Announcing Williamston Theatre’s 2025-2026 Season!

We’re thrilled to announce this terrific lineup of shows for our 19th season, starting in October of 2025! This collection of stories is full of adventure, mystery, heart, hope, laughter and love!

When Mom’s in the hospital and Dad says she’s ‘done something stupid’, there’s not much a seven-year-old can do. Her childlike way of dealing with this is to write a list of every brilliant thing in the world – ice cream, staying up too late, roller coasters – and to share it with her mother. As our narrator moves through life, the list grows, changes, and is created in collaboration with each night’s audience in this sweet-salty comic work. Based on true and untrue stories, Every Brilliant Thing is a life-affirming story of how to achieve hope through focusing on the smallest miracles of life. Directed by Tony Caselli. Starring Katherine Banks.

Two beloved classic tales. One thrilling new mystery! When a grown-up Tiny Tim asks Sherlock Holmes to investigate the peculiar death of Ebenezer Scrooge, the Great Detective must use his tools of deduction to get to the bottom of the crime. But it is a dark and treacherous Christmas Eve, and once again the holiday is haunted by the spirits of the past, present, and future. Reunite with the characters you love from Charles Dickens and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, brought together in a story of intrigue and suspense, with a holiday helping of Christmas cheer. Directed by Rob Roznowski.

Do you believe in the perfect murder? When Tony Wendice finds a love letter to his wife, he vows to get revenge and keep her fortune. He reaches out to an old friend to do the dirty work. But as their elaborate plan falls short, chaos ensues. Jeffrey Hatcher’s adaptation of the classic suspense thriller is a smart, tight, compelling update of Knott’s tale of jealousy, deception and homicide. Contains mature content. Directed by Jasmine Rivera.

A worried mother comes to the library for what she thinks will be a reasonable, polite discussion about which books are appropriate for her teenage son. But her confrontation with the town librarian, a woman who cares deeply about her job and her community, sparks a chain reaction of consequences no one expected. Equal parts sharply funny and heartbreakingly poignant, Bad Books leaves audiences wondering what it truly means to care for our children. A raucous and brash debate in the quietest place in America… the library. Contains mature content and language. Directed by Tony Caselli.

Bad Books is produced at Williamston Theatre as part of a National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere. Other Partner Theaters include Round House Theatre (Bethesda, MD), Florida Studio Theatre (Sarasota, FL), and Curious Theatre (Denver, CO).

London, 1935. Dull Richard Hannay encounters a woman who claims to be a spy. When she is suddenly murdered, Richard finds himself the focus of a nationwide manhunt led by a mysterious organization called “The 39 Steps.” This beloved mystery is a hilarious theatrical comedy full of dazzling stagecraft and virtuoso performances that will have you rolling in the aisles until the death-defying, climactic finale. The 39 Steps is a fast-paced whodunit with four versatile actors portraying more than 50 roles. Contains mature content. Directed by John Lepard.

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Along with the 5 full MainStage productions, we have our Dark Nights in Billtown series of alternate programming, which is expanded next season into a series of play readings, a series of standup comedy nights, and a couple of musical events! Check out this link for more info!

We have auditions coming up soon, and then we’ll be able to announce casts for everything! Of course we still have the rest of the performances of the beatiful Baba, that runs through May 25th, and one more production, the hilarious Incident at Our Lady of Perpetual Help this summer.

Round up of fun things

The weather is turning warm, and thank goodness! But that’s just one of the fun things going on right now, so let’s do a quick roundup of some of them!

Right now, at 8pm on Monday April 28, the Detroit Tigers have the best record in the American League! Whaaaaaaaat?! They’ve been super fun to watch so far this year. I mean, we’re not even 30 games into the season, but I’m going to enjoy it!

We are opening the beautiful play Baba by Denmo Ibrahim this week, and I am really excited and proud of this show. Sarab Kamoo is doing beautiful work as the solo performer, the design team crushed it, and I think it’s a really wonderful night of theatre.

Pictured: Sarab Kamoo as Layla in Baba by Denmo Ibrahim, at Williamston Theatre. Set by Ranae Selmeyer, Costumes by Camille Charara, Lights by Sam Schikora, Media by Sarah Webb, Props by Michelle Raymond. (and you can’t hear it here, but the Sound is by Julia Garlotte!)

