Pit & Balcony Community Theatre Marks 95th Landmark Season with Resiliency & Focus

As Pit & Balcony gears up to present the first September production in their 95^th season of top-notch community theatre to the Great Lakes Bay region, the trauma of real life tragedy is converging with artistic integrity and the compassion of community resolve as the organization is busily rising like a Phoenix from the ashes in the wake of a catastrophic fire that literally destroyed the adjacent structure containing decades worth of costumes, props, and historic memorabilia of this treasured community resource.

Ever since this resilient arts organization was first formed back in 1932 by the American Association of University Women it has survived depressions, wars, another fire back in 1948, along with a pandemic, so for managing director Amy Spadafore this latest tragedy has obviously realigned the organization’s focus and reframed its purpose upon the qualities of endurance that have contributed to both its longevity and success for nearly a century.

“The biggest thing this tragedy has brought to light for me is that Pit & Balcony is more than the buildings we perform in or the costumes that we wear,” she reflects.

“Pit & Balcony is about the stories, the memories, the creativity, and the people coming together to build something truly out of nothing. We received close to $10,000 in donations over a three-day period and community response to this loss has been incredible – not just in the Saginaw community, but the whole Great Lakes Bay regional theatre community. People are giving anywhere from five dollars to five hundred dollars, and we’ve even gotten donations from New Jersey and Iowa.  Unfortunately, there are other community theaters in the state who have gone through this exact same thing or something similar that are calling me with advice, so there is no lack of support, which is extremely gratifying.”

In addition to losing 90% of their costumes, props, wigs, and sewing machines, and with no place to currently house donated costumes, the money raised from this fundraising campaign is being used to get a good baseline costume stock and new machines, along with all the stuff it takes to costume shows throughout their upcoming season. “Luckily, most of this year’s plays are set in the modern day, so a lot of the costuming we’ll be able to find at thrift stores, plus the actors will be able to wear some of their own clothes,” she continues.

Having served as Director for ten of the organization’s 95 years now, how has Amy seen Pit & Balcony evolve over the decade that she has served at the helm?  “95 years is a long time and the people, the plays, the times – they’re always changing, and you’ve got to stretch with them,” she reflects.  “Longevity takes growth and growth takes flexibility. It’s all about community and serving all segments of that community. No one makes it through this world solo – not even a theatre with an overdeveloped sense of drama; and the relationships you nurture are the ones that carry you through the plot twists.”

“Just going through the archives and history and talking to people who have been here much longer than I have, I think any organization that has been around as long as Pit & Balcony will go through different phases of growth but will also have a tendency to get comfortable with their formats until somebody realizes they need to break open a little bit. You can get caught in a groove and then people graduate from college, get married, have kids, and suddenly you’ve got a whole new crop of people involved and realize the audience has changed and the plays you produce have changed. One of my goals over the past ten years has been to be more community focused, and that is something that is still happening rather organically, which makes me proud.”

“I have always been a firm believer in the notion that everyone who likes theater loves to see a spectacle,” concludes Amy. “Big costumes, lots of lights, great sound; but the theatre is a basically a story and it can happen anywhere. You can do a play wearing anything or wearing nothing, so despite this loss of our costume department, we’re moving forward. Not as if nothing happened, but the show must go on and its Season 95 and we plan to celebrate.”

Without further ado, here’s the line-up for Season #95:

 The Girl on the Train • September 11-13 & 18-20

Based on the bestselling novel by Paula Hawkins and DreamWorks film, Pit & Balcony’s season opener is quite fittingly a mystery thriller centering upon Rachel Watson – a woman who longs for a different life and who’s only escape is the perfect couple she watches through a train window every day, who appear happily in love.  When Rachel learns that the woman she has been secretly watching has suddenly disappeared, she finds herself as a witness and even a suspect in this thrilling mystery where the revelations she faces become bigger than anything she could have anticipated.

“This was an award-winning book and then a film which was turned into a play, which is a different kind of evolution; but mainly it’s a story about memory, addiction, and envy; plus, it’s a thriller that centers around the disappearance of a women, which is told out of chronological order through memories, which is why we thought this would be a good one to kick off the season with,” notes Amy.

CLUE • The Musical • November 6-8 & 13-15

This internationally popular and well-known game is transformed into a fun-filled musical that brings the world’s best-known suspects to life and invites the audience to help solve the mystery of who killed Mr. Boddy, in what room, and with what weapon.  An interactive exercise, the audience receives forms to help them deduce the solution from clues given throughout the production; and three audience members will choose from cards representing the potential murderers, weapons, and rooms – with 216 possible solutions!  Filled with comic antics, witty lyrics, and a beguiling score, this colorful crowd pleaser was devised by the authors of Murder at Rutherford House.

