Albany Civic Theater – Albany, OR

Albany Civic Theater • Albany, OR

Now in our 74th season

2023-2024 Season

Disney's The Little Mermaid Jr. (Special Event)

Book: Doug Wright
Music: Alan Menken
Lyrics: Howard Ashman & Glenn Slater

Directed by: Rebecca Douglas

Performances:
August 23 (7:30 pm)
August 24 (2:30 pm & 7:30 pm)
August 30 (7:30 pm)
August 31 (2:30 pm & 7:30 pm)

To purchase In Person tickets, click here.

Live streaming is available for some performances; scan or click the QR code to buy streaming tickets.

Journey under the sea with Ariel and her aquatic friends in Disney’s The Little Mermaid Jr., adapted from Disney’s Broadway production and the motion picture (featuring the enormously popular Academy Award-winning music and delightfully charming book and lyrics). Based on one of Hans Christian Andersen’s most beloved stories, Disney’s The Little Mermaid Jr. is an enchanting look at the sacrifices we all make for love and acceptance. In a magical underwater kingdom, the beautiful young mermaid, Ariel, longs to leave her ocean home behind and live in the world above. But first, she’ll have to defy her father, King Triton, make a deal with the evil sea witch, Ursula, and convince the handsome Prince Eric that she’s the girl whose enchanting voice he’s been seeking.

About the Director…

Rebecca Douglas has been involved in community theater for thirty years! Some of her local credits include: ACT’s All Together Now!, Annie as Grace Ferrell, Big Fish as Josephine, Shrek as the Witch, Avenue Q as Lucy and Mrs. T., Thoroughly Modern Millie as Alice, Meet Me in St. Louis as Anna Smith, The Music Man as Eulalie Shinn, and Hello, Dolly! as Ernestina Money.  She also directed Disney’s My Son Pinocchio Jr, Seussical Jr., Roald Dahl’s Willy Wonka Jr., The Wizard of Oz, Once on This Island Jr. and At First Sight, co-directed MatildaThe Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and served as vocal director for The Wizard of Oz, Man of La Mancha, Meet Me in St. Louis, and Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, as assistant director for Treasure Island and Excalibur! The Story of Young King Arthur and as administrative director/stage manager for Shakespeare for Kids. She also performed in On the Verge and Annie Get Your Gun at CCT, An Adult Evening of Shel Silverstein with Pipe Dream Theatre, Majestic Eight and The Little Mermaid with the Majestic Theatre.  She has also directed a number of shows for CCT and Majestic Education. She is the General Music Teacher at Albany Christian School. She is also the Music Director for the Adventures in Acting Camp at the Majestic Theatre.

Director’s email: rbbailey@hotmail.com

Cast of Characters

Ariel: Teagan Hearn
Prince Eric: Jesse Leffler
Sebastian: Miles Warren
Flounder: Piper Moss
Scuttle: Atlas Coreson
King Triton: Liam McWayne
Ursla: Hadlie Rowton
Flotsom: Luke Bowden
Jetsam: Marley Francis
Grimsby: Gideon Vester
Carlotta: Liberty Preston
Pilot: Royce Wallace
Seahorse: Peter Moss
Chef Louis: Noah Salazar

Mersisters: Winter Tominey, Sophia Andrew, Quinny Riseley, Kai Wallace, Kate Clark, Georgia Milne

Gulls: Phoebe Douglas, Evelynn Daniels, Penny Planalp, Lyla Sells, Emily Clark, Zenja Stoye

Chefs: Anah Lumpkin, Norah Clark, Maddy Schosha, Mila Sturgill, Brenna Hearn, Piper Planalp, Ava Hawkinson, Loreleli Lunger

Ensemble: Noelle Rowton, Clara Albers, Aubrielle Cuomo, Suri Vang, Aubree Dietrich, Scarlett Hudson, Edie Winters, Alexandria Sells, Elisia Ball, Taytum Warren, Alanna Milne

Crew: Pixel Ball, Mariah Ely, Kai Neely, Rowena Arck, Riley McCartney, Alex Halchishick, Loke Halchishick, Elliot Glenn, Regulus Martinez, Ember Martinez, Kea Disney, Ivy Vaughn

Spring Awakening

Book and Lyrics: Steven Sater
Music: Duncan Sheik

Directed by: Christy Anderson

Performances: Jul. 19, 20, 25, 26, 27, 28(m), Aug. 1, 2, 3, 2024

On-demand streaming is available for this show; scan or click the QR code to buy streaming tickets. 

