2023-2024 Season
SEPTEMBER 8-17, 2023
Mesa Encore Theatre presents
THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE
An eclectic group of sixth-graders arrives at the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, each eager to win for very different reasons. Sweet and shy Olive brings only her best friend (the dictionary) with her to the bee; bold and hyperallergic speller William Barfee uses his “magic foot” to propel him to greatness; former champion Chip is struggling with his burgeoning puberty; easily distracted Leaf is unconvinced that he’s smart enough to be a challenger; overachiever Marcy is disappointed by her consistent success; and politically aware Logainne Schwartzandgrubenierre only wants to impress her gay dads. In hilarious, touching, and catchy songs, each speller reveals his/her hopes, struggles, and passions as they make their way through the competition. With an engaging, tuneful score by William Finn and a sweet, funny book by Rachel Sheinkin, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee causes audiences to fall in love, both with the show itself and its “perspicacious,” “jocular,” and “effervescent” spellers.
Credit: Stage Agent
MARCH 1-17, 2024
Mesa Encore Theatre presents
THE LIGHTNING THIEF
Percy Jackson is a teenage boy who always seems to get into trouble, no matter how hard he tries to be good. When he is expelled from school for the sixth time, his mother decides that it is time for Percy to know the truth. The Greek gods are real and, what’s more, Percy is a demigod, the son of Poseidon. Along with fellow demigod Annabeth (the daughter of Athena) and best friend and protector Grover (who happens to be a Satyr), Percy must go on an epic quest to retrieve Zeus’ stolen lightning bolt and prevent war amongst the gods. The quest turns into an epic adventure, with the Furies, Medusa, and Ares (the god of war) among those wanting to stop Percy in his tracks. With time running out, Percy soon discovers that nothing is normal when you’re a demigod.
Credit: Stage Agent
NOVEMBER 3-19, 2023
Mesa Encore Theatre presents
LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS
Little Shop of Horrors is a delectable sci-fi horror musical with an electrifying 1960s pop/rock score by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman.
Seymour Krelborn is a meek and dejected assistant at a floral shop who happens upon a strange plant, which he affectionately names “Audrey II” after his crush at the shop. Little does he know that this strange and unusual plant will develop a soulful R&B voice, a potty mouth, and an unquenchable thirst for HUMAN BLOOD.
As Audrey II grows bigger and meaner, the carnivorous plant promises limitless fame and fortune to Seymour, as long as he continues providing a fresh supply of blood. Just when it’s too late, Seymour discovers Audrey II’s extra-terrestrial origins and his true drive for world-domination.
Credit: Stage Agent
APRIL 5-21, 2024
Mesa Encore Theatre presents
PETER AND THE STARCATCHER
Peter and the Starcatcher is a prequel to Peter Pan based on the children’s book by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson and freely adapted for the stage by Rick Elice, with co-directors Alex Timbers and Roger Rees. For two-and-a-half hours, twelve actors make theatrical magic by playing dozens of characters: sailors, pirates, British naval officers, Mollusk natives and orphans in addition to eighteen major roles. The original Broadway production was a deliberately low-budget spectacle: an extravaganza of staging that relied on suggestion and storytelling rather than expensive set pieces like the chandelier in Phantom of the Opera or the helicopter in Miss Saigon. Elice’s script, jam-packed with poetry, fart jokes, gentle lyricism, and numerous nods to pop culture, is a coming-of-age adventure story about how a nameless orphan -- inspired by a remarkable and ambitious girl -- became the strange and celebrated hero that is the Boy Who Would Not Grow Up.
Credit: Stage Agent
JANUARY 12-28, 2024
Mesa Encore Theatre presents
ALWAYS PLENTY OF LIGHT AT THE STARLIGHT ALL-NIGHT DINER By Darcy Parker Bruce
A SUPER queer time travel adventure. With dinosaurs. A cross between Jurassic Park, Back to the Future, and Fried Green Tomatoes. In this charming love story, the stakes are more than life and death; they’re life or extinction.
Credit: Broadway Play Publishing Inc.
MAY 17-JUNE 2, 2024
Mesa Encore Theatre presents
HEATHERS THE MUSICAL
Based on the cult classic film of the same name, Heathers is the story of Veronica Sawyer, a senior at the fictional Westerberg High. Veronica longs to be cool like the clique of it-girls that runs Westerberg: the unaffected, unattainable Heathers. Unfortunately, in addition to awesome levels of popularity, the Heathers are also cruel, choosing to mock and bully their kingdom into submission. When Veronica uses her skills as a forger to get the Heathers out of detention, she impresses their leader Heather Chandler— so much so that they agree to let her into their exclusive club. At first Veronica is thrilled—until she finds out that being one of the Heathers means bullying the same kids she used to call friends. Meanwhile, Veronica finds herself attracted to a mysterious newcomer at school named Jason Dean (JD). When an innocent drink mixup results in the accidental poisoning of Heather Chandler, JD convinces Veronica to stage Heather’s suicide. The results are so successful that Veronica and JD, exhilarated with their newfound power, resolve to rid Westerberg of the cruelly popular elite forever. With raw, edgy, and culturally relevant numbers like “Beautiful,” “Candy Store,” and “Yo Girl,” Heathers is fast becoming a fan favorite among community theaters and high schoolers everywhere.
Credit: Stage Agent