Coldwater, MI – To celebrate its popular Popcorn Theatre, Tibbits Summer Theatre has rolled what everyone loves about those family-friendly productions into a feature performance in its revised season called “A Popped Potpourri.”
Called a big cornucopia of fun, the show is designed to delight both young and old, featuring musical favorites from popular kids’ movies like “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” and “Willy Wonka.” Professional actors will present a fully-staged readers theatre version of Cinderella, compiled from different sources. Though Charles Perrault’s version of the story “Cendrillon” first published in 1697 is one well-known version, scholars believe that there are nearly 3,000 versions of the popular tale. Other stories interspersed with the songs include Aesop’s Fables "The Lion and the Mouse," "The Tortoise and the Hare" and "The Ant and the Grasshopper."
A true salute to Popcorn Theatre, “A Popped Potpourri” will even have a few classic cartoon shorts shown on the big screen. Selections include Warner Brothers’ “Water Water Every Hare” and “The Abominable Snow Rabbit” featuring Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck as well as Disney’s “How to Play Baseball,” featuring Goofy, and “The Hockey Champ” featuring Donald Duck and his nephews Huey, Dewey, & Louie. “A Popped Potpourri” show offers an earlier start time and will run July 16-18 at 6pm and July 18 at 2pm.
According to Tibbits Artistic Director Charles Burr, “This production is a sampling of our Popcorn Theatre shows—from live theatre to the classic cartoon shorts. It’s really going to be what audiences have come to expect and enjoy, but with more music than what we normally do.”
Tibbits Summer Theatre will feature a core group of professional company members from across the United States. “A Popped Potpourri” will include veteran Tibbits actors Liz Davis, Brooke Jackson, Michael Motkowski, and Matthew C. Scott. The production will be directed by Charles Burr with music direction and music arrangement by Matthew Everingham. The design staff features lights by Catie Bencowe, set design by Leon Kriser, and sound design by Weston Felker, with Rachel Marengere as stage manager and Bryce Dansby as Master Electrician.
“A Popped Potpourri”, along with the rest of the 2020 TST Season, is presented through the generous sponsorship support of Coldwater Board of Public Utilities, Parrish Excavating, Inc.; and Frederick Family Dental. Additional sponsors include Coldwater Orthodontics; Dr. Jon & Seibra Herbener; Stan and Judy Bushouse; Great Lakes Chiropractic; Honor Credit Union; Coldwater Exchange Club; Matthew C. Christopher, DDS; and Vested Risk Strategies.
Tickets for “A Popped Potpourri” are $20 (including fees) for all seats, with discounts available to Tibbits members and $10 tickets for kids. Due to current protocols, popcorn will not be offered. Performances will run Thursday through Saturday, July 16-18, at 6pm with a 2pm matinee on July 18.
Tickets are available online at Tibbits.org, through the Tibbits Box office at the theatre 9 am to 5 pm weekdays or by calling 517-278-6029. All performances are held at the beautiful historic Tibbits Opera House, 14 S. Hanchett Street, in Coldwater. For more information call or visit Tibbits.org.
Tibbits has revamped its summer theatre schedule to respect social distancing guidelines and still offer the quality professional entertainment that has become synonymous with Tibbits Summer Theatre. Tibbits has added Plexiglas at points of sale, revised its seating, taken additional cleaning steps to ensure the safety of patrons and staff, and encourages the use of masks.
