(CHATHAM, NJ) -- One Weekend Only is Chatham Community Players’ newest offering - born of the desire to offer a different kind of production. These shows have smaller casts, smaller sets, and are staged up close to our audiences. The subject matter may be challenging. The humor may be on the dark side. The drama may be intense. These productions burn bright - but only for a very short time.
Chatham Players has a 100-year history of producing high quality shows, and they are proud to add to the theater’s annual offerings - providing a dedicated place for plays that might not be selected for our mainstage - "Because they are small, because they are intense, because they aren’t everyone’s cup of tea,” explained Producer, Sarah Pharaon
After a rigorous application process, their inaugural season includes Gruesome Playground Injuries directed by Katie Toledo, and Mary’s Wedding directed by Ed Faver.
Gruesome Playground Injuries by Rajiv Joseph explores the lives of two best friends as they navigate the complications of growing up and growing apart over the span of thirty years. As their memories unfold, Kayleen and Doug learn that the scars of growing pains are both physical and emotional.
Director Toledo added, “I’m thrilled to be directing Gruesome Playground Injuries for One Weekend Only at Chatham, it’s the perfect show to kick the series off. This compelling, hilarious yet heartbreaking story is one that stays with you long after you meet the two protagonists. You won’t want to miss it!”
Performance dates for Gruesome Playground Injuries are March 24th & 25th at 8:00pm and March 26th at 7:00pm.
Mary’s Wedding by Stephen Massicotte: It is the eve of Mary's wedding and she is deep in dreaming. It’s a night full of dreams: dreams of love and her beloved Charlie, dreams of war and dreams of what might be. When Mary and Charlie, filled with the passion, vulnerability and impulsiveness of youth, unexpectedly find one another sheltering in a barn during a thunderstorm, a tentative love is born. But the year is 1914, and Mary and Charlie must surrender their love and their fate to the uncertainties of their tumultuous times.
Director Faver said “Author Stephen Massicotte’s language is as lyrical as Shakespeare’s. His characters, Mary and Charlie, should be instantly recognizable to us. They want the same things we do: to be loved, to share a future together, to dream. Their innocent yet passionate love for each story is the heart of the story.”
Performance dates are June 9th & 10th at 8:00pm and June 11th at 3:00pm.
All performances are at the Chatham Playhouse, 23 North Passaic Avenue, in Chatham. Tickets are $20.
Rounding out the talented OWO team is Production Coordinator, Steve Ruskin, Production Advisor Joelle Bochner, Technical Advisor Diane Giangreco, Community Liaisons Anne & Matt McCarthy and Social Media & Marketing, Emily Miller.
They are excited to welcome audiences into the Chatham Playhouse for our inaugural season. To quote our beloved William Shakespeare, “though she be but little, she is fierce.” They cannot wait for you to experience our fierce little plays.
Tickets can be purchased at our Box Office or Online. To access the theater’s new online ticketing service, where you can now reserve your particular seat, simply go to ccp.booktix.com. The service is available 24 hours a day and tickets can be purchased online up until three hours prior to curtain on the day of a performance. For information regarding box office hours, please call the box office at (973) 635-7363. Patrons with special needs requiring seating accommodations should contact the Playhouse at least 24 hours prior to the performance. Without prior notice, accommodations cannot be guaranteed.
The Chatham Community Players has been entertaining residents of Morris County and the surrounding area since 1922. The organization’s mission is to produce high-quality theater for a diverse audience, while elevating its standard of excellence and providing a creative outlet with educational opportunities and outreach programs.
Funding has been made possible in part by Morris Arts through the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts.
