The Year is 1669. After almost twenty years of Puritan rule that saw the suppression of Theatre, Music, dancing (and, well…anything fun!) King Charles the II, “The Merry Monarch,” has been restored to the throne. The theaters have reopened, and, thanks to the King, the prohibition against women appearing on stage has been lifted. For the first time in English history, women are now free to “strut and fret their hour upon the stage.” This leads to the rise of the English-speaking world’s first Actresses, who reach a level of stardom never reached by any of their male predecessors. PLAYHOUSE CREATURES offers a funny and moving view into the lives of five of these pioneering Restoration actresses at the forefront of the “Merry Monarch’s” new theatrical revolution. We see the precarious lot these women endured for the sake of their art. Part History, part raucous Restoration Comedy, part Ode to Women’s Rights, and all parts Love Letter to the Theatre, PLAYHOUSE CREATURES is a comic account full of humor and heart that will provoke plenty of thought, discussion and laughs.

Contains adult language and situations

Featuring; Jennifer Porter, Susan Jones Eberhart, Liliane Klein, Katie Beckvold, and Elisabeth Hardcastle.  

Directed by Dana Packard and Jennifer Porter

“Thoroughly entertaining.” –The Tribune

"With deliciously absurd extracts from the heroic repertory and frantic dressing-room scenes, the prevailing tone is comic, but you are not allowed to forget the gutter waiting to reclaim these glittering figures" –Independent on Sunday

"...flesh and blood heroines... you'll come away moved and inspired and with a few more female role models stamped firmly on your heart." –Time Out

"This is a play that exudes love of the trade from sawdust to the stars, as well as serving as a reminder of a turning point in Theatre history, when these women were regarded simultaneously as trailblazers, renegades and oddities akin to dancing bears” –The Guardian

Cultivating a Community of Kindness and Creativity with original music by Rob Duquette and Amanda Panda, featuring the Peaceful Puppet Pals and You! 

The Kind Kids Music show is highly interactive, seasonally themed, and appropriate for all ages. The Kind Kids Music Show is so much more than entertainment. 

We use our original music, movement, and puppets tosupport literacy development, social emotional skills, work on relationship building, bring mental health awareness, promote wellness, kindness, and most of all bring joy to kids of all ages and the grown ups who are raising them.

Our spring and fall shows at SRT will feature The Kind Kids Music Club Kids and Grown Ups who help bring our songs and messages to life!

ALL PROCEEDS BENEFIT SACO RIVER THEATRE!

A Time Out NY Critics’ Pick written by Billy Mitchell (SRT’s graphic arts director, and a favorite cast member of early Originals productions such as HAIR, THE 1940s RADIO HOUR, and TEN LITTLE INDIANS) VILLAIN: DeBLANKS is an uproarious improvisational comedy where the cast says words you put in their mouths! The audience provides nouns, adjectives, and verbs (the wilder, the better) and the actors provide the laughs—uncensored and unrehearsed—as they solve the mystery of Philip DeBlanks’ untimely demise. It’s “Clue” meets Mad Libs! Like a ride to summer camp in the back of a station wagon, each hilarious performance is ridiculously one-of-a-kind.

“MADCAP HILARITY! What happens when you mix equal parts Murder, She Wrote with Mad Libs? You get Billy Mitchell’s rib-tickling theatrical confection.”

–BroadwayWorld.com 

“Rhythm Future Quartet breaks new ground for Gypsy jazz”

–The Boston Globe

The acoustic jazz ensemble, Rhythm Future Quartet has a straightforward agenda: to keep the spirit of Gypsy jazz alive and expanding in today’s musical universe. The virtuosic foursome, named for a Django Reinhardt tune, offers up a newly minted sound, influenced by the classic Hot Club of France, yet wholly contemporary. Founded by violinist Jason Anick, the quartet performs dynamic and lyrical arrangements of both Gypsy jazz standards and original compositions that draw upon diverse international rhythms and musical idioms. With Bruno Peterson, Henry Acker, and Greg Loughman rounding out the quartet, Rhythm Future is dedicated to expanding the boundaries of a vital musical genre.

The Fall of 2018 marked the release of their newest album, “Rhythm Future Quartet and Friends”, which features the critically acclaimed singer Cyrille Aimée, brazil’s top bandolimist Hamilton de Holanda, and world-renowned guitarist Stochelo Rosenberg. While maintaining the effervescent lilt, virtuosic musicianship and adventurous musical leanings of their previous recordings, Rhythm Future Quartet and Travels (picked as one of the best jazz albums of 2016 by All About Jazz and the Huffington Post), RFQ and Friends brings vibrant new colors to the mix. JazzTimes Magazine stated, "RFQ and Friends is packed to the gills with feeling and remains consistently dynamic, full of virtuosity and swing." With its arresting blend of Hot Club of France styled string jazz, Brazilian and East European idioms, original compositions and hints of classical music, the album marks a significant moment in the growth of a continually evolving ensemble. (And one with continually increasing popularity: the quartet’s version of Django’s "Minor Swing" has over 10 million views on YouTube, while their video clip of "Bushwick Stomp" from Travels has over three million Facebook views.)

Jason Anick, an award-winning composer and violin professor at the esteemed Berklee College of Music in Boston, has shared the stage with an array of artists including Grammy award winning guitarist John Jorgenson, Stevie Wonder, The Jim Kweskin Jug Band, and Tommy Emmanuel. Henry Acker is a young powerhouse jazz guitarist who performs both in the style of Django Reinhardt as well as traditional jazz. A child prodigy who began playing at age 8 and performing professionally at age 9, his talent and abilities have developed into nothing short of astonishing. Henry has already shared the stage with jazz greats Bucky Pizzarelli, Frank Vignola, Julian Lage, Bireli Lagrene and Vic Juris. He is a five-time winner of the Downbeat Magazine Student Award for jazz guitar soloist.

A Child’s Christmas in Wales is Dylan Thomas’s iconic story about “the never to be forgotten day at the end of the unremembered year, when songs were sung, cakes and sweets were abundant, and the frozen city parks were laden with mysteries and adventures for wild boys and girls to explore.”

A Christmas Memory by Truman Capote takes place in the 1930’s, a period in the lives of a 7 year old boy and an elderly woman who is his distant cousin and best friend. Focusing on country life, friendship, and the joy of giving during this Christmas season, it also gently and poignantly touches on loneliness and loss.

Neil McGarry’s stunning one-man performance of Charles Dickens’ "A Christmas Carol" won Best Solo Performance of 2014 from the Independent Reviewers of New England and was named "Best of Boston” by critic Jules Becker. Using only Charles Dickens’ original text, McGarry delivers a riveting performance of the classic holiday story, portraying each and every character — fully staged, complete with dancing! This one-man tour de force is simultaneously moving and entertaining, and something much richer than expected.

“MCGARRY’S PERFORMANCE IS EXTRAORDINARY ... A MAGICAL ALCHEMY ABSORBS AND INVOLVES THE AUDIENCE AND HOLDS THEM SPELLBOUND” – Beverly Creasey, Boston Arts Review