Ray Ficca News

"$334,000 is in the bank with more yet to be received and counted" said Sue McMurtray, Managing Director. With this new money the theater will be presenting shows unlike any seen at Totem Pole in the past and for the first time in over 40 years it will offer a seven show season. Three comedies and four musicals, one with a cast of over 30 performers.

Robbie Limon to perform at Totem Pole Playhouse fundraiser today, September 16, 2012.

On August 29, Totem Pole Playhouse announced that without $250,000 by October 1, it might not have a 63rd season. Two weeks later, it appears that there may yet be another season en route.

John Putch's locally shot follow up film to ROUTE 30, entitled ROUTE 30, TOO! will have its world premiere tonight, September 8th and September 9th at Chambersburg's Historic Capitol Theater, 159 S. Main St. Chambersburg, Penn., followed by an October 6th Premiere in Gettysburg at the Majestic Theatre. Putch and some of his cast and crew will be in Chambersburg for the premiere to participate in an audience Q&A after the screenings, and to sign DVDs of both films which will be available for purchase at the venue.

As the curtain goes down this year on Totem Pole Playhouse's 62nd consecutive summer season, the local theatrical mainstay faces a cloudy future in which the curtain may not rise again for a 63rd season.

John Putch's locally shot follow up film to ROUTE 30, entitled ROUTE 30, TOO! will have its world premiere September 8th and 9th at Chambersburg's Historic Capitol Theater, 159 S. Main St. Chambersburg, Penn., followed by an October 6th Premiere in Gettysburg at the Majestic Theatre. Putch and some of his cast and crew will be in Chambersburg for the premiere to participate in an audience Q&A after the screenings.

The last show of the 2012 summer season at Totem Pole Playhouse keeps audiences humming songs everyone knows, even if they didn't know the author until now.

Robbie Limon to perform at Totem Pole Playhouse fundraiser on September 16, 2012.

For several years, Totem Pole Playhouse, in Fayetteville, PA, has been looking for ways to serve its audience by expanding their programming beyond the traditional summer season. This year, Artistic Director Ray Ficca has decided to combine several elements of past events into one blow-out fundraising party that he's certain will please all.

Totem Pole Playhouse, in its 62nd year history, has always had the mission to bring Broadway quality theatre to the South Central Pennsylvania region. To this end, many of the actors and designers are drawn from talent pools in larger cities like New York and Washington, DC. But the big cities by no means have a monopoly on talent, and Artistic Director Ray Ficca is always eager to mix local actors into a season's line up.

W.C. Fields once warned performers to 'never work with animals or children.' The famous line jokingly cautions actors against putting themselves in a position to be upstaged by the charming but often unpredictable antics of child stars and trained seals, but in some cases, working with a younger actor is a piece of cake. Such is the case at Totem Pole Playhouse this summer when 14-year-old Victoria Liebetrau joins the cast for the Playhouse's fourth show of its 62nd summer season, Moon Over the Brewery.

W.C. Fields once warned performers to 'never work with animals or children.' The famous line jokingly cautions actors against putting themselves in a position to be upstaged by the charming but often unpredictable antics of child stars and trained seals, but in some cases, working with a younger actor is a piece of cake. Such is the case at Totem Pole Playhouse this summer when 14-year-old Victoria Liebetrau joins the cast for the Playhouse's fourth show of its 62nd summer season, Moon Over the Brewery.

It's summertime in Tuna, Texas, and as temperatures soar, so do the comedic hijinks. The annual Fourth of July Homecoming Reunion's on the horizon, and residents of Texas' third-smallest town can bet the fireworks won't be the only sparks flying. The hilarious third installment of the knee-slapping Tuna series, Red, White and Tuna, takes over The Playhouse tonight, July 3 through July 15 to treat Caledonia to a heaping plate of the Lone Star State.

It's summertime in Tuna, Texas, and as temperatures soar, so do the comedic hijinks. The annual Fourth of July Homecoming Reunion's on the horizon, and residents of Texas' third-smallest town can bet the fireworks won't be the only sparks flying. The hilarious third installment of the knee-slapping Tuna series, Red, White and Tuna, takes over the Playhouse July 3-15 to treat Caledonia to a heaping plate of the Lone Star State.

The hilarious third installment of the knee-slapping Tuna series, RED WHITE AND TUNA, takes over the Playhouse July 3-15 to treat Caledonia to a heaping plate of the Lone Star State.

Totem Pole Playhouse will showcase Resident Company Member Sean Fri in the upcoming comedy Travels With My Aunt.

Totem Pole Playhouse is proud to present the return of the Totem Pole Players with a new musical pirate adventure. Last season area youngsters watched in delight as two pirates and the hero went on their hilarious adventure to Zombie Island in Pirates and Zombies. Writer/Composer Sean Fri brings the sequel to the Playhouse in Caledonia with Pirates in Space. In this new musical, the hero helps his pirate friends battle the greatest pirate in the galaxy before he tries to destroy the earth. Artistic Director Ray Ficca says, "I am proud to continue the tradition of The Tadpole Players by presenting theatre for young audiences here at Totem Pole. We are extremely grateful to the Rotary Club of Chambersburg Foundation for giving us the funds to make this years production a reality. We want to make certain that every young person in our community has the opportunity to see live professional theatre. This generous grant makes that possible."

If last summer you tapped your toes to the lonesome cowboy stylings of Hank Williams: Lost Highway or got carried away with the frenetic mayhem of Suite Surrender, then you'll love Totem Pole Playhouse's season opener, Chaps! - The Musical. Sparks fly, temperatures rise, and country music will never be the same in this new musical farce running tonight, June 2 through June 17, 2012 at The Playhouse.

If last summer you tapped your toes to the lonesome cowboy stylings of Hank Williams: Lost Highway or got carried away with the frenetic mayhem of Suite Surrender, then you'll love Totem Pole Playhouse's season opener, Chaps! - The Musical. Sparks fly, temperatures rise, and country music will never be the same in this new musical farce running June 2 - 17, 2012 at the Playhouse.

In the 62nd Season at Totem Pole Playhouse-Fayetteville, PA, audiences will be treated to six shows never before seen on the Totem Pole stage plus a special preseason presentation. Some favorite company actors, such as Sean Fri from 2011's Honus and Me, Artistic Director Ray Ficca and long time favorite Wil Love have already committed to performing in the 2012 season.