Williamston Theatre gears up for 20th season

For Williamston Theatre’s founders, every new season is special, but the upcoming 20^th season is an opportunity for them to reflect on the theater’s legacy and how far it has come.

“We opened in 2006, when the economy was just starting to do its long, lovely tanking,” Emily Sutton-Smith, the theater’s executive director, said. “We’ve survived the ups and downs of doing professional theater in a Midwest state, we survived a global health crisis, we’ve survived shifts in our industry, and we’re still here.”

The 2026-‘27 season will kick off with the season launch party tonight at Eagle Eye Golf Club in Bath. The annual fundraiser is usually an opportunity for patrons to get a sneak peek of the season’s shows. However, managing director Chris Purchis said this year’s event will be a more elegant affair, celebrating the 20-year milestone by paying tribute to the past. 

“We’re going to have a little bit of Williamston Theatre history with costumes, props and photographs from the past 20 years for people to look at it,” Purchis said. 

According to artistic director Tony Caselli, all five of this season’s shows have a common theme.  

“A lot of our scripts and stories deal with legacy: what you’ve built, what you’re leaving behind, what you’re creating and what you’re handing off to the next group,” Caselli said. “Which is fitting because it’s the 20^th season, so hitting some stories that are a little bit about legacy makes sense.”

The theme applies especially to “The One Good Thing or ‘Are Ya Patrick Swayze?’” (Sept. 24 through Oct. 25) and “The Apiary” (April 8 through May 9). The former is a simple story about Irish brothers whose worlds are turned upside down by a sudden revelation, while the latter focuses on the future of the planet, taking place 20 years in the future when honeybees have gone extinct. 

“It’s a parable of how we treat nature and how nature treats us,” Caselli said of “The Apiary.” “It’s funny, sweet and a little horrifying, but it also has this beautiful theme of love that runs through it.”

Perhaps the most anticipated production of the season is “A Lansing Christmas Adventure” (Nov. 19 through Dec. 27). Written by “Robert Hawlmark,” a pseudonym for co-founder John Lepard, the show is a sequel to the theater’s beloved “A Very Williamston Christmas.”

While Lepard expects a big turnout for his fun-filled Christmas adventure, he believes that “The Apiary” will have more staying power with audiences. 

“I think it will be the one that people will come away from having the most conversation, because it has a lot of stuff going on,” he said. 

For those seeking something lighter, there’s the satirical farce “For Closure!” (Feb. 9 through March 14). 

“A psychic, a handyman and a stripper walk into a Florida mansion,” Sutton-Smith summed up. “The outcome? A perfectly unhinged mess you won’t see coming.” Getting serious, she added, “It does have this relationship between these two women who have to weather the storm of chaos together, and when they come out on the other side, they realize, ‘Oh, you’re my person!’ It’s got a little heart to it.” 

Ending the season is the returning favorite “Guys on Ice” (July 8 through Aug. 15). The ice-fishing musical has been one of the most requested shows by audiences since its debut in 2007. Original cast member Joseph Albright is returning for the new production.

“Twenty years ago, Albright, who is a wonderful Michigan actor, played the younger male character,” Sutton-Smith said. “In this production, he’s playing the older one, so it’s come full circle. He gets to come back and do the show again, but in a different role.” 

All four founders are grateful for the theater’s success. With several other theaters having closed over the past two decades, they never expected Williamston to beat the odds, especially after such humble beginnings. 

“Just having transformed a building that was a grocery store into a theater and making something where there was nothing before, as far as arts go, is a pretty cool accomplishment,” Lepard said.

More than anything, they agreed that they owe the theater’s success to all the community support over the years.    

“We’ve established this wonderful little oasis in the middle of a small town,” Purcell said. “None of us were sure what was going to happen, but we said, ‘Let’s give it a shot,’ and here we are. Our audiences have been amazing, especially this past season, and we can’t wait to welcome them all back for season 20.”