The Cumberland County Playhouse Announces 2023 Season

The Cumberland County Playhouse has announced its 2023 season. Learn more about the lineup here!

"For me, 2023 is all about magic" said Producing Director Bryce McDonald. "From the magic of love in Frozen, to the magic of believing in yourself in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. From the magic of friendship in The SpongeBob Musical, to the magic of laughter in The Play That Goes Wrong."

Disney's Frozen Jr.

Music & Lyrics by Kristin Anderson-Lopez & Robert Lopez, Book by Jennifer Lee

Based on the Disney film written by Jennifer Lee and directed by Chris Buck & Jennifer Lee

The enchanting modern classic from Disney is based on the 2018 Broadway musical, and brings Elsa, Anna, and the magical land of Arendelle to life, onstage. The show features all the memorable songs from the animated film including "Let it Go", "Do You Want to Build a Snowman" and "For the First Time in Forever", plus five new songs written for the Broadway production. A story of true love and acceptance between sisters, Frozen JR. expands upon the emotional relationship and journey between Princesses Anna and Elsa. When faced with danger, the two discover their hidden potential and the powerful bond of sisterhood. With a cast of beloved characters and loaded with magic, adventure, and plenty of humor, Frozen JR. is sure to thaw even the coldest heart!

Mainstage, Rated G, February 17-March 26

Co-sponsored by Crossville Tile Outlet Store and Whisper Aero

Playhouse Education Sponsor: The Swallows Agencies

Things My Mother Taught Me

by Katherine DiSavino

Olivia and Gabe are moving into their first apartment together. They've just packed up all their belongings and driven halfway across the country to start a new life together in Chicago. Their moving day doesn't go exactly as planned, though, and things become slightly more complicated when all of their parents show up to help! Can a two-bedroom apartment contain all of the love, laughs, worry, and wisdom that's about to happen? This comedy takes a generational look at relationships, and how sometimes parents are passing their best lessons on to their children without even meaning to. Funny and touching, this one will make you laugh out loud and fall in love all over again.

Adventure Theater, Rated PG, March 17-April 30

Sponsored by Beltone Hearing Aid Centers, TN

And Then There Were None

by Agatha Christie

Ten strangers are summoned to a remote island. All that the guests have in common is a wicked past they're unwilling to reveal and a secret that will seal their fate. For each has been marked for murder. As the weather turns and the group is cut off from the mainland, the bloodbath begins and one by one they are brutally murdered in accordance with the lines of a sinister nursery rhyme. One of Christie's most suspenseful tales and a masterpiece of dramatic construction, its growing sense of dread and unfaltering tension will keep you guessing to the very end.

Mainstage, Rated PG, April 14-May 30

Co-sponsored by Hospice of Cumberland County, John & Christine Stinson,

Mark Richie & Arlene Albert, and Family Walk-In Clinic

T3 presents Homegrown

The Playhouse's T3 Education students take to the Mainstage in Homegrown, a celebration of the music, stories, and people of Tennessee. Given that the Playhouse was founded on the idea of offering arts education for the youth of our region, we honor our "homegrown" talent and the great state that cultivated them! From Memphis Blues to the Grand Ole Opry, from Dolly Parton to Elvis Presley, from Moon Pies and Goo Goo Clusters to hot chicken and barbecue, we celebrate the unique diversity of our beloved Volunteer state. Through acting, song, and dance, our multi-talented T3 Education students pay tribute to their heritage by highlighting artists with a homegrown connection, and who at some point called Tennessee their home.

Mainstage, Rated G, May 5-6

Sponsored by Keith & Carol Pontius; Playhouse Education Sponsor: The Swallows Agencies

The Trip to Bountiful

by Horton Foote

A classic American play about a remarkable journey home. Carrie Watts dreams of escape from the bustling city and of a return to simpler times in her beloved Bountiful, Texas. No longer able to drive and forbidden to travel alone, she wishes for freedom from the confines of the house and begs her son to take her on a visit to her hometown of Bountiful. When he refuses, Mrs. Watts sets out on a risky journey to her beloved hometown, with her family in hot pursuit. Along the way, she encounters kindness and compassion...and makes a remarkable discovery about the true meaning of home. This classic American drama is a touching portrait of family, what we hold onto and what we leave behind.

Adventure Theater, Rated PG, May 19-July 27

Co-sponsored by Willow Café & Catering and Grace Givers Home Care

Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The New Musical

Book by David Kreig, Music By Marc Shaiman, Lyrics by Scott Wittman

& Marc Shaiman

Based on the novel by Roald Dahl

Songs from the Motion Picture by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley

Roald Dahl's treasured tale is now Crossville's Golden Ticket! It's the perfect recipe for a delectable treat: songs from the original film including "Pure Imagination", "The Candy Man" and "I've Got a Golden Ticket," alongside a toe-tapping and ear-tickling new score from the songwriters of Hairspray. Willy Wonka is opening his marvelous and mysterious chocolate factory...to a lucky few. That includes Charlie Bucket, whose bland life is about to sweeten with color and confection beyond his wildest dreams. He and four other golden ticket winners will embark on a mesmerizing joyride through a world of pure imagination. Now's your chance to experience the wonders of Wonka like never before - get ready for Oompa-Loompas, incredible inventions, the great glass elevator, and more, more, more at this everlasting showstopper!

