Local theater offerings abound in April
April 6, 2026 | By Waterbury RoundaboutMultiple regional theater companies are launching their 2026 seasons this month with performances that include stage productions of the play “Our Town” in Montpelier and the musical “Pippin” in Hyde Park.
In Waterbury, the New Stage Players continue their monthly table readings with a comedic play this weekend.
See details for each of those below.
An earlier post from April 2 highlights two upcoming shows by the Valley Players: this weekend’s Cabin Fever Follies at The Big Picture and the Mad River Story Slam on April 17.
April 12: Theater fans invited to New Stage Players play reading
Play poster courtesy of New Stage Players
The New Stage Players invites the community to their monthly play reading series with the next gathering on Sunday, April 12, at 4 p.m. at the Grange Hall Cultural Center, in Waterbury Center.
The play featured this month is “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time,” adapted in 2012 by Simon Stevens from a 2003 novel of the same title by Mark Haddon.
The New Stage Players welcome all who are theater makers, lovers, adjacent, or just curious to this community reading the play that tells the story of secrets and desire, and mostly best intentions.
The plot centers on 15-year-old Christopher who has an extraordinary brain. He is exceptional at mathematics, but ill-equipped to interpret everyday life. He has never ventured alone beyond the end of the road, he detests being touched, and he distrusts strangers. Shortly after midnight, Christopher stands beside his neighbor’s dead dog, Wellington, who has been speared with a garden fork. Finding himself under suspicion, Christopher is determined to solve the mystery of who murdered Wellington, and he carefully records each fact of the crime. His detective work, forbidden by his father, takes him on a thrilling journey that upturns his world.
The theater group invites community members to join in reading the script, to simply attend to hear the play, and/or join in a discussion afterwards.
There are roles for all ages and abilities. No knowledge of the play or acting experience necessary to participate. The Waterbury Public Library was looking to secure copies of both the play and the novel before this reading.
Casting for the roles for the reading will begin at 3:30 p.m. so that the reading can start at 4 p.m. Registration is not necessary, but encouraged, particularly for participants, so organizers can plan. To check in or for more information, email or call info.acrossroads@gmail.com or 802-244-4168.
This event is free, although donations accepted. Light refreshments will be provided.
Sponsored by Across Roads Center for the Arts and Grange Hall Cultural Center, 317 Howard Ave.
April 16-26: Lost Nation Theater presents ‘Our Town’
Adrian Wade Keeney as Mrs. Gibbs and Jesse Hawkes as Doc Gibbs have a chat while enjoying the moonlight in their garden while the stage manager, played by Kim Bent, looks on (right). Photo by John Lazenby
Thornton Wilder’s “Our Town” is the Pulitzer-Prize and Tony-Award winning timeless, classic play and Lost Nation Theater brings it to the Montpelier City Hall Arts Center stage for two weeks, Wednesdays-Sundays, April 16-26.
For those who are unfamiliar, “Our Town” appears to be a simple, innocuous portrait of life in the small New Hampshire town of Grover’s Corners. But in reality, it’s a soaring exploration of human existence – boundless trials, joys, questions, certainties – all while celebrating the mechanics of theater.
The play’s Stage Manager character guides the audience through a day in the life and loves of two families in three acts set in 1901, 1904 and 1913 with the themes of "Daily Life," "Love and Marriage," and "Death and Eternity.”
Directed by Lost Nation’s Producing Artistic Director and resident composer Kathleen Keenan, this production features local actors – some who may have been born to play their parts, such as Waterbury’s farmer, filmmaker and author George Woodard as Howie the Milkman and William Pelton as choirmaster Simon Stimson.
The company welcomes the return of many old friends in the cast and crew: Jim Phinney as Mr. Webb, Jessica Della Pepa doing costume design, Emily Harvey LaCroix as a townsperson. Current Lost Nation camp veterans Elisheba Joseph and Everett Gill take on the roles of Rebecca Gibbs and Wally Webb; former apprentices Sandea Green-Stark and Jesse Hawkes, play Mrs. Webb and Doc Gibbs.