Poster for Spring Awakening


It’s the 1890s in Germany and the adults are fully in charge. Teenagers fight to be heard and understand the complexities and big questions of gender and sexuality. Especially when the adults refuse to be honest. It is a celebration of rebellion and angst as we follow Wendla, Moritz, Melchior, and their friends through the complexities of the teenage experience.

Note: Spring Awakening contains heavy content matter that includes verbal, physical, and sexual abuse; sexual assault; depictions of suicide; adult language; and sexual themes and content.

About the Director…

Christy Anderson is no stranger to ACT’s stage. She was Jackie Cochran in Fly Babies, Gillian in Bell, Book and Candle and choreographer for Addams Family the Musical. Christy also directed Little Shop of Horrors for SAHS at West Albany HS. She is the theater teacher at South Albany High School and lives in Albany with her husband Josh, son Shepard, daughter Ellinore, and corgi Riley. Christy’s hobbies are dancing, singing, watching movies, chasing her kiddos, and going to Disney World.

Director’s email: tuffy1299@comcast.net

Cast of Characters

Wendla Bergmann: Megan Harnden
Melchior Gabor: Carson Mack
Moritz Stiefel: Finn Mendez
Martha: Aliyah Foote
Thea: Tate Haywood
Anna: Abigail Davison
Ilse: Maeve O’Connor
Hanschen/Rupert: Michael Stevenson

Ernst/Reinhold: Aeries Landes
Georg/Dieter: Mere Butler
Otto/Ulbrecht: Zane Victor
Adult Woman: Kellie McMahan
Adult Man: Andrea Daniels

Bullshot Crummond

by Ron House, Alan ShearmanDiz WhiteJohn Neville AndrewsDerek Cunningham

Directed by: Erik A Esrael 

Performances: Jun. 14, 15, 16(m), 20, 21, 22, 23(m), 27, 28, 29, 2024

Our June 28th performance of Bullshot Crummond will conclude with a live in person Q & A with Alan Shearman, one of the authors and the original Bullshot!

This parody of low-budget 30s detective movies typifies British heroism at its dumbest. Teutonic villain Otto Von Brunno and his evil mistress Lenya crash their plane in the English countryside and kidnap Professor Fenton, who has discovered a formula for making synthetic diamonds. Bullshot Crummond is called to the rescue by the professor’s daughter Rosemary.

Director

Erik A Esrael has been acting and performing since before the turn of the century including as Otto Von Bruno in Slocum House Theater Company’s production of Bullshot Crummond in 2004. He has been seen on the ACT Stage as early as 2006 in Steve Martin’s Underpants.  This is his directorial debut with Albany Civic Theater. He works for Salem Health and lives in Salem with his wife, 3 dogs, and 2 cats.

Director’s email: pilesofpencils@hotmail.com

Cast of Characters

Hugh “Bullshot” Crummond: Dan Bushong
Miss Rosemary Fenton: Aria Hamilton
Otto Von Bruno: JJ Halchishick
Lenya Von Bruno: Kim Halchishick
Chorus: Rick Sanders

