Rivertowne Players Board Unveils 2020 Season

Alice Jr. Actors
Young actors from Disney’s “Alice Jr.” reunite at Rivertowne Players Annual Night of Appreciation. Photo courtesy of Rivertowne Players.

The Board of Rivertowne Players unveiled the Theatre’s 2020 season at their annual Night of Appreciation for sponsors and volunteers on Saturday, October 19.

The Theatre will kick off the season with a bang with Disney’s “Frozen Jr.”, a musical children’s production in February. Austin Arrington, President of the Rivertowne Board, said the Board is very excited to offer “Frozen Jr.” because it is new to community theatre. “The rights for this show have just come out, so it has not been done on a community theatre level yet.”

“Frozen Jr.” auditions have already taken place and rehearsals begin soon. The musical will be directed by Aaron Williams, who has brought several other classics such as “The Little Mermaid Jr.” and “A Christmas Carol” to the Rivertowne stage.

Agatha Christie’s “Murder on the Orient Express”, directed by Krissy Boccia, will follow closely in March. After that, director Megan Greene will bring the spirited musical “Sister Act” to the stage in May.

In July, Rivertowne is taking a break from the theatrical stage to allow for renovations in the Theatre. But don’t worry, there’s still entertainment to be enjoyed. Paul Saik will direct an “In Concert Series” of Rodgers and Hammerstein selections at Centenary United Methodist Church in New Bern as part of Rivertowne’s season.

Would you like some more? Well, Rivertowne has plenty more in store. What better way to celebrate the reopening of the historic theatre than with the classic play “Oliver”? The musical, directed by John Van Dyke, is scheduled to open in late September, and is an opportunity for both young and old to take to the stage, according to Arrington.

Rivertowne Players 2020 Season
Rivertowne Players’ theatrical season for 2020. In addition, Paul Saik will direct an “In Concert Series” of Rodgers and Hammerstein classics. Photo courtesy of Rivertowne Players

And finally, Rivertowne will wrap up the 2020 season with another show that’s a first for community theatre, “Elf: The Musical”, directed by Judy Long. “‘Elf Jr.’ has been done, but the adult production has never been done in community theatre,” said Arrington. “We want to bring ‘Elf’ to this town.”

Season tickets will be on sale soon at http://rivertowneplayers.org. But if you just can’t wait until February for some theatre magic, tickets are on sale now for Rivertowne’s last production of the 2019 season, “Miracle on 34th Street”. Tickets can be obtained at http://rivertowneplayers.org/tickets or at Nautical Wheelers on Craven Street.

By Contributing Author, Michelle Garren Flye