Special Shows and Events
Next Up in The Wilson Family
Black Box:
If All the Sky Were Paper
Andrew Carroll is a prominent author and historian whose painstaking scholarship is a matter of record. Inspired by a distant relative’s World War II letter, Carroll made it his mission to amass war correspondence from across the globe, extending from the Civil War to the present day. His search took him to forty countries and six continents, including active war zones, to track down letters from individuals whose lives had been upended by war.
After diving into archives and compiling thousands of letters — some 100,000 in all — Carroll whittled the massive outpouring into the epistolary drama, If All the Sky Were Paper. Widely produced since its 2012 premiere at Chapman University, the play has been performed at the Kennedy Center and the Kirk Douglas Theatre, is now being presented by Old Courthouse Theatre in May 2026.
If All the Sky Were Paper is a critically acclaimed play by author Andrew Carroll, based on his bestselling books War Letters and Behind the Lines. It explores the human experience of war through dramatic readings of actual letters from soldiers, nurses, and family members across global conflicts.
Directed by Dr. Elizabeth Peterson-Vita, If All the Sky Were Paper opens in the Wilson Family Black Box. The performances are scheduled Thursday, May 14th through Sunday, May 17th. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to a veteran’s organization.
The splay is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals.
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.
Coming In June 2026
OCT's Ten Minute Play Festival