Haven’t seen many movies lately, but today I had the day off and I went to see the Ryan Coogler film Sinners, and it’s excellent! I really, really enjoyed it – such excellent storytelling. Confident, creative and full of surprises. I loved the whole thing. Go see it!

At Williamston Theatre we are holding our general auditions for the 2025/2026 season, our 19th, in early May! That means our season lineup is coming very soon, and I’m getting excited to release it to the world!

The world is crazy right now, there’s a lot going on that’s less than wonderful, but I hope you’re having a week where you can still list some good things going on in your part of the planet!

Beautiful Reminders About Why We Do It

I have to say, sometimes it’s nice to be reminded.

I mean, anyone who does theatre KNOWS why you do it – you love the power of storytelling, you BELIEVE in the transformative magic that happens when you gather a group of people together to experience an event, a moment together. (And there are lots of other reasons – it’s moving, it’s challenging, it’s fun, it helps us grow as people, it creates and nurtures community and spreads joy and fosters empathy discussion and change, and so much more….)

But, even though we know why we do it, it really is nice to SEE that happen, and be told it’s working by the people we gather with.

I’ve been so pleased with the impact that our production of On The Market at Williamston Theatre has had on audiences. This very funny, charming and heartfelt piece by Jason Odell Williams was a blast to work on with the entire company. The thing that’s blown me away though, after 3 weeks of doing this production for people, is how many audience members have come to us to open up and talk about their feelings, their own lives – to be a little vulnerable with us.

The piece is a sweet, funny, romantic “Rom Com” type of story – it’s about a widow in her 40’s who lost her husband early, and her friends are trying to get her back “on the market” and dating again. So it’s a piece about friendship, loss, grief, moving forward and having the courage to embrace our Second Acts in life.

With all of that happening in the play, we’ve had so many patrons stop us or write us and say a whole lot of variations on “Thank you for this piece. I lost my spouse xxx years ago, and this piece made me laugh out loud, and cry, in the very best way. I’m still processing that part of my life, and you guys tackled the topic in a way so funny and so sweet and thoughtful, I can’t thank you enough for the laughs and the tears and the hope!”

It’s so gratifying to get these messages. To be reminded that, yes, we move people. We make them laugh together, and cry together, and process this whole frigging journey that we all get to spend – if we’re lucky – 70 or 80 years trying to make sense of. It means so much that people feel comfortable enough to come up and open themselves up to us, to share their hearts and say “This moved me. This meant something to me.”

I’m really savoring this show, and the responses to it. Holding on to the warmth and love from people and storing it in the tank so that later, when things get hard and frustrating and discouraging, I can look back at these and remember…. Because sometimes we all need a little reminder…. And Everything Will Be Okay.

Dani Cochrane and Brian Sage in On The Market by Jason Odell Williams. Scenery by Kirk Domer, Props/Set Dressing by Michelle Raymond. Lights by Eric Van Tassell, Costumes by Karen Kangas-Preston. Sound by Brian Cole.

A busy time at the theatre!

Wow, so much stuff going on! We have just opened the first show of Season 17 at Williamston Theatre, On The Market by Jason Odell Williams. It’s a ton of fun, and very sweet. Getting terrific audience responses, with lots of laughs but also some beautiful emotional responses and people coming out very moved.

Pictured: Yolanda Davis, Patrick Loos, Brian Sage, Dani Cochrane. Costumes by Karen Kangas-Preston, Set by Kirk Domer, Props and Set Dressing by Michelle Raymond, Lighting by Eric Van Tassell, Sound by Brian Cole. Stage Management by Stefanie Din, Adam Kruger and Rylan Houle.

Coming up on Sunday October 2nd we have a play reading of a terrific piece called The Mouth of the South by Allison Gregory. A funny and fascinating play about the real life Martha Mitchell, famous Watergate whistleblower!

On October 16th we have a great collaboration with Michigan State University: an MFA Grad Student Showcase Performance! This beautiful musical called Love, Linda; The Life of Mrs. Cole Porter tells the story of Linda Lee Thomas, whose marriage to Cole Porter, who was gay, inspired some of the greatest songs of all time.

Then for the first time ever, we are having a night of Stand Up Comedy at Williamston Theatre! Hosted by popular Lansing-based comedian Louis D. Michael, this evening with 5 different Michigan comics will be a fun time! Come have some beer, some wine, and some laughs!

