We provide this information as a service and do our best to inform our patrons as to content. The question of what is or isn’t offensive is a subjective one, particularly when it comes to determining the appropriateness of plays for children. If you have any concerns, we encourage you to read this guide carefully, view our website, and/or read the script. The box office is available to address any specific questions you might have.
SCAPIN
SYNOPSIS: The comedy, one of Molière’s classics, has an updated take in this presentation taking place in the hip world of 1960s Naples, Italy. Two matriarchs are dead set on their sons, Octave and Leandre, marrying suitable partners, although unbeknowst to them, both young men have already fallen in love with others. Scapin is brimming with confidence, and relentlessly uses lies and schemes to get ahead. Scapin steps in to help the young men ensure their parents’ support…and helps themself in the process. It ends with the classic “and they lived happily ever after.”
LANGUAGE: None.
SMOKING AND DRINKING: The characters may drink wine.
SEX: None.
VIOLENCE: None, although in true “commedia dell’arte” fashion, there is a scene where a character is “beaten” (with a piece of food) but is played for comedy.
FOR WHICH AUDIENCES? All audiences can appreciate Scapin’s antics.
RATING: If it were a movie, Scapin would be rated “G,” although children younger than ten may be bored.
SHUCKED
SYNOPSIS: Corn Cob County faces a crisis that threatens their livelihood. The town’s favorite young couple, Maizy and Beau, have known they belong together since childhood but interrupt their nuptials to save their small town. Maizy leaves her sweetheart for the big city (Tampa, Florida) in hopes of finding someone who can help. A local con man, Gordy, takes advantage of her naivete, and seeing a chance to solve a little financial problem of his own, follows Maizy back, conveniently capturing her heart along the way. It’s a hoe-down with puns and non-stop jokes, leading up to its raucous conclusion.
LANGUAGE: There are colorful Southern expressions which would be considered mild oaths by some, but are pretty tame, especially when sung. There are puns and innuendos that will likely go over the heads of young children who might very much enjoy the singing and dancing.
SMOKING AND DRINKING: Set in the south, moonshine whiskey is a staple at every event. In an effort to get Gordy to fess up to his con, during his bachelor party the night before his wedding to Maizy, the townspeople succeed in getting him drunk… and talking.
SEX: None, though it is alluded in a demure manner.
VIOLENCE: None.
FOR WHICH AUDIENCES? The play’s avalanche of puns and innuendo may give some audience members pause. Teens and older should enjoy.
RATING: If it were a movie, Shucked might be rated “PG-13.”
A CHRISTMAS STORY, THE MUSICAL
SYNOPSIS: A Christmas Story, The Musical chronicles young, bespectacled Ralphie Parker as he schemes his way toward the holiday gift of his dreams. Chockful of delightful songs and splashy production numbers, A Christmas Story, The Musical has proudly taken its place as a perennial holiday classic for the whole family.
LANGUAGE: None.
SMOKING AND DRINKING: None.
SEX: None.
VIOLENCE: None, save the classic scene where Flick’s tongue gets stuck on the metal pole.
FOR WHICH AUDIENCES?: A Christmas Story, The Musical is suitable for all audiences, including children aged 5 and up.
RATING: The movie version of A Christmas Story was rated “G.”
A DISTINCT SOCIETY
SYNOPSIS: A quiet library that sits on the border between the U.S. and Canada becomes the convenient meeting place for five people from around the world, who, due to restrictions on travel, are not able to easily and freely meet otherwise. Manon, the dedicated librarian, navigates the current border regulations with her own sense of right and wrong.
LANGUAGE: The characters speak in contemporary style, often invoking a variety of swears and exclamatory oaths that some patrons might find discomfiting.
SMOKING AND DRINKING: There is a small amount of smoking and drinking.
SEX: None.
VIOLENCE: There are tense moments as the border patrol challenges the events in the library, no violence is depicted.
FOR WHICH AUDIENCES?: A Distinct Society contains mature subject matter and is suitable for teens with parental supervision.
RATING: If A Distinct Society were a movie, it would be rated “R.” for language.
PUTTING IT TOGETHER
SYNOPSIS: The show is a compilation of songs by Stephen Sondheim, including numbers from Follies, Company, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Sweeney Todd, Assassins, Dick Tracy, Merrily We Roll Along, Sunday in the Park with George, and others. The theme is a party and the songs cleverly weave a tale of action and reflection on relationships and the kinds of problems and conversations that adults often have.
LANGUAGE: None, although there is the wit and sass typical of Sondheim lyrics.
SMOKING AND DRINKING: There may be smoking or drinking.
SEX: None, though it may be alluded to on a couple occasions.
VIOLENCE: None.
FOR WHICH AUDIENCES? Most audiences can appreciate, especially those who are fans of Sondheim. Younger children will likely be bored because of the focus on problems and situations which are experienced more by adults than kids.
RATING: Putting It Together might be rated “PG-13.”
WHAT THE CONSTITUTION MEANS TO ME
SYNOPSIS: The 2017 play by HEIDI SCHRECK became a sensation off-Broadway before transferring to Broadway in 2019, with Schreck herself in the leading role. Resurrecting her teenage self, she traces the profound relationship between four generations of women and the founding document that shaped their lives. The play will be the inaugural production in the new Meldrum Theatre at the Einar Nielsen Fieldhouse.
LANGUAGE: Mild.
SMOKING AND DRINKING: None.
SEX: None, though there are mentions of it on a couple occasions.
VIOLENCE: Contains some mentions of violence.
FOR WHICH AUDIENCES? What the Constitution Means to Me contains some mature subject matter and may be more suitable for teens.
RATING: What the Constitution Means to Me might be rated “PG-13.”
THE PROM
SYNOPSIS: In desperate need of a noble cause to revive their public images, self-centered Broadway thespians Dee Dee Allen and Barry Glickman have come up with a foolproof plan to earn some positive publicity. In the national media, they read about Emma, a bright-eyed high-school student who has recently come out of the closet and only wants to take her girlfriend to the prom without drama. Intolerance and the local PTA stand in her way. The flamboyant celebrity activists and their fellow struggling actors, Angie Dickinson and Trent Oliver, head to the small town of Edgewater, Indiana, to right a wrong, with some hilarious bumps along the way. Eventually the community softens their hearts, sharing a message of inclusion and acceptance.
LANGUAGE: There is frequent language that you would find in the halls and classrooms of most high schools.
SMOKING AND DRINKING: The actors conceive their plan to help Emma while at a party where drinks are consumed.
SEX: None to speak of.
VIOLENCE: None.
FOR WHICH AUDIENCES? The Prom is suitable for teens and above, although some parents may be uncomfortable with the subject matter.
RATING: The movie version of The Prom was rated “PG-13” for some suggestive references and language.