![DanielRader_LittleShopOfHorrors_001[1].jpg](https://www.cityscenecolumbus.com/downloads/10804/download/DanielRader_LittleShopOfHorrors_001%5B1%5D.jpg?cb=ba50a93bcea163974964f3a23c2d8775&w={width}&h={height} "DanielRader_LittleShopOfHorrors_001[1].jpg")
Photo courtesy of Daniel Rader
Little Shop of Horrors Sunday, May 29, 2016 ©2016 Daniel Rader
Building off the excitement of a successful premiere season in Dublin, Tantrum Theater will be back with three new shows this summer.
“We were so thrilled with our first year. The Dublin audience welcomed us so warmly,” says Rachel Cornish, Tantrum Theater’s founding producing director. “There’s no question; Dublin is an incredible place to create art. The community is engaged, and we really love that dialogue. That’s what theater is about.”
The professional theater company is a creation of Ohio University’s College of Fine Arts, and is a mix of professional actors and select students. From the actors, to the people creating the costumes and building the sets, to those working to manage the company, Tantrum Theater includes more than 130 people. Only about 50 of them are student apprentices.
“The purpose of our theater is different from many other theaters in central Ohio because we’re a professional company that has been born out of an academic environment,” Cornish says. “That doesn’t mean we’re a student theater. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. We’re creating a model of what we perceive as an ideal theater as a training ground for our students.”
Photo courtesy of Daniel Winters
“It’s the same idea as a teaching hospital for a medical school. They apprentice with some of the most successful working professionals in the field. I think this makes for a richer environment for everyone involved, including our audiences,” she says.
Tantrum Theater wowed audiences last summer with performances of Little Shop of Horrors, Tammy Faye’s Final Audition and Dancing at Lughnasa.
Cornish says this summer should be even better.
“We’ve tried hard to program work that audiences can really sink their teeth into this season,” she says. “We want to make sure there is something for all ages within our season. I think audiences can expect the same high caliber of acting and production design as last year. We have a number of Broadway regulars onstage and in the creative teams with us this summer. I think we’ll be able to wow people even more than last year.”
Tickets are $27.50 for regular admission and $10 for students. For show details and to reserve seats, visit www.tantrumtheater.org. For more performances taking place this summer, visit www.dublinohiousa.gov/summer-theater.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream, May 30-June 17
Father knows best in the stifling city, but outside in the woods, anything happens, everything goes. In Shakespeare’s most uproarious and delicious comedy, four teens fool their fathers and skip town to elope in an enchanted forest. But it’s nighttime and confusing, and the fairies are feuding, and who knows who you’re smooching. Topsy goes turvy, bottom is top and a donkey is king. Just when the whole world feels mad, we wake from the dream to a spanking new day – true selves are discovered, true lovers uncovered. Join in on our fantasy and experience the delight of midsummer.
Caroline, or Change, July 5-22
It’s 1963 in Louisiana, and for Caroline Thibodeaux, the world is changing too fast. The president has just been shot and a fight for racial justice is sweeping the nation. Caroline, a black maid serving a Jewish household, desires only a good night’s rest and a decent life for her children. A melodious moon provides the commentary as her relationship with young Noah, the precocious son of her employers, becomes complicated by pocket change. With its moving rock, gospel and klezmer score, this magical, Tony Award-nominated musical is a riveting statement addressed to a nation still gripped by inequality.
Into the West, Aug. 1-19
Ally and Finn settle in the big city of Dublin, expecting a better life. But trapped in mourning for their mother, they merely take care of Pa, who tries to drink away her memory. When a mythical horse trots into the scene, they race off into the Irish countryside. At the end of their journey is the sea, their father transformed and even a bit of what they’ve lost. With just three actors playing 60 roles, and with live music throughout, Into the West bursts with imagination and heart – and it’s perfect for the whole family.
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