So, life is busy, but good. I’m super grateful to be able to do what I do with some terrific people. I hope you’re all doing well, and you can join us for some fun in Williamston this fall!

Making Plays!

At Williamston Theatre we closed Mrs. Harrison, the riveting piece by R. Eric Thomas, and now we are in rehearsals for Alabaster by Audrey Cefaly! I love this play! I’ve been waiting since before the pandemic to produce it, it’s part of the National New Play Network’s Rolling World Premiere, but COVID delayed our show and I’m thrilled that we finally get to do it.

I’m also directing, and having a blast collaborating with our amazing cast and production team! Click here to learn more about the show!

Fun rehearsal shots on our in-progress set, designed by Moníka Essen:

Katie Banks and Kristina Riegle
Katie Banks, Kristina Riegle and Hallie Bard.
Zoom in, you can see me doing my finest directing work in the background.
Gloria Vivalda, Hallie Bard, Kristina Riegle and Katie Banks.

This piece is funny, thoughtful, heartbreaking and inspiring. And how many plays do you get to see that have talking goats? It’s a small number, so don’t miss this one! 😂

Williamston Theatre 2022-2023 Season

So excited to share this fantastic upcoming slate of shows. We’ve got comedy, drama, World Premieres, romantic holiday craziness and magic theatrical realism that’ll blow your mind. You’ll find Christmas cookies, standup comedians and talking goats! Riveting, heartbreaking tales about coming of age, fathers and sons, sisters and friends, and second chances. We’ll ask questions about honesty, ownership, tolerance and more… but you’ll have to provide the answers. If we do our job right, you’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll get angry, you’ll fall in love, and you’ll ask more questions. A season about the the journeys we take, paths we abandon, the circumstances, choices, legacies, triumphs and traumas that shape our lives.

The Magnolia Ballet by Terry Guest. Directed by Gary Anderson.
Ezekiel is a Black teenager with a secret. Every day he finds himself haunted by ghosts, ghosts that have plagued men in Georgia for generations, ghosts of racism, homophobia, and toxic masculinity. Ghosts that show up in the other men in his life, including his emotionally distant father. But when Ezekiel discovers a trove of forbidden love letters among his late grandfather’s belongings, he has a realization: perhaps the only way to exorcise these multi-generational ghosts is to burn everything to the ground. The Magnolia Ballet Part 1 is a Southern Gothic fable that melds high drama, dance, poetry, and spectacle to explore masculinity, racism, and the love between a queer kid and his father.

A National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere
A co-production with Plowshares Theatre in Detroit

A Very Williamston Christmas by Robert Hawlmark. Directed by Tony Caselli.
An all-new holiday tradition! A professional woman running in the fast lane of the big city corporate world journeys back to her smalltown on a mission for her boss. When she runs into a handsome acquaintance from high school, she’s forced to evaluate her life and priorities. Hot cocoa, light parades, and romance collide. Hilarity ensues. This holiday movie parody will be one everyone from Michigan will recognize and enjoy.


Wild Horses by Allison Gregory. Directed by Mary Job.
That summer you scared yourself. That summer you woke up to desire. That summer you tasted freedom. You remember, and so does the storyteller of Wild Horses. She hilariously recalls stealing liquor with her best friends, escaping her bedroom in the middle of the night, feeling the boy she loves reach across her body, borrowing cars without permission, and making the pact with her best friends to break into a horse ranch and set the beautiful animals free. She remembers being thirteen, and she’s going to take the audience on the ride of her life. Allison Gregory’s savagely funny Wild Horses takes on the pathos and hubris of teenage years amidst the struggle for identity and independence.


Mrs. Harrison by Eric R. Thomas. Directed by Jasmine Rivera.
Mrs. Harrison is about two women and one story. At their 10-year college reunion, Aisha and Holly meet by chance. Is this the first time or has it just been a long time? They can’t agree. Aisha is a Black, successful playwright; she’s on the cover of the alumni magazine. Holly is a white, struggling stand-up comedian; she’s here for the free drinks. Aisha’s most successful play bears a striking resemblance to a tragic event in Holly’s life. Is it a coincidence or is it theft? As a rainstorm interrupts the outdoor reunion, they find themselves trapped inside, together. They both have a story that they’ve been telling themselves about what happened all those years ago and they’re both willing to fight for the truth in the present.


