Abby Bender and her ‘Granger Things’
The one thing you are guaranteed with anything that Built on Stilts director Abby Bender cooks up is the unexpected. This year’s fall offering is “Granger Things,” an immersive theater and dance experience where,...
A community within a community
I recently attended a performance by the Peter Luce Playreaders (PLP) at the Tisbury senior center. The playreaders are a group who come together each Wednesday to read plays. As I made my way...
Love and hope in the Rockies
“Billy Baloo,” the new fun musical onstage at the Martha’s Vineyard Playhouse, is an act of love … or, in this case, multiple acts.
From the moment the actors walk onstage, you know they are...
‘Billy Baloo’ is born
When Michael Mason died in February this year, he left behind a loving family, but he also left behind his life’s work in the form of a musical tale that takes place in the...
Island Theatre Workshop presents ‘Little Shop of Horrors’
Island Theatre Workshop (ITW) is humming again with activity as it prepares for its big fall production, “Little Shop of Horrors.” ITW has been an important Vineyard institution since its founding in 1968 as...
‘Jaws’ unhinged
If, like me, you think that “Jaws” is the greatest film ever made, you may want to get down to New York City to see a new play based on the making of that...
‘The Outcasts of Penikese Island’ at the M.V. Playhouse
“The Outcasts of Penikese Island” at the Martha’s Vineyard Playhouse through August 26, is about rejecting those who are different. In the play, the outcasts are those people in the early 20th century in...
At the Playhouse
Martha’s Vineyard Playhouse, the Island’s renowned professional nonprofit theater, has historic roots. The white clapboard building was erected in 1833 and used for many purposes, including a public meeting hall, a venue for weddings...
Lively lineup
The Martha's Vineyard Playhouse is back in full swing this year, with a lineup of productions on both the Playhouse stage in Vineyard Haven and the outdoor Amphitheater on State Road. Following two preseason...
On a journey
Sandglass Theater’s puppets, actors, a musician, shadows created from light projections, a creative stage set, and more will welcome us into their collaborative process on Saturday, June 24, at the Yard. After speaking with...
Irish Repertory production comes to the Playhouse
With Irish wit and charm, Michael Mellamphy as Tim Finnegan, spins an enthralling yarn of crime, immigration, America’s struggling poor, corruption — and love — in the Irish Repertory Theatre’s production “The Smuggler” by...
Maybe it’s ‘Miss Maybelline’
This weekend, Emmy winner and Tony nominated actress S. Epatha Merkerson will be appearing in a production at the Martha's Vineyard Playhouse for two performances only, May 19 and 20. Merkerson, known to many...
‘Matilda’ production gets a special visitor
Students and parents at the West Tisbury School had a magical experience last Saturday when Lucy Dahl, author Roald Dahl’s daughter, came to see the school’s production of “Matilda the Musical Jr.” The musical...
‘Chicago’ comes to Martha’s Vineyard
Students at Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School were hard at work rehearsing last week for this week’s production of “Chicago.” The musical features lots of singing and dancing, and this year, will offer two...
Become part of the story
It’s the season for things that go bump in the night, but Abby Bender and Jesse Jason and their fabulous fellow performers' revival of “Rizing” is not a thriller in the scary sense of...
‘Impossible things are happening every day’
After a two-year stage hiatus due to COVID, Island Theatre Workshop is turning pumpkins into carriages and mice into noble steeds with the 1957 version of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Cinderella.”
It’s been an extensive and...
The power of poetry
Love lies at the heart of the play “Burning Patience” (“Ardiente Paciencia”), currently at the Martha’s Vineyard Playhouse. It is the love of the young, smitten mailman Mario for young Beatriz, Beatriz’s mother for...
World stage
Earlier this year an organization called the Center for International Theater Development (CITD) commissioned a number of Ukrainian playwrights to create new works that, according to their website, “offer a first draft of history...
Taking flight
You've probably never heard of Bessie Coleman, a stunt aviator during the early years of flight. But Coleman is an inspirational historical figure in that she was the first African American woman to hold...
Summer at the playhouse
The Martha’s Vineyard Playhouse is teeming with offerings for us this summer. There’s literally something for everyone — all tastes, ages, and genres of art.
The runs are indeed a little shorter than usual, due...