The Ringgold Playhouse will open its 2023 Season in February with William Inge’s “Bus Stop”. Pictured, the company’s 2022 Production of the Year, “The Play That Goes Wrong.”
Ten years after opening its doors to the local theatre community, the Ringgold Playhouse has announced its 2023 Season lineup full of comedy, drama, and plenty of artistic passion.
“We’re extremely excited about our upcoming season,” said Executive Director Adam Cook. “We had a wonderful season this year, and we think audiences will appreciate what we have in store for 2023.”
To kick things off, TRP will go back to the well with the show that started it all – William Inge’s 1950s dramatic comedy, “Bus Stop”. The story of a group of travelers trapped in a roadside diner during a snowstorm was the company’s inaugural production back in the summer of 2013. After polling audience members on social media, Mr. Cook says a number of patrons sentimentally wanted to revive the show for the company’s 10th anniversary.
“It was our first show,” Mr. Cook recalled. “The city of Ringgold and the Downtown Development Authority gave us a chance to produce a play to see if people would actually show up. It’s 10 years and almost 50 productions later and we’re still going strong, so we’re thankful that our audiences believe in us and keep coming back to be entertained.”
“Bus Stop” will open the season Feb. 23, followed by the company’s second annual One-Act Playwriting Showcase taking the stage beginning April 13. The Playwriting Showcase accepts one-act play submissions from local playwrights, and then chooses two or three to produce as part of the showcase.
“We loved being able to offer opportunities for local writers to get their new works staged,” Mr. Cook stated. “The showcase was so popular last year that we wanted to keep that going to encourage the creation of more original work.”
The summer will include two chances for big laughs with Neil Simon’s classic “The Sunshine Boys” in early June, and the farcical comedy “Play On!” by Rick Abbott for two weekends in late July.
Finally, the season will close with a thrilling comedic mystery in Stephen Sondheim & George Furth’s “Getting Away with Murder” in late August.
In addition to the five mainstage productions, TRP will also present four of its popular Comedy Club events featuring standup comedy and improvisation.
“The Comedy Clubs have been a big hit since we began incorporating those into the mix a few years ago, and our performers look forward to those shows as much as audiences do,” said Mr. Cook. “We love the traditional plays and always will, but it’s really nice to be able to offer audiences something different on occasion with the standup and improv comedy shows.”
The 2023 Lineup
“Bus Stop,” by William Inge, Feb. 23-26: This classic dramatic comedy follows eight bus passengers stranded at 1950s roadside diner in the middle of a snowstorm. A young, rambunctious cowboy is headed back to his ranch in Montana after falling in love and kidnapping the first girl he meets -- a nightclub singer named Cherie. Mix in a no-nonsense sheriff, a flirty bus driver, a tipsy college professor, and two waitresses just trying to referee the madness, and you've got a wonderfully heartfelt play that has charmed audiences for more than 60 years.
This show will be directed by Renee Lierow and will run for five total performances Feb. 23-26.
Auditions for the play will be held Wednesday and Thursday, Dec. 21-22, at 7 p.m. at the historic Ringgold Depot. The play has acting roles available for five men and three women. Backstage roles are available as well.
“TRP’s One-Act Playwriting Showcase, by multiple authors, April 13-16: TRP will accept new one-act play submissions from local writers between Jan. 1 and Feb. 1 before choosing two or three of those plays for production. This show will consist of an evening of the top one-act plays penned by local wordsmiths. New, original, unproduced one-act plays by residents living in the North Georgia/Chattanooga area will be considered. Each playwright must be willing to direct his or her play, or secure someone to direct the play on their behalf.
“The Sunshine Boys,” by Neil Simon, June 1-4: Al and Willie as “Lewis and Clark” were top-billed vaudevillians for over forty years. Now they aren’t even speaking. When CBS requests them for a “History of Comedy” retrospective, a grudging reunion brings the two back together, along with a flood of memories, miseries, and laughs. The story follows the attempt by a young theatrical agent to re-unite his elderly uncle, a former vaudevillian great, with his long-time stage partner for a TV reunion. Despite their celebrated reputation, the two old men have not spoken in 12 years. Besides re-mastering their sketch, the two men have numerous issues to work out before they are ready to return to the public eye.
This comedy will be directed by Levi Witt and will run for five total performances June 1-4.
Auditions will be held in late March/early April. The show has roles available for 5 men and 2 women.
“Play On!,” by Rick Abbott, July 20-23 and 27-30: The hilarious story of a theatre group trying desperately to put on a play in spite of maddening interference from a haughty author who keeps revising the script. Act I is a rehearsal of the dreadful show, Act II is the near disastrous dress rehearsal, and the final act is the actual performance, in which anything that can go wrong does. The play provides non-stop laughs throughout this fast-paced romp.
The show will be directed by Kimberly Tyner Jones and will run for eight total performances July 20-30. The play will have acting roles available for seven women and three men.
“Getting Away with Murder,” by Stephen Sondheim & George Furth, Aug. 24-27: When an esteemed doctor selects a handful of applicants for a private group therapy session, the Pulitzer Prize-winning doctor gets more than he bargains for. The group consisting of a political consultant, a sensual restaurant hostess; a snob socialite, a sly antiques dealer, a real estate mogul, and a cop with a grudge – all the vastly different come together only to find that the doctor who summoned them has been murdered. The play is full of twists, turns, red herrings, and hold-your-breath shocks that culminate with an explosive ending. Will the patients figure things out, or will someone actually get away with murder?
The play will be directed by Anthony Mrotek and will run for five total performances Aug. 24-27. The play will have acting roles available for seven men and four women.
As is the case every year, The Ringgold Playhouse offers season ticketing so that avid theatergoers can enjoy all the productions at a discounted price.
“Tickets for our shows aren’t terribly expensive to begin with, but being able to offer a great deal on a season ticket pass to audience members who are so loyal to us is something we’re proud of,” Mr. Cook said.
Tickets to all shows are $10 each, but Mr. Cook says season tickets cost $60, which will get the audience member into all 9 shows (five plays and four comedy clubs).
“It’s a great deal and it’s basically getting nine shows for the price of six,” Mr. Cook added.
Anyone interested in season tickets can visit The Ringgold Playhouse at Eventbrite.com, or visit the city of Ringgold’s website cityofringgoldga.gov.