Church Hill Theatre is delighted to offer its production of Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express from October 17 to November 2.  Unexpected roof repairs delayed the original opening scheduled for September 12. 

The stage play is an adaptation by the hilarious American playwright Ken Ludwig, who was asked to take on the project by the Christie estate. Director Kat Melton will propel her cast on a vintage steam locomotive through the snowy alps. Her use of sound, lights and projections will have you on the edge of your seat as Hercule Poirot uses his “little grey cells” to solve yet another mysterious death!    

Even if you have read the book a dozen times, the plot remains a real tease, as almost every passenger has a reason to murder the odious American businessman, Samuel Ratchett. Hercule Poirot’s interviews soon uncover connections to a past kidnapping case and other secrets.  Passengers include titled Europeans, several Americans, and many with hidden identities. Melton has made room for several smaller parts that enrich the plot and the production. These other passengers, the ensemble, help move along the action—and the scenery. The clues mount up, but is anyone telling the truth? Bien sûr, Poirot will of course prevail!

The strong production team is especially proud of the set and effects that really bring a steam locomotive and luxury passenger cars onto the stage. Almost all of our original cast members adjusted their schedules to catch this train but a few understudy substitutions of equally talented actors have been required. The entire cast and crew know this could be your “favorite-ever” show. It runs from October 17 to November 2, with shows at 7:30 on Fridays and Saturdays and at 2 pm on Sundays. Tickets are available now online at https://www.churchhilltheatre.org/shows/tickets/ or by calling the box office at 410-556-6003.  If you had tickets for the original September show, you should already have been contacted by the box office to arrange new dates.  If there is any confusion, please call the office.

Church Hill Theatre would like to express its grateful thanks to all of the friends and patrons who supported us during the repair process. Your kind words and financial generosity have been heartwarming.  THE SHOW WILL GO ON!!!

Church Hill Theatre invites actors to audition for Clyde’s, a brilliant play by Lynn Nottage. Directed by Michael Whitehill, the production will run weekends from November 7 -23. Nottage, who received a MacArthur “Genius Grant,” is known for dramas that explore the experiences of working-class people. She has won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama—twice—and Clyde’s was the most-produced play of the 2022-2023 season. Bitingly funny, Clyde’s is set in a truck stop diner staffed entirely by the formerly incarcerated. The search for a perfect sandwich takes Clyde and her employees on a journey of empathy and empowerment.

Director Whitehill promises his actors hard work, respect, inclusion, and even a few sandwiches as the team brings Nottage’s vision to the stage. He enjoys working with new talent, so encourages both novices and more experienced actors to audition. While there may be some “cold reads” from the script, Whitehill’s auditions always include the unexpected, from role playing exercises to slam poetry. Some actors audition only for the opportunity to see what he plans this time.

The characters in Clyde’s are both quite specific—and extremely nuanced. Even if a role doesn’t seem quite right, Whitehill encourages you to audition. Here are the parts, all of them leads, all of them requiring great comic timing:

Montrellous is a middle-aged, working-class Black man. After many years in prison, he is sensitive, caring, and has a sharp sense of humor. Using cooking as a means of meditation, he tries, not always successfully, to bring along members of the younger generation.

Jason is a young White man, a bit of a doofus, who just finished 8 years in prison. He presents as a white supremacist but can be open and vulnerable. A man with a lot to learn, Jason gets some of the best comic opportunities.

Letitia is a young Black woman with a special needs child, eager to rebuild her life.  She really depends on this job, even if the work conditions are toxic. A romantic, she still hopes to find a genuine partner. She is a hoot and a half.

Rafael is a Latino, playful and full of charm. He also is in recovery, working to find a spiritual path to a better future. And he falls, hard, for Letitia, who isn’t very impressed. And, of the whole crew, Rafael is terrified of his boss.

Clyde, the sandwich shop owner, is a Black woman of indeterminate age. She is brash, domineering, and even wickedly seductive. She controls the menu, the rules, and her staff’s lives—but she is the only one who will hire them. She drives the play.

Auditions will be held at the Kennard African American Cultural Heritage Center, 410 Little Kidwell Avenue, Centreville, Maryland, on August 30 and on September 1^st, 3^rd and 6th. The Wednesday date may include call-backs. For more information about Clyde’s audition dates, times, and parts, visit the CHT website at https://churchhilltheatre.org/shows/auditions/ or call the office at (410) 556-6003.

 

 

Church Hill Theatre is delighted to present Adam Weiner, the founder and frontman of Low Cut Connie, in a solo concert on Thursday, September 18.  The band is famous for high-energy performances that feature Weiner’s piano skills, original songs and remarkable onstage persona.

The six-person Low Cut Connie band is both a crowd and critics’ favorite. The Los Angeles Weekly called it “unmatched in all of rock right now” and Sir Elton John publicly called it one of his favorites when he performed at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.  Low Cut Connie was even on Barak Obama’s playlist. Rolling Stone characterized the music as “what indie rock might sound like where it invented in Alabama in the late Fifties.”