Mainstage, Rated G, June 9-August 13

Co-sponsored by Plateau Pediatrics and Bob & Jaye Emrick

The SpongeBob Musical: Youth Edition

Based on the series by Stephen Hillenberg

Book by Kyle Jarrow, Musical Production conceived by Tina Landau

The stakes are higher than ever in this dynamic stage musical, as SpongeBob and all of Bikini Bottom face the total annihilation of their undersea world. Chaos erupts. Lives hang in the balance. And just when all hope seems lost, a most unexpected hero rises up and takes center stage. The power of optimism really can save the world! The SpongeBob Musical is a one-hour edition of the hit Broadway musical based on the beloved animated series created by Stephen Hillenburg and will be performed for youth by youth!

Mainstage, Rated G, July 5 - August 19

Playhouse Education Sponsor: The Swallows Agencies

All Shook Up

Book by Joe DiPietro, Inspired by and featuring the songs of Elvis Presley

It's 1955, and into a square little town in a square little state rides a guitar-playing roustabout who changes everything and everyone he meets. Loosely based on Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, this hip-swiveling, lip-curling musical comedy will have will you jumpin' out of your blue suede shoes with such classics as "Heartbreak Hotel", "Hound Dog", "Jailhouse Rock", and "Don't Be Cruel." Lovers meet, woo, pursue, and more in one zany night that will change the town forever. All Shook Up is a rocking, heartwarming tale about following dreams, opening up to love, and the power of music.

Mainstage, Rated PG, July 14-September 10

Co-sponsored by Cumberland Eye Care, Club Wyndham, and Fairfield Glade Resort

The Play That Goes Wrong

by Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer & Henry Shields

This side-splitting farce welcomes you to the opening night of the Comley University Drama Society's newest production, The Murder of Haversham Manor, where things are quickly going from bad to utterly disastrous. Their production of the 1920s whodunit has everything you never wanted in a show - an unconscious leading lady, a corpse that can't play dead, and actors who trip over everything (including their lines). Nevertheless, the accident-prone thespians battle against all odds to make it through their final curtain call, with hilarious consequences! Part Monty Python, part Sherlock Holmes, this award-winning comedy is a global phenomenon that's guaranteed to leave you aching with laughter!

Adventure Theater, Rated PG-13, August 18-October 12

Sponsored by Dr. Edward & Karen Thornblade

Little Shop of Horrors

Book and Lyrics by Howard Ashman, Music by Alan Menken

A deviously delicious Broadway and Hollywood sci-fi smash musical, Little Shop of Horrors has devoured the hearts of theatre goers for over 30 years. Howard Ashman and Alan Menken (Disney's The Little Mermaid, Beauty and The Beast, and Aladdin) are the creative geniuses behind what has become one of the most popular shows in the world. The meek floral assistant Seymour Krelborn stumbles across a new breed of plant he names "Audrey II" - after his coworker crush. This R&B-singing carnivore promises unending fame and fortune to the down and out Krelborn as long as he keeps feeding it BLOOD. Over time, though, Seymour discovers Audrey II's out of this world origins and intent towards global domination!

Mainstage, Rated PG-13, September 22-October 31

Co-sponsored by Atlas Real Estate, Tracey Barnes Owner/Broker, and Bob & Jaye Emrick

Irving Berlin's White Christmas

Music and Lyrics by Irving Berlin, Book by David Ives and Paul Blake

Based Upon the Paramount Pictures Film Written for the Screen by Norman Krasna, Norman Panama and Melvin Frank

Based on the beloved, timeless film, this heartwarming musical adaptation features 17 classic Irving Berlin songs! Veterans Bob Wallace and Phil Davis have a successful song-and-dance act after World War II. With romance in mind, the two follow a duo of beautiful singing sisters en route to their Christmas show at a Vermont lodge, which just happens to be owned by Bob and Phil's former army commander. With a dazzling score featuring well-known standards including "Blue Skies," "I Love a Piano," "Sisters", and the perennial title song, White Christmas is an uplifting song-and-dance musical that will tap your toes and warm your heart!

Mainstage, Rated G, November 10-December 22

Co-sponsored by Tim & Susan Tewalt, Uplands Village, Ken & Grace Patton, and ServPro

Junie B. in Jingle Bells, Batman Smells!

by Allison Gregory

Junie B. Jones, First-Grader, is super-excited about the upcoming Holiday Sing-Along and Secret Santa gift exchange at her school. Too bad tattletale May keeps ruining all of Junie B.'s fun. So, when Junie B. draws May's name for Secret Santa, she comes up with the perfect plan to teach her nemesis a lesson! But will the Christmas spirit of peace and goodwill interfere before she can give you-know-who what she deserves? There's fun for the whole family in this hilarious and endearing tale based on the best-selling book series by Barbara Park.

Adventure Theater, Rated G, November 18-December 23

Sponsored by Junie Hobbs; Playhouse Education Sponsor: The Swallows Agencies