Racine & Me: Racine Theatre Guild Season Preview

 

RACINE, WI (CBS 58) -- Joycelyn Fish from the Racine Theater Guild joined us to preview the many shows coming up. 

Since 1933, the Racine Children’s Theatre (RCT) has been introducing generations of kids to the magic of live theatre, affectionately known as “Packy Plays.” Prior to the performance weekend, children receive a newsletter, the “Packy Paper,” from Packy, the RCT’s popular elephant mascot, containing fun and educational information about the show and activities like word searches, coloring pages, and other games. At the show, Packy welcomes the audience and introduces the performance. The plays are filled with action, humor, audience participation, imaginative story-lines, and catchy tunes to keep kids interested and involved. When the play ends, the actors greet fans, sign autographs, and pose for photos in the lobby. Seating is not reserved so you can always sit with family and friends. Plays are generally one hour in length and recommended for children 4 and up.

A Year with Frog and Toad October 6 – 8, 2023 Two unlikely, but great friends – the cheerful Frog and the rather grumpy Toad – spend a year planting gardens, swimming, raking leaves, sledding, and learning life lessons along the way. Together, they celebrate and rejoice in the differences that make them unique and special. Part vaudeville, part make believe, all charm, the jazzy, playful musical tells the story of a friendship that endures throughout the seasons. Roald Dahl’s Matilda, Jr. November 17 – 19, 2023 Matilda has astonishing wit, intelligence… and special power! She dreams of a better life and escapes from reality at home through stories. Her teacher, Miss Honey, sees Matilda’s gifts but the evil headmistress, Miss Trunchbull, hates children and forces them all to follow her strict rules. Through Matilda’s bravery of standing up to Trunchbull, the other students join the rebellion that inspires audiences to root for the “revolting children” who are out to teach the grown-ups a lesson.

Alice in Wonderland February 2 – 4, 2024 Join Alice’s madcap adventures in Wonderland! As she enters the whimsical world through a rabbit-hole, she realizes right away how much she wants to return home. On her journey back, she chases the White Rabbit, races the Dodo Birds, gets tied up with the Tweedles, encounters a larger than-life Caterpillar, becomes friends with the Cheshire Cat, and beats the Queen of Hearts at her own game. Roald Dahl’s James and the Giant Peach March 15 – 17, 2024 When James is sent by his conniving aunts to chop down their old fruit tree, he discovers a magic potion that results in a tremendous peach. Suddenly, James finds himself on a expedition in the center of the gigantic peach – among human-sized insects with equally oversized personalities – but, after it falls from the tree and rolls into the ocean, the group faces hunger, sharks, and plenty of disagreements. Thanks to James’ quick wit and creative thinking, the residents learn to live and work together as a family. Comedy Tonight The Comedy Tonight series brings professional comedians to local audiences for fun-filled nights that will tickle your funny bone. From sketch performances, to improv, to stand-up, you’ll laugh the night away with these great acts. Season tickets available now. Individual tickets on sale Monday, August 28. The Rob Haze of Comedy (ft. Skyler Higley) Saturday, October 7, 2023 Rob Haze is a comedian from Atlanta, Georgia. He is a writer/performer on Sherman’s Showcase on IFC. He was on the Sneaker Sketch show “Sneak This” on B/R Kicks. Rob was on the 9th season of Last Comic Standing and has a stand-up album called Haze-o-pedia. Rob’s stand-up has been featured on The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon, The Late Late Show, Comedy Central, and Viceland. What began as making funny poems at college poetry nights, Rob started performing stand-up while studying Political Science in college and prides himself on bringing people together rather than tearing them apart. Rob has a podcast called The Inconsistent Podcast with Rob Haze available everywhere. Skyler Higley’s razor-sharp writing has been honed at ClickHole and the New Yorker, as well as staff writing at The Onion and CONAN. He was named one of New York Comedy Festival’s “Comics To Watch” in 2019, bringing a comedic style described by his former boss Conan O’Brien as “delightfully bizarre and undeniably hilarious.” The Vagina Monologues Saturday, November 18, 2024 A hilarious, eye-opening tour into the last frontier, the forbidden zone at the heart of every woman. The Vagina Monologues is a groundbreaking piece that gives voice to a chorus of lusty, outrageous, poignant, and thoroughly human stories, transforming the question mark hovering over the anatomy into a permanent victory sign. Witty and irreverent, compassionate and wise, audiences are transported to a world they’ve never dared to know. Some adult content may not be suitable for younger patrons. The Golden Girls Special Saturday, February 3, 2024 Escape the dreary February winter by making your way to Miami and settle into Shady Pines Retirement Home with Dorothy, Blanche, Rose and Sophia. The sassy, senior Golden Girls serve up one-liners, musical moments, St. Olaf stories, and slices of cheesecake during a side-splitting drag parody adventure! Relive the heartfelt hilarity of four ladies who never stopped being your friends with an all-new original show from Purse Strings Production, written by Anthony Torti and featuring Dear Ruthie as Dorothy, Dita Von as Blanche, Brandon Herr as Rose, and Marcee Doherty-Elst as Sophia. Some adult content may not be suitable for younger patrons. Bible Bingo: An Act of Charity…in Two Acts Saturday, March 16, 2024 Welcome to Bible Bingo, a comedy about fundraising and bingo, where the parish needs money and the Archdiocese has a new bingo fundraising department! Bring the two together and you have a crazy night of bible trivia, audience interaction, improvised moments, and the funniest quiz about the Holy Family you’ve ever seen. Add to that a box of wacky prizes, fun bingo cards, and a lot of Catholic humor for a side-splitting night of entertainment. From the creator of Late Night Catechism, it an interactive bingo show where you’ll actually play bingo. So much fun, you’ll have to confess it! You’ll be laughing so hard, you’ll have to be careful watching your bingo cards. Signature Spotlight Concert Series The Signature Spotlight Concert Series are musical revue concerts featuring current volunteers, professional musicians and singers, and band and choral groups from the Racine area. With a variety of themes and song styles, each performance appeals to a wide variety of audience members. Spooktacular Saturday, October 21, 2023 When two unwitting Spotlight hosts enter a haunted house on the RTG stage, they unleash a torrent of spooktacular songs! For the first time in our series, a wild blend of pop, rock, Broadway, jazz, and more will hit our stage with top charting hits and unknown gems that celebrate the spookiest time of year. But never fear! Those in the audience are safe to enjoy a heaping dose of Halloween fun that is suitable for everyone. A Very Merry Guild Christmas Saturday, December 23, 2023 When sleigh bells jingle and merriment fills the air, you know there’s no place like the RTG for the holidays. Our annual Christmas concert is back to fill your stocking full of holiday songs once again. With timeless tunes to modern twists on old favorites, this concert is sure to grow the heart of the nastiest Grinch and take the “bah-humbug” out of every Ebenezer Scrooge. Don’t miss out on the merriest of RTG traditions! Broadway Blockbusters Saturday, February 10, 2024 The lights of NYC will shine bright on the RTG stage as we celebrate Broadway’s biggest blockbusters! Celebrate the soaring ballads, show stopping numbers, and unforgettable melodies that have made generations fall in love with theatre. Featuring songs from Oklahoma!, Ragtime, Anastasia, Hello, Dolly!, Hair, and more, our final concert of the season will celebrate the landmark ensemble and group songs that have electrified New York City for over a century!