Karlaboy

by Steven Peros

Directed by: Jillian Alden 

Performances: May 17, 18, 19(m), 23, 24, 25, 2024

Biographer Bill Lauder has penned a ruthless tell-all about Karla Daven, a long dead legendary 1950’s starlet. As a result, he is summoned in the middle of the night to the dilapidated mansion of Karla’s celebrity husband, Harold Bachman, a reclusive director who makes the outlandish claim that Karla’s ghost has threatened to kill him this very night unless Bill calls off the publication of his tawdry book of lies. What follows is an intense evening where memory wrestles with myth in order to find the truth. As Harold gets deeper into exposing Bill’s lies about Karla, he is forced to confront the lies he’s told himself – lies about himself as a filmmaker, a husband, and as a man. Harold must not only save himself from Karla’s ghost, but from the ghosts of an unrealized life. In addition to being an absorbing psychological ghost story, Karlaboy is an important, non-graphic exploration of LGBT issues in its fascinating dissection of a high profile Hollywood “marriage of convenience.” (Concord Theatricals)

Director

Jillian Alden first appeared at ACT in 2010 with her portrayal of Alice in Alice in Wonderland. Her onstage presence continued with Meet in St. Louis as Esther Smith, Singin’ in the Rain and Sweeney Todd as an ensemble member, Fly Babies as Peggy Taylor, and Moon Over Buffalo as Rosalind Hay. She has also helped backstage on several projects, including costuming for Fly Babies and for University of Washington’s production of Next to Normal, which unfortunately never performed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She supported ACT’s production of Something Rotten! as an assistant director, and she partners with South Albany High School, serving as vocal director for their production of Disney’s The Little Mermaid. Jillian is a passionate mental health advocate and is nearing the beginning of her clinical practice as a mental health counselor and a drama therapist. She has combined her professional and personal passions to help her serve on ACT’s diversity and inclusion steering committee, and is committed to supporting programs, workshops, and training at ACT which make the theater a more welcoming and safe environment for people with marginalized identities. Karlaboy will be Jillian’s directorial debut with ACT.

Director’s email: jillian.alden@outlook.com

Cast of Characters

Harold:  Michael Wren
Bill Lauder: Nick Lavelle
Young Harold: Jade Kasbohm
Karla Daven: Sophia Smith
Tony: Anthony Ash
Studio Boss: Tom Martin
Ensemble of four: Jessica Habjan, Nathan Dunlap, Delaney Bigelow, Bernadette Feyerherm

The Prom

Music by Matthew Sklar
Lyrics by Chad Beguelin
Book by Chad Beguelin & Bob Martin

Directed by: Christi E. Sears and Mirinda Keeling

Performances: Apr. 5, 6, 12, 13, 14(m), 18, 19, 20, 21(m), 25, 26, 27, 2024

Four eccentric Broadway stars are in desperate need of a new stage. So when they hear that trouble is brewing around a small-town prom, they know that it’s time to put a spotlight on the issue…and themselves. The town’s parents want to keep the high school dance on the straight and narrow—but when one student just wants to bring her girlfriend to prom, the entire town has a date with destiny. On a mission to transform lives, Broadway’s brassiest join forces with a courageous girl and the town’s citizens and the result is love that brings them all together. Winner of the Drama Desk Award for Best Musical, The Prom expertly captures all the humor and heart of a classic musical comedy with a message that resonates with audiences now more than ever. (Theatrical Rights Worldwide)

Director

Christi E. Sears has a string of hit musicals and plays to her credit, including: Something Rotten!Clue, Altogether Now (Special Event), The Secret of Chimneys: ACT Radio PlayMamma MiaThe Addams FamilyAnnieBig FishShrekYoung FrankensteinAvenue QThoroughly Modern MillieCurtainsSteel MagnoliasThe ProducersThe Music ManHello, Dolly!The Rocky Horror ShowPirates of PenzanceInto the WoodsYou’re a Good ManCharlie BrownBell, Book and CandleAuntie Mame, and Greater Tuna at ACT. Christi also directed at CCT: CinderellaDamn Yankees, and Little Shop of Horrors. A long-time administrative member at ACT, Christi has served four terms as president and two terms as treasurer. She currently serves on the ACT Board as Production Manager. Christi resides in Albany and has worked for over 29 years as the Accounting/Payroll Manager at Palm Harbor Homes.

