Rachel Landon News

Open Stage, one of Harrisburg’s non-profit theatre companies, has hired three new team members. These additions to the team come just a few months after the downtown theatre company began to once again produce in-person shows for its 36th season.

Open Stage opens their 36th season “Breaking Through” with Carole King’s Tapestry Live. Performers Rachel Landon, Carly Lafferty, and Stacey Werner, with director Stuart Landon and music director Nicholas Werner, take on the songs of Tapestry in a nostalgic, high-energy, emotional show that will have audiences feeling the earth move under their feet.

Performers Carly Lafferty, Stacey Werner and Rachel Landon will bring the magic of King's seminal work to Harrisburg for a concert featuring the song lineup of Tapestry from beginning to end, while backed by a four piece rock band headed by Musical Director Nicholas Werner.

Hey, we see you. That ticket to the WIZARD OF OZ singalong. That flying monkeys T-shirt. You with the porcelain collector edition ruby slippers. And you - the one who still says Friends of Dorothy. And you - the one with the complete soundtrack to the 1954 A STAR IS BORN, we see you too. Oh, the clGreat American Songbook lover in the corner - we caught you, too, humming 'I'll Get By..'

After a year of virtual productions, Open Stage will once again invite live audiences into the theatre. The first production is Over the Rainbow: The Songs of Judy Garland. Beginning May 28, this cabaret features Rachel Landon, Stacey Werner, and Carly Lafferty under the music direction of Nicholas Werner.

In October, 2019, Open Stage reopened the facility at 25 North Court Street after a half-million dollar renovation, featuring a brand new black box Studio Theater, a modern lobby and bar ( dubbed The Court Street Cabaret), and made a slew of other updates, kicking off a year of performances that looked to be one of the small professional house's strongest seasons ever.

Open Stage has announced the theater's re-opening in late May with a series of concerts, beginning with a Judy Garland celebration dubbed Over the Rainbow: the Songs of Judy Garland, running May 28-June 25.

Open Stage will return to the world of Hercule Poirot in Poirot Investigates!, based on the short story “The Affair at the Victory Ball” by Agatha Christie. The show will be streaming through the “Open Stage at Home” program April 2-18, and close out the all-streaming season from Harrisburg's professional theatre company. The show can be accessed through the company's Facebook and YouTube pages beginning April 2 at 8:00pm EST.

Open Stage presents a TikTok-driven version of Everyman. It’s a morality play for our social media world, performed using TikTok, Messenger, and other social media platforms. What would your “Wreckoning” with Death look like?

The play was originally written in the late 15th century by an unknown author.  In the course of the original story, the character of “Everyman” (who represents all mankind) is summoned by Death to stand before God to recount his life in a final reckoning. 

Kafka’s Shorts performed online by Open Stage is a show that engages the mind, and those who thrive on the strange and thought-provoking may want to give this show multiple views.

Open Stage will begin streaming an staged production of Kafka’s Shorts on January 8, continuing the theatre’s unconventional 35th season, wherein the staff has planned and produced staged performances that are filmed and may be streamed on TVs, computers and smart devices.

Since the year 2000, Open Stage has produced A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens most famous novel, and arguably the most famous redemption story in all of literature.  It has consistently been the most produced adapted work in American theatre, and Open Stage celebrated the 20th anniversary production in December, 2019.

Join the crew of Open Stage for a fresh, creative version of A Christmas Carol. Find joy and hope in this new telling of a beloved story

Mary Shelley's 1818 novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus, has inspired numerous TV, film, and stage adaptations. Frankenstein, as it's commonly known, explores a number of intriguing questions.

Adapted from the most famous horror story of all time, Open Stage presents a modern, surreal adaptation of Mary Shelley's seminal work.

Open Stage presents the 2020-2021 season with completely free access to all virtual shows.

Who's ready for some great holiday entertainment? There are so many great shows to see during the holiday season. If you need a break from all the holiday craziness and a chance to laugh until your cheeks hurt, hop on over to Open Stage for Who's Holiday. Who's Holiday, by Matthew Lombardo, is not your typical Christmas play. It is a show with only one actor. It answers the age-old question of what happens to characters after the original story ends. Told by Cindy Lou Who, it is the story of what happened to her after the Grinch's famous redemption in How the Grinch Stole Christmas. The story is told in typical Seussian rhyme. Rachel Landon will be taking on the role of Cindy Lou at Open Stage, and she took some time to talk to us about Who's Holiday, directed by Stuart Landon, opening on November 16th.

In 1998, the musical Ragtime hit Broadway. E. L. Doctorow's 1975 novel was brought to life by the musical writing team of Stephen Lafferty and Lynn Ahrens, who had gained some notoriety with their musicals Lucky Stiff and Once on This Island, with an adapted book by Terrence McNally, who had won a Tony award for his work on Love! Valour! Compassion! This powerhouse team helped Ragtime earn 4 Tony Awards.