Alabaster by Audrey Cefaly. Directed by Tony Caselli.
Alice, a noted photographer, sets out to explore the topography of scars, and the women who bear them. Her journey takes her to the mysterious realm of an undiscovered folk artist, June, who is hiding herself away on a small farm in North Alabama. What begins as an artistic collaboration between the two women becomes an intimate exploration of love, grief, and longing.  This bittersweet portrait explores the meaning and purpose of art and the struggle of the lost and tortured souls that seek to create it. Hilarious, heart-wrenching and full of theatrical magic, this play will make you laugh, rip your heart out, and remind you to hold the people in your life close.

A National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere

Be Here Now by Deborah Zoe Laufer. Directed by Rob Roznowski.
Bari’s always been a bit of an angry, depressed misanthrope. And losing her job teaching nihilism in New York to work at the local fulfillment center in her rural hometown has sent her into despair. She begins to find connections with the quirky people she meets at the center and a local artist with his own list of insecurities. When recurring headaches manifest bizarre, ecstatic, almost religious experiences, they change her entire view of life. She discovers they are also killing her. She must decide between a short life of indescribable joy, or a long life of mediocrity. A comedic look at what we’re willing to do for love and happiness, and to create meaning in our lives.

You can find dates and more details about our upcoming season at the theatre’s website: Williamston Theatre.

Williamston Theatre Season 15!

We’re so excited to finally be able to announce the 2021/2022 Season, our 15th!

After a year and a half we’re so glad to be back in the building with the staff, prepping everything and getting out from under the dust of our long intermission.

Over the next couple months we’ll be finishing up some renovations and getting ready for first rehearsal of our first show back. As a celebration of reaching 15 years, we’ll be starting the season by bringing back a classic production that’s often asked about by our patrons, This Wonderful Life starring John Lepard. It’s a perfect holiday show to bring family, friends and colleagues to. And of course we’ve implemented lots of Covid protocols, including extra deep cleaning with all new equipment, wall mounted hand sanitizers, high efficiency air purifiers around the building, and new Ion Wave filtering technology on all of our HVAC systems, and more!

I’m also very excited to say that we have announced our Auditions for the season, AND we are accepting applications for our Apprentice Program. INFORMATION ON BOTH OF THESE CAN BE FOUND RIGHT HERE AT THIS LINK!

Can’t wait to see everyone at the theatre. Here’s the lineup for our 15th season:


Williamston Theatre 2021-2022 Season

This Wonderful Life

By Steve Murray
Directed by Tony Caselli
November 18 – December 19, 2021

To celebrate our milestone 15th Season, we’re bringing back a fan favorite from our early days!  John Lepard reopens the Williamston Theatre stage by reprising his award-winning role as George Bailey, Mr. Potter, and the entire population of Bedford Falls in this theatrical re-telling of the classic holiday film It’s A Wonderful Life. Superbly adapted from the most irresistible and entertaining “what if” story of all time, this beautiful, heartwarming tale reminds us of the power of perspective, friendship and faith. A holiday experience for the whole family.

9 Parts of Desire

By Heather Raffo
Co-Directed by Ed Nahhat & Sarab Kamoo
January 27 – February 27, 2022

Featuring Sarab Kamoo in a one-woman, tour-de-force performance, this play details the lives of nine Iraqi women that span the decades between the first and second Gulf Wars and occupation. It is a stunning portrait of the extraordinary (and ordinary) lives of a whole cross-section of Iraqi women: a sexy painter, a radical Communist, doctors, exiles, wives and lovers. This riveting work delves into the many conflicting aspects of what it means to be a woman in a country overshadowed by war. 

The Cake

By Bekka Brunstetter
Directed by Jasmine Rivera
March 24 through April 24, 2022

All is going well for Della. Her North Carolina bakery is legendary and she’s just been cast on her favorite television baking competition. But then, her late-best-friend’s daughter comes home from New York City to ask her to make a cake for her upcoming wedding. When Della learns that Jen’s about to marry a woman, she is forced to re-examine her deeply held beliefs, as questions of morals, judgment and family swirl around them all. An emotional and deliciously funny play.

Tracy Jones

By Stephen Kaplan
Directed by Tony Caselli
May 19 – June 19, 2022

Tracy Jones finds herself alone, and lonely, in life. In a last-ditch effort to find any kind of connection, even a forced one, she throws a desperate party to which she’s invited every woman in the world who is also named Tracy Jones. Her uproariously disastrous encounters with the few guests that attend expose a vision of the isolation we experience in our increasingly busy world.  Tracy Jones is a funny, touching story that explores the power of human connection. World Premiere. 

