Through the Wardrobe: A Winter Wonderland Panto!
Written by Edward F. Speck
Directed by Edward F. Speck and Joshua Shack
This Winter At the Firehouse Center for the Arts
Friday 12/11 @ 7 pm - Saturday 12/12 @ 3 pm & 7 pm - Sunday 12/13 @ 3 pm
Friday 12/18 @ 7 pm - Saturday 12/19 @ 3 pm & 7 pm - Sunday 12/20 @ 11 pm & 3 pm
Our Holiday Tradition – At the Firehouse Center for the Arts!
Theater in the Open’s annual holiday panto returns to the Firehouse Center for the Arts in December with A Nutcracker Panto! A goofy spin on a holiday favorite, join four children through the wardrobe for an unforgettable performance, filled with pratfalls, snowballs, and plenty of laughs. Whether a Theater in the Open Panto has been part of your holiday tradition in the past, or you’re joining us for the first time, we are thrilled to welcome you to the Firehouse for some holiday cheer.
Tiny Tim’s Can Drive!
Audience members of Theater in the Open’s “Through the Wardrobe Panto” are encouraged to bring toiletries, canned soups, and other non-perishable items along to the performance; you even get to go up on stage to make your donation to the Pettengill House in Salisbury!
Here are some suggested “Most Needed” items for the food pantry that are frequently in short supply:
* Children’s healthy snacks – Some examples include Nutri-bars, kid’s fruit snacks, kid’s healthy fruit cups, granola breakfast bars, etc.
* Another category families are always in need of are toiletries, all the personal care items we take for granted such as toilet paper, toothpaste, toothbrushes, soap, body wash, shampoo, deodorant, etc.
*The Pettengill House serves so many families with small children, diapers are always a big need (especially the larger sizes 4, 5, 6 and pull-ups) along with baby wipes. Some other items include facial tissue, paper towels, laundry soap, dish soap, plastic utensils, paper plates, cups, can openers.
Meet the Cast Coming Soon!
The Creative Team:
Edward F. Speck, Director and Playwright
EDWARD F. SPECK has served as the Artistic Director of Theater in the Open since 2009. He has been seen in TITO shows for the past 25 years, including Metamorphoses, The Tempest, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Medea, and Much Ado About Nothing, and every Panto the theater has produced. He is a proud member of Exit Dance Theatre.
Joshua Shack, Director
JOSHUA SHACK has co-directed the pantos for Theater in the Open since 2014; this production of Through the Wardrobe is his sixteenth collaboration with TITO. Josh decided to become a clown when he was just three years old. As a teenager, he spent his summers performing with Circus Smirkus, and then toured nationally with Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey. He is a co-creator and performer of The Piccolini Trio and directed their critically acclaimed stage show Circus in a Trunk. Other directing credits include Out of Orbit at The Theater at Saint Peter’s in New York City, and Nothing but Nonsense, a variety musical comedy at Circus World Museum in Baraboo, WI. He is a teaching artist-in-residence for Circus Smirkus, and served as Production Manager, Director of Programming, and Associate Artistic Director.
Maddison Shea, Production stage manager
Maddison Shea serves as the Production Stage Manager for Through the Wardrobe. She graduated from New England College with a degree in Theatre Arts, and currently serves as Production Manager for Theater in the Open. Maddison has also worked with local theater companies, including Third Citizen Theatre Company, The Firehouse Center for the Arts, The 5th Wall, and History Alive.