Westerville, OH – Otterbein Summer Theatre invites the public to experience one of its most ambitious, exciting and far-reaching seasons yet.

“We are thrilled and
honored to share with you three theatrical dazzlers. They all abound in joy,
wisdom, hilarity, drama, heart, and the power of great storytelling,” Artistic
Director Lenny Leibowitz said.

The season will open on May 30 with a revival of “Smoke on the Mountain,” one of Otterbein Summer Theatre’s most-loved productions since it was first staged there in 2002. David Caldwell, a 1986 graduate of the Otterbein Theatre program, will direct the rousing gospel and bluegrass family favorite, which will run May 30-June 15.

In this delightful
tale of the Sanders Family Singers, the audience is invited to go back to 1938
and pull up a pew for an evening of more than two dozen songs, many of them
vintage pop hymns, and hilarious stories delivered despite the mild
protestations of the Reverend Oglethorpe.

The musical will be
followed on June 27 with “Master Harold…and the Boys,” Athol Fugard’s acclaimed
coming of age play about friendship, injustice, and reconciliation.

Set in 1950s South
Africa, this is the story of Halle, a white teen who has grown up in the
affectionate company of the two black waiters, both employees of his mother’s
tearoom in Port Elizabeth. When he learns that his viciously racist, alcoholic
father is on his way home from the hospital, his ensuing rage unwittingly
triggers his inevitable passage into the culture of hatred fostered by
apartheid.

Exhilarating,
spell-binding, and universally moving, this not to be missed production will be
directed by Otterbein faculty member Melissa Lusher and will run for just five
performances, June 27-30.

The season will
close with “Guys and Dolls,” which, according to Leibowitz is, “one of the
brightest stars in the musical theatre galaxy.” It will feature one of the
largest casts of Otterbein Summer Theatre history in a staging that is once
intimate and lush.

The big, brassy, and
timelessly exuberant musical is rich with beloved show tunes including “Sit
Down, You’re Rockin’ the Boat,” “If I Were A Bell,” “Luck Be A Lady,” and more.

“Guys and Dolls”
will be directed by Leibowitz himself, with music direction by Samuel Clein and
choreography by Stella Hiatt Kane. Performances are scheduled for July 11-20.

In addition to the
ambitious three-show subscription season, Otterbein Summer Theatre will offer,
for the second year, a staged reading series, “Rare Sightings.”

The series will
include three performances, including a concert-style version of the Franz
LeHar operetta “The Merry Widow” on June 22, a reading of the theatrical
classic “Waiting for Godot” on July 5, and one more piece meant just for
children yet to be announced.

Season ticket
packages will be available for sale in April for $85 each. Individual
tickets, which go on sale beginning May 13, are $25 for “Master Harold…and the
Boys” and $33 for “Smoke on the Mountain” and “Guys and Dolls.” 

Opening night
performances begin at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, Sunday and Friday matinees are at 2
p.m.; and all other performances begin at 8 p.m.

The Otterbein Summer
Theatre Box Office will officially open on May 13. Box Office hours will
be Monday-Friday, noon-4 p.m., and one hour prior to all performances. For more
information about Otterbein Summer Theatre and the 2019 Season, please contact
Otterbein University Theatre at 614-823-1109 or visit the Otterbein University
website, www.otterbein.edu/drama.  

Otterbein Summer Theatre 2019 Performance Schedule:

SMOKE ON THE MOUNTAIN
Book by Connie Ray
Conceived by Alan Bailey
Musical arrangements by Mike Craver and Mark Hardwick

Directed by David Hemsley Caldwell
May 30-June 2, June 6-9, June 13-15
(Two performances Friday, June 7 – 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.)
Fritsche Theatre at Cowan Hall, 30 S. Grove Street

Performance Schedule:
All performances at the Fritsche Theatre at Cowan Hall, 30 S. Grove Street, Westerville.

Thursday, May 30       7:30 p.m.

Friday, May 31            8 p.m.

Saturday, June 1        8 p.m.

Sunday, June 2          2 p.m.

Thursday, June 6       8 p.m.

Friday, June 7            2 p.m.

Friday, June 7            8 p.m. 

Saturday, June 8       8 p.m.

Sunday, June 9         2 p.m. 

Thursday, June 13     8 p.m.

Friday, June 14          8 p.m. 

Saturday, June 15      8 p.m. 

“MASTER HAROLD”…AND THE BOYS
By Athol Fugard

Directed by Melissa Lusher
June 27-30 (Two performances June 28 – 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.)
Fritsche Theatre at Cowan Hall

Performance Schedule:
All performances at the Fritsche Theatre at Cowan Hall, 30 S. Grove Street, Westerville.

Thursday, June 27       7:30
p.m.

Friday, June 28           2
p.m. 

Friday, June 28           8
p.m. 

Saturday, June 29        8
p.m. 

Sunday, June 30          2
p.m. 

GUYS AND DOLLS
A Musical Fable of Broadway
Based on a Story and Characters of Damon Runyon
Music & Lyrics by Frank Loesser
Book by Jo Swerling & Abe Burrows

Directed by Lenny Leibowitz
Music Direction by Sam Clein
Choreographed by Stella Hiatt Kane
July 11-14, July 18-20 (Two performances July 19 and July 20 – 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.)
Fritsche Theatre at Cowan Hall

Choreographed by Stella Hiatt Kane
July 11-14, July 18-20 (Two performances July 19 and July 20 – 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.)

Performance Schedule:
All performances at the Fritsche Theatre at Cowan Hall, 30 S. Grove Street, Westerville.

Thursday, July 11       7:30
p.m.

Friday, July 12            8
p.m. 

Saturday, July 13        8
p.m. 

Sunday, July 14          2
p.m. 

Thursday, July 18       8
p.m. 

Friday, July 19            8
p.m. 

Friday, July 19            2
p.m. 

Saturday, July 20        2
p.m. 

Saturday, July 20        8
p.m.