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Hilltowns Players's first production was Li'l Abner, with music by Gene De Paul and lyrics by Johnny Mercer, the hilarious
musical based on Al Capp's comic strip about the town of Dogpatch, USA. This production took place on the BKW high school stage, and we have produced a show there nearly every autumn
since. Full stage productions since then include The McMWilliams and the Lightning, The McWilliams and Membranous Croup, The Diaries of Adam and Eve, Guys and Dolls, Salute to the hilltowns- Annual
Community Talent Show, Here’s Love, Cinderella Wore Combat Boots, I Remember Mama, Green Bananas, Anything Goes, The Window’s Mite, The Family Man, Peter Pan, Annie Get Your Gun, Fools, Brigadoon, The
Miracle Worker, South Pacific, Steel Magnolias, Fiddler on the Roof, Foxfire, Night Watch, Carousel, and My Fair Lady. In 2001, the group presented a 20th Season Extravaganza, with songs and vignettes from
previous productions, featuring as many of the original performers as possible. Most recently, in November 2005 Hilltowns Players was proud to present Beulah-by-the-Sea, an original production
with the script, lyrics, and music by Penny Shaw. The show was dedicated to family members and friends touched by cancer, in honor of their lives and their brave fight. Half of the profits
from the show were given to local families facing cancer.
In what would become one of our most successful moves, Hilltowns Players soon took to the road, and presented comedies and murder
mysteries in local restaurants, churches, and community halls. Combined with dinner or dessert, these popular shows extend our geographic range. They are also a lot of fun! The venues are
typically smaller, sometimes bringing the actors nearly face-to-face with the audience. Differences in configuration also occasionally require unexpected changes in the set. While it can be
demanding, the cast and crew enjoy the challenge and camaraderie of setting up and rehearsing in a different space for each performance--and are often able to present more performances than is
possible with the autumn show. Hilltowns Players' first dinner theater, Mr. Flannery's Ocean, starred Amanda Ronconi, who is now a professional actress. Other dinner theater performances
include Stuffings, Three on a Beach, Drive In, Almost the Bride of Dracula, The Omelet Murder Case. Just Desserts, Another Sunrise, Rise and Shine, Final Dress Rehearsal, Me Too Then, Love Sex and the IRS, Death by
Chocolate, Murders of Miriam, You Can’t Take It With You, The Miser, Beau Jest, Act of Murder, and Who Dunit?
Our popular talent showcases are held annually as an admission free show providing HTP an opportunity to give back to the community who
so faithfully supports us. The student talent show, held in the fall provides a venue for students up through middle-school age to showcase their many talents. The adult talent show held during the winter,
provides a welcome break from cabin fever and teats the audience to a wide range of adult and high school-age student talent. W e are continually amazed the number of talented people and the wide variety of
talent in the Hilltowns!
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