The 2023 Theatre season features a mixture of French Creek Theatre shows and guest company productions ranging from indoor musicals to outdoor plays and from ballets to improv comedy shows! Don't miss your chance to engage with the local art scene throughout our beautiful park district this year! The entire season is listed below in chronological order.
Princesses in Concert
April 15, 2023
Shows at 10 am, 12 pm, 2 pm, & 4 pm
Ewing Hall, French Creek Theatre
4530 Colorado Ave., Sheffield Village
$15 per person
Sing along to your favorite princess songs! Northeast Ohio Creatives brings eight of your favorite characters singing together and telling a story of courage and adventure! Each 30-minute show (starting at 10 am, noon, 2 pm, and 4 pm) is followed by a meet and greet/photo opportunity with the princesses.
Beauty and the Beast - Ballet
May 12, 2023
7:00 pm
Lakeview Park
1800 West Erie Ave., Lorain
FREE Show!
North Pointe Ballet will premiere Janet Dziak’s new ballet interpretation of the story of Belle, the book-loving daughter of a merchant. NPB’s signature live narration will guide audience members through the tale where enchanted objects come to life, drama unfolds through exceptional artistry, and loveable characters show that you can’t judge a book by its cover.
The Frank and Dean and More Show
June 3, 2023
Shows at 3:30 pm and 7:30 pm
Ewing Hall, French Creek Theatre
4530 Colorado Ave., Sheffield Village
$15 per person
Celebrate the fun, the jokes, and the music of The Rat Pack for an evening.
Something Dada
June 9, 2023
7:30 pm
Ewing Hall, French Creek Theatre
4530 Colorado Ave., Sheffield Village
$15 per person
Live Improvised Comedy Show - based entirely on the audience’s suggestions!
Carnival of the Animals - Ballet
July 16, 2023
5:00 pm
Lakeview Park
1800 West Erie Ave., Lorain
FREE Show!
Ballet Legato, Lorain County's professional ballet company, is excited to perform premier dance works on Sunday, July 16th, at 5 pm at Lakeview Park. Come see premier contemporary works such as the fun-loving and whimsical, "In Flight,” which focuses on the whirling, ever-changing, rapid movement of our feathered friends, the body-percussion piece, "Bring Me Little Water Sylvie," by folk singer Lead Belly, sung by the Nightingale Women's acapella group. and other dance works for children and adults alike. Tutu-much fun! We hope to see you there for a day of dance!
Madagascar: A Musical Adventure Jr.
July 21, 22, 23*, 28, 29, & 30*, 2023
All performances at 7:30 p.m., except July 23 & 30 matinee shows beginning at 2 p.m.
Ewing Hall, French Creek Theatre
4530 Colorado Ave., Sheffield Village
$10 per person
Join Alex the Lion, Marty the Zebra, Melman the Giraffe, Gloria the hip hip Hippo and, of course, those hilarious, plotting penguins as they bound onto your stage in the musical adventure of a lifetime. Based on the smash DreamWorks animated motion picture, Madagascar – A Musical Adventure JR. follows all of your favorite crack-a-lackin’ friends as they escape from their home in New York’s Central Park Zoo and find themselves on an unexpected journey to the madcap world of King Julien’s Madagascar.
This show is a production put on by the participants of our Theatre Camp which runs every weekday from June 26 to July 21. Campers will get a chance to work on their acting, dancing, singing, and set design at the French Creek Nature Center. Campers can channel their creativity and will work as a team. At the end of the camp, they will showcase their newly learned skills by putting on a production of ‘Madagascar Jr.’ Sign up for camp below.
Based on the DreamWorks Animation Motion Picture
Book by Kevin Del Aguila
Original Music and Lyrics by George Noriega & Joel Someillan
Madagascar – A Musical Adventure JR. is presented through special arrangement with and all authorized materials are supplied by Music Theatre International, New York, NY | (212) 541-4684 | mtishows.com
*NOTE: July 23 & 30 performances are matinee shows beginning at 2:00 p.m.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Aug. 25, 26, & 27, 2023
Fri. and Sat. performances at 6:30 p.m., Sun. matinee show at 2 p.m.
Bacon Woods Amphitheater, Vermilion River Reservation,
51211 North Ridge Rd., Vermilion
FREE Show!
Shakespeare in the Park
Four feverish lovers, six inept performers, and two warring Fae courts meet in the forest for a night of entanglement, mischief, and unlikely romance. One of Shakespeare's most enduring and beloved comedies, A Midsummer Night's Dream invites us to fall in love, out of love, and back in love again.
Misery
Sept. 15, 16, 17*, 22, 23, & 24*, 2023
All performances at 7:30 p.m., except Sept. 17 & 24 matinee shows beginning at 2 p.m.
Ewing Hall, French Creek Theatre
4530 Colorado Ave., Sheffield Village
$15 per person
Misery follows successful romance novelist Paul Sheldon, who is rescued from a car crash by his “number one fan,” Annie Wilkes, and wakes up captive in her secluded home. While Paul is convalescing, Annie reads his latest book and becomes enraged when she discovers the author has killed off her favorite character, Misery Chastain. Annie forces Paul to write a new Misery novel, and he quickly realizes Annie has no intention of letting him go anywhere. The irate Annie has Paul writing as if his life depends on it, and it does.
By William Goldman
Based on the novel by Stephen King
All Shook Up
Dec. 8, 9, 10*, 15, 16, & 17*, 2023
All performances at 7:30 p.m., except Dec. 10 & 17 matinee shows beginning at 2 p.m.
Ewing Hall, French Creek Theatre
4530 Colorado Ave., Sheffield Village
$15 per person
It’s 1955, and into a square little town in a square little state rides a guitar-playing young man who changes everything and everyone he meets. Loosely based on Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, this hip-swiveling, lip-curling musical fantasy will have you jumpin’ out of your blue suede shoes with such classics as “Heartbreak Hotel,” “Hound Dog,” “Jailhouse Rock,” and “Don’t Be Cruel.”
ALL SHOOK UP
Inspired by and featuring the songs of ELVIS PRESLEY®
Book by JOE DIPIETRO