Director’s email: cirsey@comcast.net

Mirinda Keeling is making her ACT directorial debut this season with Peter and the StarcatcherMirinda co-directed School House Rock at ACT and directed Animal Krackers, Magic in Me, and The Shoemaker and the Elves at North Albany Elementary. Mirinda has assistant directed Something Rotten, Murder on the Orient ExpressClue, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, High School Musical, and Excalibur: The Story of Young King Arthur at ACT. Her resume includes additional crew positions of vocal director, production assistant, set dressing design, set dresser, set design, hair and makeup designer, props designer and costumer in over 30 productions and has performed on stage in an additional 20. She has performed with her husband, Dean Keeling, as well as her two sons, Braden and Adam.

Director’s email: r_mirinda@hotmail.com

Cast of Characters

Emma Nolan: Abigail Hobson
Dee Dee Allen: Liz Winters
Barry Glickman: Henry Mouat
Trent Oliver: Maximilian Corneliusen
Alyssa: Jessica Moyer
Mr. Hawkins: Danny Corliss
Angie Dickenson: Frankie Caswell
Mrs. Greene: Tami Schult
Sheldon Saperstein: John Ross
Kaylee: Emily Hobson
Nick: Adam Keeling
Shelby: Teza Ross
Kevin: Jay Kendall
Ensemble/Olivia Keating: Victoria Venard
Ensemble/Motel Clerk:
Shauna Kiefiuk
Ensemble/2nd Reporter:
Josiah Barnett
Ensemble/Coach:
Nico Flotten
Ensemble:
Andie Daniels, Kiera Dodge, Kim Halchishick, Carissa HalloranAria Hamilton, AJ McConnell, Kiana Rust, Sydney Tag, Christa Tillman

Eclipsed

by Patricia Burke Brogan

Directed by: Charlotte J. Headrick

Performances: Mar. 1, 2, 3(m), 7, 8, 9, 2024

On-Demand Streaming Tickets now available through March 31.
Individual: $15
Group: $20
Click HERE to get streaming tickets.
Click HERE to get in-person tickets.

Eclipsed is a powerful and moving award-winning play with dozens of productions around the world. Set
in a Magdalene laundry in the 1960s, the all woman play documents the Irish Catholic church and their
practice of incarcerating pregnant and unwed Irish mothers in church-run laundries making them work
as penitents. If you saw the film Philomena, you have seen the story of one Magdalene. Although a
drama, the play is filled with moments of humor as well song.

Director

Charlotte J. Headrick is a Professor Emerita of Theatre Arts at Oregon State University. A past president of the American Conference for Irish Studies, West, she has directed numerous premieres and productions of Irish plays all over the United States, particularly those written by women. She is widely published in the field of Irish drama. A former Moore Visiting Fellow at the National University of Ireland, Galway, she is co-editor with Eileen Kearney of Irish Women Dramatists 1908-2001 (2014, 2016 Syracuse University Press). She is the recipient of the Kennedy Center/American College Theater Festival Medallion for service to that organization. She is also a Distinguished Professor for Undergraduate Teaching at Oregon State. As an actress, favorite roles include Madam Baptista in The Taming of the Shrew, Kate in All My Sons, Rima in Frank McGuiness’s Dolly West’s Kitchen, Countess Roussillon in All’s Well That Ends Well, Duke Senior in As You Like It (directed by her former student Seattle director Sheila Daniles). She is a member of Actor’s Equity Association. In March of 2023, she portrayed Betty in Christian O’Reilly’s Chapatti in a reading at ACT.

Director’s email: cheadrick@oregonstate.edu

Cast of Characters

Brigit Murphy: Erin Burt
Cathy McNamara: Diane Slamp
Nellie-Nora Langan: Erica Jones
Mandy Prenderville: Michaela Bauer
Juliet Mannion: Maisie Burt
Rosa/Caroline: J. Davis Harte
Sister Virginia: Melissa Hudson
Mother Victoria: Leslie Hogan

The Great Gatsby

by Maeve Z O’Connor
Adapted from the book by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Directed by: Loriann Schmidt

Performances: Jan. 26, 27, 28(m), Feb. 2, 3, 4(m), 8, 9, 10, 2024

On Demand Streaming tickets for The Great Gatsby are available HERE through February 29.
Individual: $15; Group: $20

The Great Gatsby is a timeless tale of love and tragedy set in the Jazz Age of New York. Gatsby, a self made millionaire pursues a former lover, Daisy and his pursuit meets with a tragic end. This adaptation draws the audience’s attention to themes of equity and privilege, and showcases Daisy’s strength and character. Crafted from the beloved novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald, this show is a World Premiere performance by Portland playwright Maeve Z O’Connor.