“There’s two different CLUE theatrical productions,” explains Amy. “There’s the play that happens to be touring nationally right now, and then there’s the Musical, which is the one we are producing. Plus, it is very interactive and the script is cleverly written and reflects what the actors have to know what to say based upon what weapon was used and what room was involved, along with who was murdered. This production is more like the game itself because the audience has an opportunity to choose the ending.”

Native Gardens • January 15-17 & 22-24, 2027

This play centers upon Pablo – a high-powered lawyer and his very pregnant wife Tonia – a doctoral candidate – who are realizing the American Dream when they purchase a house next door to community stalwarts, Virginia & Frank.  However, a disagreement over a long-standing fence line soon spirals into an all-out war of taste, class, privilege, and entitlement, with hilarious results that guarantee no one comes out smelling like a rose.

“Native Gardens is a very funny comedy that centers around a property dispute but also focuses on race, class, and generational differences,” reflects Amy. “It will also feature a number of Latino Hispanic actors, which is something we have not had a lot of on our stage lately, so I’m looking forward to tapping into that community. It will also be directed by a first-time director and we’re always excited to see that.”

RUMORS • by Neil Simon • March 12-13 & 19-21, 2027

Neil Simon’s play RUMORS takes place in a large, tastefully appointed Sneden’s Landing townhouse where the Deputy Mayor of New York has just shot himself.  Though only a flesh wound, the injury sets off a series of events causing four couples to experience a severe attack of farce, full of confusions, miscommunications, and an evening that spins off into classic farcical hilarity.

“This is one of Neil Simon’s classic plays and once again, we have a death that the audience is trying to figure out who the perpetrator is, with all this witty dialogue coming out of a high-class New York party,” notes Amy. “Neil Simon is a legendary Broadway playwright and favorite of community theatres across America because a majority of his plays are solid and still hold up.”

LIZZIE • The Rock Musical • May 6-8 & 14-16, 2027

In the heat of late summer, 1892, Andrew Borden and his wife are found murdered in their house. The main suspect is Andrew’s youngest daughter from a previous marriage, Lizzie Borden. Using a searing rock score and based upon the historical record, LIZZIE explores the heady and heated days leading up to the murder and Lizzie’s controversial acquittal of all charges and the creation of a new American myth.

“Lizzie is a 4-woman rock musical based on the Lizzie Borden story that is told in a format similar to the musical SIX,” states Amy. “This band tells the story through their songs, and the women play various characters as they go through Lizzie’s life, relating how she was abused by her parents until she broke and dealt with them, which creates quite an ending.”

AFTER DARK PRODUCTIONS •

Looking at Christmas • December 11 & 12

On Christmas Eve in New York City an aspiring writer and a struggling actress meet while looking at famous holiday windows, as the characters in the displays come to life and look back at them – including a lecherous elf with eyes for Mrs. Claus, Scrooge and Tiny Time arguing about being portrayed as zombies, a street-wise Little Match Girl, and Jim from ‘The Gift of the Magi’ all converge in this smart, sweet, and slightly twisted holiday romantic comedy.

“We’re continuing our new recent tradition of staging a Holiday and Mid-Season After Dark Production, only this one is tamer than some of our recent productions,” notes Amy. “It does have a little bit of blue humor such as an elf who’s lusting after Mrs. Claus, but it’s filled with Christmas magic and is more of a romantic comedy.”

Stop & Kiss • June 24-26, 2027

This heartfelt story centers upon two women who unexpectedly fall in love, with their first kiss provoking a violent attack that transforms their lives in a way they could never anticipate. An angry bystander attacks one of the women in a violent hate-crime after which she falls into a coma, as we watch the story play out in chronological order as the relationship builds before and after this horrific act.

“This is a beautiful story about two women who on the night of their first kiss are assaulted, and the story starts there, so I’m not spoiling anything. This one is also told out of chronological order, so the audience gets to see their relationship as it grows and then after the assault.”

“We have quite a broad conflux of elements happening in each of these plays for this season, but that’s because we’ve got a lot of people to please in the audience, and I feel confident they will not be disappointed.”

Season 95 tickets are now on sale at Pit&BalconyTheatre.com as well as the Box Office by phoning 989.754.6587.