Our 50th season, It's Golden
Celebrate 50 Seasons of Unforgettable Theatre with Us!
In celebration of our milestone 50th season, our "Golden" season, Old Courthouse Theatre is delighted to present five mainstage productions, thoughtfully curated to captivate and entertain audiences of all ages. Complementing these thrilling performances, the theatre organizes a variety of special shows and events throughout the year, guaranteeing that there’s always something exciting for our patrons to experience.
Mainstage Shows
The Foreigner
by Larry Shue
Audition Dates: June 8 and 9, 2025
Performance Dates: August 7 to 17, 2025
Director: Jamie Hutteman
“An inspired comic romp.”
Based on what the New York Post describes as a “devilishly clever idea,” the play demonstrates what can happen when a group of devious characters must deal with a stranger who (they think) knows no English.
“I laughed start to finish at one comic surprise after another.” —The New Yorker.
“…a constant invitation to relax and laugh at the foolishness of life…” —Village Voice.
“Shue’s comedy is positively antic, yet pleasantly seasoned with a few dashes of sentimentality…He has raided comedy’s storehouse…” —Bergen Record.
Winner of Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Off-Broadway Play.
Winner of Two Obie Awards
Trying to forget his marital problems, dull and doleful Charlie Baker takes a fishing lodge holiday in the Deep South of America, and to avoid being pestered by the locals, he pretends that he is a foreigner who speaks no English.
Company
Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Book by George Furth
Audition Dates: August 3 and 4, 2025
Performance Dates: October 9 to 19, 2025
Director: Aaron Mule
Sondheim's game-changing musical is a sophisticated and honest look at modern adult relationships.
“There is nothing fragile about Company... it is by turns brassy, brittle, sympathetic, cynical, romantic, calculating and alive-oh so very much alive. It’s been a long time since a musical has come along with so many show-stopping numbers.... Stephen Sondheim’s music and lyrics add up to one of the best scores on Broadway currently.... Company is the best musical of the year” – The Wall Street Journal
In a series of vignettes, Company tells the story of New York bachelor Bobby who learns about the perils and pleasures of love, marriage, dating, and divorce from his married friends. Sondheim’s score includes: “Getting Married Today,” “The Little Things You Do Together,” “The Ladies Who Lunch,” “Being Alive,” and “Have I Got a Girl for You.”
A Christmas Carol
Adapted by Michael Paller
Based on the Story by Charles Dickens
Audition Dates: September 27 and 28, 2025
Performance Dates: December 4 to 14, 2025
Director: Andy Rassler
“Done with respect and ingenuity. Deserves to be seen.” - Cleveland Free Press
“A treat ... for the whole family to enjoy.” - Cleveland Sunday Press
This fresh approach to the classic tale faithfully conveys the magic of Dickens. On Christmas Eve in 1843, friends and family gathered at Dickens’ home ask him to tell a story, but he refuses to work on Christmas Eve. If there is going to be a story, each must take a part in the telling.
A Streetcar Named Desire
by Tennessee Williams
Audition Dates: December 7 and 8, 2025
Performance Dates: February 12 to 22, 2026
Director: Stuart Jonap
A Streetcar Named Desire is a brilliant, implacable play about the disintegration of a woman, or, if you like, of a society.” – The New Yorker
Winner of the 1948 Pulitzer Prize for Drama; Winner of the 2023 Olivier Award for Best Revival of a Play.
Explosive, passionate and heartrending, A Streetcar Named Desire is Modern American Theatre at its best. With his signature poetic prose, muggy Southern Gothic Setting and psychological insight, Tennessee Williams’ mighty play, and his troubled eccentric heroine unravel before our very eyes.