Director

Loriann Schmidt has done theater all her life.  Starting in 2nd grade with an appearance in The Music Man, the theater bug (and lighting bug) has always been with her.  Her first light board was her own invention (in high school) made with rheostats and an old suitcase, a ton of soldering lead and a whiff of smoke.  A long string of shows both professional and community as costume designer, light designer, stage manager, assistant director and director followed and the rest, they say, is history.  Most recently, Loriann has directed shows at Pentacle, Keizer Homegrown Theatre and a private school in Beaverton.  She serves on the board at Keizer Homegrown Theatre and has been active in other areas of Albany Civic Theatre as Lighting Manager, costume designer and all-around Helpful Person.  She is thrilled to be making her directorial debut at Albany Civic Theatre with this wonderful piece of Americana – The Great Gatsby.

Director’s email: baronopal@gmail.com

Cast of Characters

Nick Carraway: Robert Henry
Jay Gatsby: Marc Wassom
Daisy Buchanan: Aja Cook
Tom Buchanan: Nic Anundson
Jordan Baker: Lydia Parker
Meyer Wolfsheim/Henry Gatz: Bill Brown

Played by Ensemble:
Myrtle Wilson: Penny Bays
George Wilson: Jade Kasbohm
Catherine/Michaelis: Lexi Faber
Mr. McKee: Navid Azam
Mrs. McKee/Klipspringer: Bernadette Feyerherm
Other Characters: Kelsie Walker, Sophia Smith, Jojo Strickland

Educating Rita (Special Event)

by Willy Russell

Directed by: Charlotte J. Headrick

One Performance Only: Jan. 6, 2024

A fundraiser for Albany Civic Theater

Set in a small university town in England, Educating Rita revolves around Rita, a working-class hairdresser with a thirst for knowledge, and her encounter with Frank, a disillusioned literature professor. Rita embarks on a journey of self-discovery and transformation, enrolling in an Open University course to escape her mundane life and fulfill her dreams of education. Through their engaging and often humorous interactions, the play explores themes of class struggle, personal growth, and the power of education. Educating Rita is a heartfelt and thought-provoking exploration of one woman’s determination to change her life and the profound impact of learning on the human spirit.

Director

Charlotte J. Headrick is a Professor Emerita of Theatre Arts at Oregon State University. A past president of the American Conference for Irish Studies, West, she has directed numerous premieres and productions of Irish plays all over the United States, particularly those written by women. She is widely published in the field of Irish drama. A former Moore Visiting Fellow at the National University of Ireland, Galway, she is co-editor with Eileen Kearney of Irish Women Dramatists 1908-2001 (2014, 2016 Syracuse University Press). She is the recipient of the Kennedy Center/American College Theater Festival Medallion for service to that organization. She is also a Distinguished Professor for Undergraduate Teaching at Oregon State. As an actress, favorite roles include Madam Baptista in The Taming of the Shrew, Kate in All My Sons, Rima in Frank McGuiness’s Dolly West’s Kitchen, Countess Roussillon in All’s Well That Ends Well, Duke Senior in As You Like It (directed by her former student Seattle director Sheila Daniles). She is a member of Actor’s Equity Association. In March of 2023, she portrayed Betty in Christian O’Reilly’s Chapatti in a reading at ACT.

