See the entire Date Night Schedule!

IMPORTANT NOTE:
“Underneath the Lintel receives its upper Midwest debut at two theatre in the greater Twin Cities area: Mixed Blood and Festival Theatre. Please look carefully at the performance dates as this show departs radically from Festival's normal performance schedule!”

Underneath the Lintel
July 8-12

2:00 p.m. shows: Wednesday July 8th, Thursday July 9th
& Sunday July 12th
7:30 p.m. shows: Wednesday July 8th and Saturday July 11th
No performance Thursday or Friday evenings.

Festival Theatre brings a little taste of Off-Broadway to the St. Croix Valley! A weekend run of Underneath the Lintel features Patrick O’Brien as a Dutch librarian in search of a book that is 113 years overdue. Audiences will remember Patrick from last summer’s hilarious comedy Dates with a Nut.

Four by Two
July 23 – August 2

2:00 shows: July 23, 26, 30, August 2;
7:30 shows: July 23, 24, 25, 30, 31, August 1

Last summer’s popular antics seen in Dates with a Nut inspired the creation of Four by Two -- a romantic comedy montage where two actors play eight characters in four short plays. Join us for our extraordinary July theatre events that showcase the powerful art of acting.

Sylvia
August 13-23
2:00 shows: August 13, 16, 20, 23
7:30 shows: 13, 14, 15, 20, 22

An unusual comedy takes the stage for two weekends only with the production of Sylvia (which playwright A.R. Gurney dedicated to Sarah Jessica Parker playing the title role on Broadway in the mid-90’s).

When a mid-life crisis meets a new life in mid-town Manhattan and a large dog follows, life gets beyond interesting for Greg & Kate. For anyone who has ever owned a dog, loved a dog, wanted to wring a dog's neck or wished the dog would take a long weekend, this is the show for you! For those who can never figure out what the big deal is about dogs, prepare to get clued-in.

"I can only call it one of the most involving, beautiful, funny, touching and profound plays I have ever seen…" —NY Daily News.

Deathtrap
October 1-25
2:00 shows: October 1, 4, 8, 11, 18, 25
7:30 shows: October 1, 2, 3, 8, 10, 15, 17, 22, 23, 24

Written and opening on Broadway in 1978, Deathtrap ran for nearly 1,800 performances, becoming one of the biggest mystery thrillers in American Theatre history. The play asks a simple question: how far will someone go to have a hit play?

When Sydney Bruhl finds himself desperate for a successful new play and a student from a playwriting seminar shows up with a real winner, temptation may prove far too great for any mere mortal. This Ira Levin masterpiece is sure to intrigue and entertain!

"Two-thirds a thriller and one-third a devilishly clever comedy …Suspend your disbelief and be delighted. Scream a little. It's good for you." —Cue Magazine.

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever
Holiday Show / Nov 28-Dec 27
2:00 shows: November 29, December 3, 6, 10, 13, 17, 20, 27
7:30 shows: November 28, December 3, 4, 5, 10, 11, 12, 17, 18, 19, 25, 26

Here come the Herdman’s, descending upon the Festival Theatre stage! In this hilarious Christmas tale by Barbara Robinson, an optimistic young mother struggling to put on a church Christmas pageant is faced with casting the Herdman kids -- probably the most inventively awful kids in history.

You won't believe the mayhem-- and the fun-- when the Herdmans collide with the Christmas story head on. Despite its comedy, the story leads us to one of the most touching tributes to the real meaning of Christmas you may ever witness.

From our Children’s
Theatre Series…

2009 Youth and Family Series

Our children’s theatre productions are led by professional theatre artists who mentor area youth in the fine art of performance. Patrons will have two opportunities to enjoy and support the development of future talent:

The Wizard of Oz
March 27th - April 5th
2:00 shows: March 29, April 2, 5
7:30 shows: March 27, 28, April 2,3,4

Based on L. Frank Baum’s book “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz”, this play resounds with fantasy, comedy and emotion. Familiar, yet different than the 1939 movie, the stage version finds Dorothy and Toto swept away by a Kansas cyclone to the Land of Oz, where unimaginable adventure awaits.

As they try to find their way back home, they befriend an unlikely trio of characters who color the adventure with very human needs. Don’t miss this heartwarming story from our Youth & Family Series, opening March 27th. Tickets are $12.50 for adults and $7.50 for youth ages 3 to 18.

The Wind in the Willows
September 10th to 19th
2:00 shows: September 10, 13
7:30 shows: September 10, 11, 12, 17, 18, 19

There’s not a dull moment in the Wild Woods when the peaceful flowing river of Ratty and Mole meets Mr. Toad’s fast-paced worldly action—and all the other forest inhabitants have something to say about it!

Based on Kenneth Grahame’s 1908 storytime classic, the unique characters and thought-provoking life principles of The Wind in the Willows will inspire and uplift your imagination. Directed by Bill Perron with Josh Busick as the professional guest artist.

Crimes of the Heart
June 13-28
2:00 shows: June 14, 18, 25, 28
7:30 shows: June 13, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 27

Warm-hearted, irreverent, zany and brilliantly imaginative, Crimes of the Heart teems with humanity and humor as it examines the plight of three sisters. As the story begins, the wild sister has just returned home to Hazelhurst, Mississippi, at the behest of the responsible sister because the innocent sister is in jail! Two stories unfold at once with the circumstances behind the arrest as well as a unique backstory that unites these sisters.

This is Beth Henley’s most famous play, winning the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, as well as the award for Best American Play of 1981 from the New York Drama Critics' Circle. Crimes of the Heart also earned Henley a Tony Award nomination, and her screenplay for the film version was nominated for an Oscar as Best Adapted Screenplay.

"It has heart, wit and a surprisingly zany passion that must carry all before it…it would certainly be a crime for anyone interested in the theatre not to see this play." —NY Post.