Sweet Charity
Book by Neil Simon
Music by Cy Coleman and Lyrics by Dorothy Fields
Audition Dates: February 22 and 23, 2026
Performance Dates: April 30, 2026 to May 10, 2026
Director: Tom Hollis
Music Director: Laurie Klaus
Choreographer: Rachel Peterson
Nominee: Nine 1966 Tony Awards, including Best Musical
Winner! Four 1986 Tony Awards, including Best Musical Revival
“A hit-packed score by Cy Coleman and Dorothy Fields, and a joke-packed book by Neil Simon.” – Ben Brantley, The New York Times
“If your heart doesn’t break a little for Charity Hope Valentine, you might consider a transplant.” – Jeremey Gerard, Deadline
“Cy Coleman and Dorothy Fields’ terrific songs... have snappy wit, a big heart and just the right sprinkling of sentimentality, socked across by a muscular orchestra.” – David Rooney, Variety
Hapless but unflappable Charity Hope Valentine desperately seeks love in New York City in the 1960s. In this exuberant, groovy, hilarious musical comedy, Charity tries again and again to find her dream and make something of herself. It features such memorable songs as “Big Spender,” and “If My Friends Could See Me Now,”
Special Shows and Events
Youth Theatre - Next Gen
Announces Spring 2026
Production
Nasty will be nice and Concord will be ogre-the-moon when OCT - Next Gen present their production of Shrek The Musical JR. beginning DATE, it was announced today by Freddie Gershon, CEO of Music Theatre International (MTI). The family-friendly musical comedy follows the adventures of an ogre named Shrek who sets off on a quest to save a princess from a dragon. However, it turns out that in order to ultimately succeed, Shrek must battle an even bigger obstacle: learning how to believe in himself and open his heart to others.
“Shrek’s unique story of discovery encourages each of us to examine our prejudices, review what we believe to be our limitations and work to better understand ourselves and others. The actors and crew in this production have embarked on a similar journey, as students and teachers with many different interests have learned more about themselves and each other while collaborating towards the common goal of presenting this musical,” says Gershon.
Shrek The Musical JR. follows an ogre named Shrek who has learned the hard way that “people hate the things they cannot understand.” For many years he has protected himself from the hurtful actions of those who are scared of him by living as a recluse in a cozy cesspit. One day, his peaceful swamp is disturbed by new tenants: fairytale misfits — including Pinocchio, the Ugly Duckling, the Wicked Witch, Peter Pan, the Three Pigs and the Big Bad Wolf — have been banished there by the villainous Lord Farquaad. In order to gain back his land, Shrek makes a deal with Farquaad to rescue the feisty princess Fiona from a tower guarded by a fierce dragon. Setting off with his faithful companion, Donkey, Shrek begins the journey of a lifetime filled with adventure, romance, and hilarity.
With music by Jeanine Tesori, book and lyrics by David Lindsay-Abaire, Shrek The Musical is based on the Oscar®-winning DreamWorks Animation film and the book Shrek by William Steig.
Shrek The Musical JR. is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI).
OCT Announces Its 51st Season:
Around the World in Five Plays
Old Courthouse Theatre is excited to introduce its historic 51st season. Kim Baysinger, chair of the theatre's Programming Committee said at our live announcement: “The traditional anniversary gift for those experiencing their 51st year together is MARBLE. And like that coveted stone, OCT is set to gift you with a 51st season that is solidly beautiful!”
After a year-long vetting, reading, and voting process, the Programming Committee sent its season recommendations to the OCT Board of Directors. For this knock-out season, the vote was unanimous.
Our season opener, set in long ago France, is a swashbuckler full of action and adventure; a classic tale turned on its comedic ear by America’s preeminent comic playwright. We begin our season with Ken Ludwig’s The Three Musketeers!
What better way to enter fall with all its spooky thrills than to be mesmerized by the greatest selling novelist of all time? From the UK, a tale of murder, police, invisible ink, hidden doorways and secret drawers. OCT offers up the comedy thriller from Agatha Christie…Spider’s Web!
Our eyes look to New York City and the time of the Great Depression for our holiday show this season. On the heels of our successful last few years of holiday shows, we are leapin’-lizards-over-the-moon-a-tingle to bring you the most iconic musical of all time, Annie.
Likely a new title for you, our February show comes from a writing team known for their ‘knock it out of the park’ comedies. Trust us when we say: This one is off-the-charts funny! Put together a wedding at a venue across the country, a Mama who won’t get on an airplane, and a quirky set of characters getting in a car together, and you’ve got: HILARITY. Otherwise known as Mama Won’t Fly. This is a ‘please don’t miss this one’ type of show, and we are thrilled to be producing it.
We end our season with a title that just belongs on the OCT stage. It brings so much of OCT, Concord, and our mission together in one place, and when the rights became available, OCT pounced with no hesitation. The Avett Brothers started here. Their roots are here. They belong here. Their success has been a blessing for our community for years, and (for those who haven’t followed them) they recently extended their work from the concert stage to Broadway. We are absolutely awe-struck and humbled to be producing the newly-released and regional premiere of: Swept Away.
It is our hope that we are offering a little something of solid beauty for everyone in our 51st season. As we continue to grow, expand, and work to serve our community, the OCT board and volunteers promise to devote all of our talents, time, and energy to producing the best versions of these plays for you, our family of supporters. See you at the theatre.
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