Director’s email: cheadrick@oregonstate.edu

Cast of Characters

Rita: Harriet Owen-Nixon
Frank: Rick Wallace

Peter and the Starcatcher

by Rick Elice
Music by Wayne Barker
Based on the novel by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson

Directed by: Mirinda Keeling

Performances: Dec. 1, 2, 3(m), 8, 9, 10(m), 14, 15, 16, 2023

A young orphan and his mates are shipped off from Victorian England to a distant island ruled by the evil King Zarboff. They know nothing of the mysterious trunk in the captain’s cabin, which contains a precious, otherworldly cargo. At sea, the boys are discovered by a precocious young girl named Molly, a Starcatcher-in-training who realizes that the trunk’s precious cargo is starstuff, a celestial substance so powerful that it must never fall into the wrong hands. When the ship is taken over by pirates – led by the fearsome Black Stache, a villain determined to claim the trunk and its treasure for his own – the journey quickly becomes a thrilling adventure. (Music Theatre International)

Director

Peter and the Starcatcher is Mirinda Keeling’s ACT directorial debut. She is also co-directing The Prom, with Christi E. Sears this season. Mirinda co-directed School House Rock at ACT and directed Animal Krackers, Magic in Me, and The Shoemaker and the Elves at North Albany Elementary. Mirinda has assistant directed Something Rotten, Murder on the Orient Express, Clue, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, High School Musical, and
Excalibur: The Story of Young King Arthur at ACT. Her resume includes additional crew positions of vocal director, production assistant, set dressing design, set dresser, set design, hair and makeup designer, props designer and costumer in over 30 productions and has performed on stage in an additional 20. She has performed with her husband, Dean Keeling, as well as her two sons, Braden and Adam.

Director’s email: r_mirinda@hotmail.com

Cast of Characters

Boy/Peter: Adam Keeling
Molly: Dylan Renfro
Prentiss: Teza Ross
Ted: Josiah Barnett
Stache: Henry Mouat
Smee: Conner Riley
Aster: JJ Halchishick
Scott: John Ross
Grempkin/Teacher: August Slamp
Slank/Fighting Prawn: Dan Bushong
Alf: Olivia Pereyra
Bumbrake: Adam Vester
Mack: Kaydence Gillespie
Sanchez: Rain Holland
Hawking Clam: Gideon Vester
Narrator/Pirate/Mollusk: Kiera Dodge

She Kills Monsters poster

She Kills Monsters

by Qui Nguyen

Directed by: Josh Anderson

Performances: Oct. 20, 21, 22(m), 26, 27, 28, 29(m), Nov. 2, 3, 4, 2023

She Kills Monsters poster

She Kills Monsters tells the story of Agnes Evans, a young woman grieving for her deceased sister. The Evans sisters never were especially close, but after Tilly’s death Agnes receives a notebook containing a game scenario created by her sister. She discovers that Tilly was a well-known Dungeons & Dragons player, and that she was passionate about online fantasy gaming. In order to unlock more secrets about her mysterious young sibling, Agnes recruits a “dungeon master” named Chuck to help her understand and grieve Tilly. Chock-full of supermodel elves, dominatrix warrior women, and nasty ogres, She Kills Monsters is a surprisingly sweet tale of friendship, loss, and acceptance.

Director

Previously at ACT, Josh Anderson directed A Christmas Carol and The Three Musketeers, stage managed for The Odd Couple, and appeared in ShrekThe Wizard of OzAvenue QMonty Python’s SpamalotThoroughly Modern MillieGame ShowDisney’s High School MusicalCurtains, and Meet Me in St. Louis. He works as a security officer for the US Department of Energy, and lives in Albany with his wife Christy and two children. He enjoys shooting and historical reenactment.

Director’s email: jdaa370@yahoo.com

Cast of Characters

Tilly Evans: Karissa White 
Agnes Evans: Elizabeth Ming
Chuck: Nathan Greensweight
Miles: Josh Winters
Vera/Farrah: Jessica Moyer
Lilith/Lilly: Lucy Elgin
Kaliope/Kelly: Luzena Donnell
Orcus/Ronnie: James Murray
Mage Stephanie: Abby Hobson
Evil Gabbi: Holly Mitchell
Evil Tina: Sarah Roth
Narrator/The Beholder: Jay Kendall