The Merc Playhouse has announced its center stage productions for the 2020 season, beginning with “Breaking Legs,” which opens on Friday (Jan. 10). Other shows on the upcoming schedule: • “The Fantastic Mr. Fox,” a presentation of the Tom Zbyszewski Children’s Theater, runs March 20-29. The play is based on Roald Dahl’s popular story and […]
Merc Playhouse
Time makes its claim on Twisp’s old livery stable
Building will be dismantled, wood recycled “Our conversations have orbited around what we could do with the building. But our resources are limited. We can’t put money into rebuilding.” Missi Smith, Executive Director The old wooden livery stable next to The Merc Playhouse is, in its ramshackle way, something of a historic icon in downtown […]
Merc presents kids’ summer camp performances this weekend
The Merc Playhouse in Twisp concludes its summer camp for kids with performances by the students this week. Admission to the four performances is by donation. They are: “101 Dalmatians, Kids,” by the Musical Theater Camp (3rd- through 8th-grade performers), on Friday (July 26) at 4 p.m. and on Saturday (July 27) at 2 p.m. […]
Bevis features new CD in concert at The Merc
Ken Bevis writes songs about bears, sandhill cranes, hummingbirds and snowy owls, dogs and other pets, and even insects. So it’s no wonder that Bevis calls himself a “nature troubadour.” The songs, many written in the first person – but from the animal’s perspective – capture the compelling experiences Bevis has had in the presence […]
Personal relations at heart of The Merc’s ‘Diner on the Way’
Play explores issues with humor, insight There’s a reason you’ve never heard of the upcoming play at The Merc Playhouse, “A Diner on the Way.” The show, which opens Friday (July 12), is making its national debut right here in the Methow Valley. And the setting simply couldn’t be more appropriate, as the play revolves […]
Merc’s Steinebach Award goes to LBHS senior Dean Hussey
Liberty Bell High School senior Dean Hussey is the winner of The Merc Playhouse’s 2019 Steinebach Award for Outstanding Contribution to Live Theater. The award was presented at the opening night of The Merc’s current production of “Charlotte’s Web.” In a press release, Merc Executive Director Missi Smith said Hussey began his association with the […]
‘Charlotte’s Web’ spins a familiar, beloved tale at The Merc
By Marcy Stamper There’s something about “Charlotte’s Web” that makes the story uniquely timeless. “It’s just so appropriate for children — and adults as well. It reminds us about friendship and taking care of each other,” said Jane Orme, who’s directing the beloved children’s classic at The Merc Playhouse starting next week. Twenty-two young local […]
‘Love, Loss, and What I Wore’ all about clothes relationships
Clothing serves a practical function — to keep you warm and dry, and presentable for mixed company or the workplace. But it can also be fraught with meaning. Clothes can make a personal or political statement, be weighted with symbolism, or simply conjure up memories of a particular moment in life. “Love, Loss, and What […]
Merc fills active 2019 season with variety
Laugh-out-loud farce, exploration of family dynamics, a psychological thriller and a world premiere — there’s enticement for everyone in The Merc Playhouse’s line-up for next year.
The season starts in March with a children’s theater adaptation of the beloved E.B. White story “Charlotte’s Web.” The play follows Wilbur the pig and his friend Charlotte the spider, who’s determined to save Wilbur from the butcher. Jane Orme directs the cast of young actors.
Music drives the drama of Merc’s ‘Little Shop of Horrors’
It’s not entirely clear how cult classics are created, but there’s no question that the quirky drama “Little Shop of Horrors” is among the most revered. The original 1960s film is believed to be based on a 1932 story about a man-eating plant, but because the mythology surrounding flesh-eating botanicals dates back to the 1800s, the film’s roots are murky.
