. A memorial fund has been established to extend the influence of the Joseph Stein Young Actors Studio which presents theatre for young audience productions as well as summer acting camps, national touring children's productions, and free season tickets for kids at Amish Acres.

This milestone anniversary season is chocked full of Broadway favorites, off-Broadway hits, and new works. Forever Plaid returns to open the season followed by All Shook Up, Crazy for You, Fiddler on the Roof, The Miracle Worker, and A Christmas Story, the Musical.

The eclectic mix offered by The Round Barn Theatre makes it Northern Indiana's busiest stage with a season subscription base numbering in the thousands. It has produced over 150 main stage musicals, numerous second stage readings, dramas, and a slate of theatre for young audience productions. "We owe all of our vibrancy as a regional theatre to the trust and encouraging support of our season subscribers," stated founder and producer Richard Pletcher.

Special events, discounts, receptions and celebrations are planned throughout the show's twenty one week run. The season long celebration will begin with an opening night reception for invited clients and guests in the Barn Loft Grill featuring sample appetizers from Amish Acres Plain & Fancy Catering Menus. Dinner and Theatre packages for all Plain and Fancy performances may be purchased for 30% savings (nearly $50 for around $35). All attendees at most shows will receive a coupon for a free piece of Shoofly Pie in the Restaurant Barn. A video compilation of all of the past 30 seasons will be shown in the theatre's lobby throughout the year.

A total of 300 tickets valued at $9,000 will be given away, 15 per week, via trivia contests through Facebook and other social media. Of the two week long acting camps for children (Plain and Fancy and Fiddler on the Roof), those completing the Plain and Fancy camp will have the opportunity to perform in a main stage Plain and Fancy performance.

A $2,000 Double Wedding Ring Quilt (like the one given to Peter and Katie for their wedding gift in Plain and Fancy) is being quilted throughout the season in the Gross Daadi house on the historic farmstead. Elizabeth and Katy Borkholder will finish the quilt in late fall in time to give it away by drawing on New Year's Eve. Every visitor to Amish Acres may register to win the quilt during every visit throughout the year.

The 2016 repertory season runs April 13 through December 31 with 2:00 p.m. matinees and 8:00 p.m. evening performances. Season tickets remain on sale for only $129.95 for adults and children 4-11 are free with the purchase of an adult season ticket. A complete show schedule, ticket availability, and reservations can be obtained by calling the Box Office at 800-800-4942 ext. 2 or online at AmishAcres.com. Theatre tickets can be combined with Amish Acres famous family style Threshers Dinner or a Theme Dinner served on select Friday nights at a savings. Theme Dinner seating is limited and reservations must be made in advance at The Round Barn Theatre box office.

Tickets are $29.95.

To post a comment, you must register and login.