The Hat Box

By Eric Coble
Directed by John Lepard
July 14 – August 14, 2022

Two sisters discover a hat box hidden in the back of their recently deceased father’s closet. What sits inside sends them off to visit eccentric Aunt Esther and on an increasingly wild ride down memory lane. With surprising twists and hilarious turns, Cleveland playwright Eric Coble’s brand new comedy of family lore revels in the bizarre and beautiful mysteries that make up a life. World Premiere.


Slowly Waking Up

That’s the way things feel right now – after the kidney transplant, I’ve gotten a lot more energy back, my numbers are all looking great, and so I’m starting to do more and more regular life stuff. We’re also starting the progress of waking up the Williamston Theatre, after a long 16 months of dusty, quiet emptiness. Starting in August we’re bringing back the staff, and starting the process of re-opening the building and prepping for a late Autumn return to performances. AND this month the current phase of our renovations will wrap-up, which is going to be great. I can’t wait for audiences to return to the space.

We’re also working on a couple of staged readings! Very excited for these, they’ll be outdoors on the Summer Circle stage at Michigan State University. We’re always thrilled to collaborate with the MSU Department of Theatre, and grateful for the use of their beautiful outdoor space for these readings. It feels great doing things like sending out scripts and working out rehearsals again! For more info on those readings, CLICK HERE, and then join us on August 6th and 7th! Two terrific plays: A super charming, brand new piece by the award winning playwright Jason Odell Williams called On The Market, and a fabulous bitingly funny satire by indigenous playwright and MacArthur fellow Larissa Fasthorse called The Thanksgiving Play.

I’m really hoping that the Delta variant of Covid, and now the new Lambda variant I just read about, don’t take off and sweep through the country. Our reopening plans depend on numbers getting better, not worse, and the whole theatre industry is making plans and watching with wary eyes. Take care of yourselves, folks, and get your vaccine!

In other news, has anyone been watching the Detroit Tigers since the All-Star break?! I mean, this team is probably going to finish middle of the pack at the end of the season, but that’s okay – it’s a big improvement over the last couple years, and their future is looking bright. As I write this though, they’re on a 6 game winning streak and leading 7-5 in the 8th inning, so it could be a 7 game streak soon!

I’ve spent a bunch of my recuperation weeks reading – anyone else a fan of N.K. Jemisin? Over the last few years I’ve become a huge admirer of her writing, and I’m nearly through her fabulous sci-fi/fantasy series The Inheritance Trilogy. You can check out all her writings here. I’ve also spent a bunch of time reading a lot of plays, in particular looking at a lot of plays by BIPOC writers. In fact we’re excited at Williamston Theatre about a gorgeous play we’ll be producing in collaboration with a couple other theatres around the country in an upcoming season that I can’t talk about yet, but it’s going to be a very cool project, and I’m thrilled to start this relationship with this fabulous playwright.

That’s it for the Thursday update. So grateful to be getting back to work, getting my energy back, and hoping for things to open up safely a little more. Aaaaaand the Tigers just beat the Rangers 7-5, so that’s a nice 7-game winning streak!

Take care of yourselves y’all!

There’s a lot to love about my job…

One of the many things I love about being Artistic Director of a Regional Theatre is the job of putting together teams of people and letting them create things.  Our latest production is a great example of why I enjoy this so much.  The Woman In Black  is a gorgeous, spooky, atmospheric thriller that benefits from the contributions of everyone in the entire production company.

I’m thrilled to say that audiences and critics are both enjoying it!  Here are a few quotes from the reviews:

“A haunting ghost story… this season opener is strong melodrama with a great cast in a polished production.” – Encore Michigan

“Williamston knocks ‘em dead again with the exceptional quality of the production.” – Lansing City Pulse

“Williamston Theatre’s Woman in Black is a lesson in how to tell a ghost story.” – Greater Lansing Ubiquitous Theatre

“All elements combine, “The Woman in Black” is a Halloween treat, a gothic ghost story told by a fine team of artists who know just how to make spooky work on stage.” – Lansing State Journal

Congrats and Thanks to everyone who worked on the show!

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