Little Theatre announces 2025-26 season

Seven productions including three musicals, two mysteries and two comedies; a variety show; and a children’s workshop will fill the 2025-26 season for the Little Theatre of Tuscarawas County.

"Next season is full of nostalgic titles that many of our audience members will remember from years past," said Little Theatre Board Secretary, Kait Gallagher-Wilsterman. "I know we say this frequently, but there is truly something for everyone this year, from beloved family musicals like 'Annie' to great adult date night shows like 'The Woman in Black' and 'Love/Sick.' We can't wait to welcome the community back for our 74th season.

"The season will open with the world’s longest-running play, Agatha Christie’s “The Mousetrap,” directed by Don Irven. After a local woman is murdered, the guests and staff of Monkswell Manor find themselves stranded during a snowstorm. It soon becomes clear the killer is among them. When a second murder takes place, fears escalate, leading to a surprise finish.Productions will run Fridays through Sundays, Oct. 3-19, with auditions Sunday and Monday, Aug. 10 and 11.

This year’s holiday show is the musical “Annie,” brought to the stage by Charles Strouse, Ly Martin Charman and Thomas Meehan and directed by David Lee. Productions will run Friday, Dec. 5 through Sunday, Dec. 14, with auditions Sunday and Monday, Oct. 5 and 6.

Jared Sparks will direct Susan Hill’s “The Woman in Black,” the Winter Black Box show. A lawyer attending the funeral of an elderly recluse sees a woman in black, the mere mention of whom terrifies the locals. She is a specter who haunts the area where her illegitimate child was accidentally killed. Anyone who sees her dies.“The Woman in Black” will run Thursdays through Sundays, Jan. 8-18, 2026. Auditions will be held Sunday and Monday, Nov. 2 and 3.

The musical comedy “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas” by Larry L. King, Peter Masterson and Carol Hall will be directed by Bart Herman. The show will run Fridays through Sundays, Feb. 27 through March 15. It tells the story of the demise of the Chicken Ranch, a Texas pleasure palace known since the 1850s for its influential clientele. Auditions will be held Sunday and Monday, Dec. 7 and 8.Spring brings the classic Neil Simon comedy “The Odd Couple” (the male version), directed by Kathy Bergstrom. Oscar Madison and Felix Ungar — one a slob, the other fastidious and depressed — struggle to coexist as roommates.

Performances will run Fridays through Sundays, April 24 through May 10, with auditions Sunday and Monday, March 1 and 2.

Joe Compton will direct the summer musical “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” based on the novel by Roald Dahl. The production features a score and lyrics by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman. The story follows young Charlie Bucket as he explores Willy Wonka’s fantastical world of chocolate waterfalls, nutty squirrels and the great glass elevator, all revealed by the Oompa-Loompas.

The show will run Fridays through Sundays, June 26 through July 12, with no performance on July 4. To make up for the holiday, both a matinee and evening show will be presented Saturday, July 11. Auditions will be held Sunday and Monday, April 26 and 27.

The variety show will be presented Saturday, March 28, and the children’s workshop will run Monday, July 20 through Sunday, Aug. 2.

The season will close with “Love/Sick,” directed by Lisa Sommers. Written by Deirdre Duncan, the Summer Black Box show is a collection of nine slightly twisted short plays featuring imperfect lovers and dreamers.

“Love/Sick” will run Thursday through Sunday, Aug. 20-23. Auditions will be held Sunday and Monday, June 28 and 29.