Weiner was a solo pianist before forming the band, touring North America and Europe and playing in bars, warehouses, pubs—wherever he found a piano and eager audiences. He will bring both that spontaneous verve and some of his later songs to the CHT performance. Weiner is appearing at Church Hill Theatre at the request of Shelagh Grasso (one of CHT’s veteran directors), who was his high school teacher and mentor in South Jersey.  This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to hear an international star in a small and intimate performance space. Don’t miss it!

Adam Weiner will perform on Thursday, September 18, at 7:30 pm. Tickets are $40. The theater is located at 103 Walnut Avenue in Church Hill Maryland. Tickets are available on the CHT website: churchhilltheatre.org.

 

 

Church Hill Theatre invites actors to audition for Clyde’s, a brilliant play by Lynn Nottage. Directed by Michael Whitehill, the production will run weekends from November 7 -23. Nottage, who received a MacArthur “Genius Grant,” is known for dramas that explore the experiences of working-class people. She has won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama—twice—and Clyde’s was the most-produced play of the 2022-2023 season. Bitingly funny, Clyde’s is set in a truck stop diner staffed entirely by the formerly incarcerated. The search for a perfect sandwich takes Clyde and her employees on a journey of empathy and empowerment.

Director Whitehill promises his actors hard work, respect, inclusion, and even a few sandwiches as the team brings Nottage’s vision to the stage. He enjoys working with new talent, so encourages both novices and more experienced actors to audition. While there may be some “cold reads” from the script, Whitehill’s auditions always include the unexpected, from role playing exercises to slam poetry. Some actors audition only for the opportunity to see what he plans this time.

The characters in Clyde’s are both quite specific—and extremely nuanced. Even if a role doesn’t seem quite right, Whitehill encourages you to audition. Here are the parts, all of them leads, all of them requiring great comic timing:

Montrellous is a middle-aged, working-class Black man. After many years in prison, he is sensitive, caring, and has a sharp sense of humor. Using cooking as a means of meditation, he tries, not always successfully, to bring along members of the younger generation.

Jason is a young White man, a bit of a doofus, who just finished 8 years in prison. He presents as a white supremacist but can be open and vulnerable. A man with a lot to learn, Jason gets some of the best comic opportunities.

Letitia is a young Black woman with a special needs child, eager to rebuild her life.  She really depends on this job, even if the work conditions are toxic. A romantic, she still hopes to find a genuine partner. She is a hoot and a half.

Rafael is a Latino, playful and full of charm. He also is in recovery, working to find a spiritual path to a better future. And he falls, hard, for Letitia, who isn’t very impressed. And, of the whole crew, Rafael is terrified of his boss.

Clyde, the sandwich shop owner, is a Black woman of indeterminate age. She is brash, domineering, and even wickedly seductive. She controls the menu, the rules, and her staff’s lives—but she is the only one who will hire them. She drives the play.

Auditions will be held at the Kennard African American Cultural Heritage Center, 410 Little Kidwell Avenue, Centreville, Maryland, on August 30 and on September 1 and 3. The Wednesday date may include call-backs. For more information about Clyde’s audition dates and times, visit the CHT website at https://churchhilltheatre.org/shows/auditions/ or call the CHT office at (410) 556-6003.

At its annual members’ meeting on June 17, Church Hill Theatre reviewed a successful year, elected four new board members and announced an exciting roster of productions for the 2026 season. And, in an exciting new twist, the meeting concluded with live performances of several songs from the current and upcoming season.

Board Chair Kathy Jones and committee representatives shared lots of good news about financial vitality, the near completion of a major campaign for new stage lights, growing audiences, an incredibly strong youth program, and plans for ongoing improvements. The Volunteer of the Year Award was presented to Carrie York for years of dedicated service and outgoing board members Rory Flood, Shelagh Grasso and Christopher Wallace were thanked for their many contributions.  All will be recognized with nameplates on the new theater seats.

Four new and very talented members were then elected to the board for three-year terms: Tom Blackiston, Sharon Herz, Tess Jones and JW Ruth.  All have strong backgrounds in multiple aspects of on-stage and back-stage theatre experience. Since CHT has only two part-time paid employees, all the board members serve on several committees and share front-of-house assignments. As always, willing volunteers are encouraged to become part of the immediate Church Hill Theatre family.

The main event of the evening was the revealing productions for the 2026 season followed by the surprise of short musical performances.

January          A star-studded cabaret fundraiser

February        A commemoration of the 1963 March on Washington and Black History Month

March            Lend Me A Soprano, a mad-cap comedy about an opera performance gone very, very wrong

April               A 2-weekend musical show featuring our teen performers

June               Chicago, the high-energy, much-loved musical

September     Something’s Afoot, a witty musical spoof of a classical British mystery in a remote British mansion

November      The Transylvanian Clockworks, a terrifyingly spooky vampire tale set in the time of Jack the Ripper

December      A Christmas Carol, a classic CHT holiday offering

 

The annual meeting concluded with short performances by Erin Bradley and Matt Rein from The Bridges of Madison County, by Jane Copple from next year’s Something’s Afoot, and by JW Ruth, who brought the house down with “When You’re Good to Mama,” from Chicago.