Join the newly renamed Mountain Theatre Company at The Highlands Playhouse
Theater or Theatre?
Simply put, theater is a venue you visit to enjoy entertainment. The theatre is the performance-driven art form. Highlands Community Theatre Inc., the resident theatre company at The Highlands Playhouse, has gone through many phases in its 83-year history.
Founded as the Highlands Little Theatre in the late 1930’s, renamed Highlands Community Theatre in 1949, and later incorporated, receiving 501(c)(3) status, as Highlands Community Theatre Inc., in 1972.
As the organization grew over the next several decades, so did the number of shows produced, along with the number of talented actors, designers and technicians needed for each season. In the early 1980’s, Highlands Community Theatre Inc. started hiring professional actors and technicians to share their talents on the plateau.
No longer a community theatre, the identity of the organization became that of the building it has occupied for nearly a century, The Highlands Playhouse.
“At The Highlands Playhouse, we are proud of our legacy and are excited to have emerged from an unfortunate COVID hibernation to provide an escape for our mountain community,” said Clif Gottwals, Treasurer, Mountain Theatre Company at The Highlands Playhouse. “The Playhouse has been a fixture of our community for almost a century – first used as a school auditorium and then as a venue for performing arts for over 80 years. After 18 months of closure, we are thrilled to have not only re-opened, but also reimagined the possibilities for our future. 2022 is an exciting year for us – as we celebrate not only what we do but where we do it. Mountain Theatre Company is the new name we will be using for our expanded year-round programming…bringing live theatre and cinematic entertainment to our community. The Highlands Playhouse is our home, but the Mountain Theatre Company is who we are. Welcome Home!”
Along with a new name for the resident organization, Mountain Theatre Company (MTC) at The Highlands Playhouse announces their 2022 season.
The four Mainstage productions are Jersey Boys, Sentimental Journey, Brooklyn: The Musical, and a new annual tradition; Home for The Holidays.
In addition to these Mainstage productions, audiences will be able to enjoy first run Feature Films, the wildly popular Curated Cinema Series, and the inaugural presentation of Corked! A Musical Wine Tasting playing in tandem with the Highlands Food & Wine Festival.
MTC also introduces new ticket bundles for their 84th season. Patrons can now purchase Ticket Bundles to use as they choose for both the Mainstage productions and Feature Films.
Sponsors and Ticket Bundle holders receive early access to Mainstage tickets and seating reservations on March 15, with tickets available to the public on March 30.
“The mountains are where we gather to escape and embrace the wonders of nature. The theatre is where we escape and embrace the gifts and stories shared by passionate artists,” Scott Daniel, Mountain Theatre Company Executive Artistic Director. “This spectacular selection of shows celebrates the gifts we have to give, the journey we take to share them, and the hands that guide us along the way. I hope that you will join us on that journey and support the exciting future of live theatre and entertainment in our community.”
The Highlands Playhouse 2022 schedule:
Jersey Boys
July 1 – July 24, 2022
Book by Marshall Brickman & Rick Elice
Music by Bob Gaudio, Lyrics by Bob Crewe
The story of Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons. They were just four guys from Jersey, until they sang their very first note. They had a sound nobody had ever heard… and the radio just couldn’t get enough of. But while their harmonies were perfect on stage, off stage it was a very different story — a story that has made them an international sensation all over again.
Go behind the music and inside the story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons in the Tony Award-winning true-life musical phenomenon, Jersey Boys. From the streets of New Jersey to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, this is the musical that’s just too good to be true. Featuring the Legendary Top Ten Hits:
“Sherry”, “Big Girls Don’t Cry”, “Walk Like a Man”, “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You”, and “December 1963 (Oh What a Night)”.
Sentimental Journey
August 12 – September 4, 2022
Written and Directed by Scott Daniel
This unique and nostalgic production pays tribute to the legendary USO shows of World War II. Filled with classic 1940’s songs, soldiers, starlets, and sensational swing dancing; this toe-tapping, finger snapping, high-stepping musical revue is one that you don’t want to miss.
Take a Sentimental Journey with The Byrd Sisters and celebrate a time when all of America was listening and dancing to the same kind of music. Featuring over 40 classic hits of the 1940’s: “Sentimental Journey”, “Don’t Sit Under the Apple Tree”, “Almost Like Being in Love”, “Your Feet’s Too Big”, “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes”, “It Had to be You”, “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy” and more.
Brooklyn: The Musical
September 28 – October 16, 2022
Book, Music, and Lyrics by Mark Schoenfeld and Barri McPherson
A fast-paced fairy tale, set on a street corner in Brooklyn, that tells a tapestry of stories as rich and inspiring as the borough that inspired it. A show within a show; a troupe of street performers share a story from their lives; then there is the story they tell – the story of a young girl using her gifts and voice to find the father she never knew.
Together these stories create a show that is both touching and inspiring, and full of unforgettable songs bubbling with the energy of a Brooklyn street. Featuring the crossover hits: “Once Upon a Time”, “Raven”, “Superlover”, and”The Heart Behind These Hands”.
Home for the Holidays
December 16 – December 31, 2022
Written and Directed by Scott Daniel
Celebrate the season as we make magic in the mountains this holiday. Sing along to your favorite holiday hits while being dazzled by high energy choreography, beautiful costumes, a triple threat cast and incredible live musicians.
This show is sure to be a smash! Make “Home for The Holidays” your holiday tradition. Featuring classics like: “I’ll Be Home for Christmas”, “Go Tell It on The Mountain”, “Grandma Got Run Over by A Reindeer”, “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town”, “O Holy Night”, to name just a few.
Mountain Theatre Company at The Highlands Playhouse will present Feature Films and Curated Cinema starting March 18 with showings Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. Details regarding the special event production of Corked! A Musical Wine Tasting will be released this summer, with tickets going on sale Aug. 1.
Mountain Theatre Company is located at the historic Highlands Playhouse 362 Oak St. in Highlands, NC.
You can learn more, become a Sponsor, purchase tickets, and sign up for updates HERE.
Article and image courtesy of Mountain Theatre Company