Other Lost Nation regulars round out the team, including designers Hannah Clark and Avi Sheehan, stage manager Tia Spicer, and actors Nate Beyer, Apollo Clute, Sarah E. DeBouter, Victor Guadagno, Chris Hennessey, Magdalena Keppel, Meghan O'Hara, Emmett Stowell, and Adrian Wade-Keeney.
Playing the Stage Manager role for the fourth time, Lost Nation founder Kim Bent reflects: “I first played the Stage Manager in high school -- since then, twice more. For me, the beating heart of the play is the last five words of a David Budbill poem, ‘…how beautiful the ordinary is.’ Wilder’s similar observation paraphrases Edgar Lee Masters, ‘You’ve got to love life to have life, and you’ve got to have life to love life.’ I take that to mean life is miraculous. The proof surrounds us every day, all the time. The simple act of noticing it feeds and fulfills us beyond measure. To that I say, ‘Amen!’”
Deceptively simple, the storyline of this both funny and touching masterwork offers a chance to reflect upon the transience of life and the human tendency to speed through it blindly.
“‘Our Town’ is timeless. It’s not about going back to a gentler time. It’s not about nostalgia,” Director Keenan explains. It’s about being present here and now. Really seeing. Really loving. Paying attention. It’s about building community, caring for our neighbors.”
The New York Post calls the play, “One of the sagest, warmest and most deeply human scripts to have come out of our theatre.”
This American theater classic is performed at least once a day every day somewhere in the world. For two weeks this month, Lost Nation Theater will ensure it’s performed in Vermont.
Details: Performances will run Wednesday-Sundays, April 16-26. Showtimes at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesdays through Saturdays; 2 p.m. Sunday matinees. An additional 2 p.m. matinee also is scheduled for Saturday, April 25. A pre-show party is planned for Friday, April 17, with music by Pam Bockes and Sandy Weaver and snacks (no extra charge with a ticket purchase).
More information and tickets ($15-$45) are online at lostnationtheater.org. Reach Lost Nation Theater by phone at 802-229-0492 or email to info@lostnationtheater.org.
Montpelier City Hall currently does not have an operable elevator, making it necessary for audience members to climb stairs to attend in person. To be accessible, events are streamed. Other accessibility accommodations are available. See details online.
April 17-26: ‘Pippin’ on stage by the Lamoille Valley Players
Cast members left to right: C. Duncan (Hardwick) as Pippin; Ben Irish (Hyde Park) as King Charles; Michelle Sawyer (Fairfax) as Fastrada; C.J. Levine (Morrisville) as Lewis; top: Carrie Phillips (Waterbury) as Berthe. Photo courtesy of the Lamoille County Players
Lamoille County Players opens its 74th Season with the musical “Pippin” at the Hyde Park Opera House April 17-19 and 24-26.
Having first debuted in 1972, “Pippin” is a high-energy show following a young man’s search for meaning and purpose. In this steampunk-inspired production, his journey unfolds in an industrial dreamscape of gears, steam, and spectacle. As he seeks his “corner of the sky,” Pippin must decide whether a spectacular life is worth more than an authentic one.
The Manson Trio ensemble (clockwise from top): Cassandra Cibra (Westford), Dr. Jack Wildwood (Hyde Park), Gwen Campus (Johnson), and Mariana Considine (Hardwick). Photo courtesy of the Lamoille County Players
With unforgettable music and dynamic choreography, Pippin explores the pursuit of happiness as life’s greatest experiment.
“At its core, it [“Pippin”] asks questions many of us carry quietly: Am I doing enough? Am I living the life I’m supposed to live? Is there something more?” Director Shannon Sanborn shares. “I hope you leave inspired to quiet the noise, value simple joys, and define ‘extraordinary’ on your own terms.”
Details: Showtimes are 7 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays; Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. Tickets ($15-$20) can be reserved online at LCPLayers.com or purchased at the door on show nights. Questions? Email tickets@lcplayers.com.
The historic Hyde Park Opera House is located at 85 Main St., Hyde Park.