The Colonial Players are excited to welcome you back with our Voyages of Discovery! Season 73 will traverse the globe, exploring locales across North America, Europe and beyond, and along the way we'll discover stories of revolution, redemption, and revelation. Join us on our journeys through time and space, and a season you won't want to miss.

Note: The Colonial Players Board of Directors is working to determine how to best offer our subscription program for Season 73 given ongoing health concerns. We tentatively expect to have this information available in the May 2021 timeframe, and will notify previous subscribers as soon as possible.

The Revolutionists

Written by Lauren Gunderson
Directed by Jennifer Cooper
Performance Dates: September 10 – October 2, 2021

Our travels begin in Paris at the height of the French Revolution’s Reign of Terror. It’s 1793, and time to meet four beautiful, bad-ass women: former queen Marie Antoinette, assassin Charlotte Corday, playwright Olympe de Gouges, and Caribbean spy Marianne Angelle. This grand and dream-tweaked comedy is about violence and legacy, art and activism, feminism and terrorism, and compatriots and chosen sisters. The jury’s still out on who really runs the world, but these four ladies sure as hell changed it.

By the Way, Meet Vera Stark

Written by Lynn Nottage
Directed by Eleanore Tapscott
Performance Dates: October 22 – November 13, 2021

Our second show of the season takes us to the Golden Age of Hollywood and shines the spotlight on Vera Stark, a headstrong African American maid and aspiring starlet. Vera’s life is transformed when she’s cast in a trailblazing role… in a movie starring her boss. Decades later scholars and historians grapple with Vera’s legacy in Hollywood and the impact race had on her controversial career. This spritely, sly satire is a journey through Vera’s seventy-year life and a sharp take on race and culture — both in the past and today.

A Christmas Carol

Play and Lyrics by Richard Wade
Music by Richard Gessner
Directed by Sarah Wade
Performance Dates: December 2 - 12, 2021

From sunny California we venture to a cold December in London, where we witness Ebenezer Scrooge’s realization of the true meaning of Christmas. Colonial Players is delighted to bring this Dicken’s classic back to the stage. Written for the Players in 1981 by Richard Wade and Dick Gessner, this year’s production will be directed by Richard’s daughter, Sarah, who has grown up with this phenomenally popular gift to the community.

The Lost Boy

Written by Ron Paolillo
Directed by Joe Thompson
Performance Dates: January 14 - February 5, 2022

From London we head north to Scotland and meet the man behind Peter Pan. This heartwarming, fictionalized story follows author James Barrie and the forces that drove the creation of his many beloved characters. Haunted by the tragic loss of his older brother, James slowly begins to confront his family’s tragic past through storytelling, an unexpected friendship, and the dream of finding Neverland.

Agnes of God

Written by John Pielmeier
Directed by Jeff Sprague
Performance Dates: February 25 - March 20, 2022

Our next venture takes us on an exploration of faith and memory. Court-appointed psychiatrist Martha Livingstone is tasked with assessing the sanity of a novice accused of murdering her newborn. Livingstone’s suspicions deepen as the mother superior keeps the young nun from the doctor. Who killed the infant, and who fathered the tiny victim? The doctor’s questions force all three women to re-examine the meaning of faith and the power of love, leading to a dramatic, compelling climax.

Freaky Friday

Written by Bridget Carpenter
Music and Lyrics by Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey
Directed by Ron Giddings and Kaitlin Fish
Performance Dates: April 8 - May 8, 2022

Time to liven things up! When an overworked mother and her teenage daughter magically swap bodies, they have just one day to put things right again. By spending a day in each other's shoes, Katherine and Ellie come to appreciate one another’s struggles, learn self-acceptance, and realize the immeasurable love and mutual respect that bond a mother and daughter. This joyous Disney musical version of Mary Rodgers’ beloved book is heartfelt, comedic, and unexpectedly emotional.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

Written by Simon Stephens
Based on the book by Mark Haddon
Directed by Eric Lund
Performance Dates: June 3 - 25, 2022

For our final destination of the season, we head back to England and meet fifteen-year-old Christopher. He is exceptionally intelligent but ill-equipped to interpret everyday life. When he falls under suspicion for killing his neighbor’s dog, he sets out to identify the true culprit, which leads to an earth-shattering discovery and a journey that will change his life forever. Christopher’s story examines what it truly means to love, and the sacrifices it often takes to do so.