LANDERS THEATRE

The Springfield Little Theatre, the oldest civic theatre operation of its size in Missouri, and one of the largest in mid-America, has announced its 2014-15 season.

The nine productions(three from the Kraft Family series) are:

• September 12-October 5, 2014 - Disneys Mary Poppins is one of the most popular movies of all time and a musical Broadway production earning seven Tony Award nominations.

• October 17-26, 2014 - The Phantom Tollbooth Jr, is a musical about Milo, age 10, whose bedroom dresser turns into a tollbooth, sending him on a merry adventure. - Kraft Family Series

• November 14-23, 2014 - A streetcar Named Desire is a play about an alcoholic, somewhat immoral and eventually psychotic Southern belle named Blanche DuBois and her sister Stella Kowalski and brother-in-law Stanley who take her into their urban home. It was written by American playwright Tennessee Williams for which he received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1949.

• December 5-14, 2014 - The Littlest Angel is the classic Christmas story of a little shepherd boy, age 4, newly arrived in heaven who tries to adjust to life in the hereafter. - Kraft Family Series

• January 23-February 8, 2015 - The 25th Annual Putnum County Spelling Bee is an audience participation musical that tells the tale of six quirky characters vying to win a spelling contest.

• February 20-March 1, 2015 - Disneys My Son Pinocchio Jris a light-hearted musical spin on the classic Pinocchio story in which Geppetto wishing for a new son finds his parenting skills are a bit rough. - Kraft Family Series

• April 3-19, 2015 - The Wizard of Oz is a musical play based on the 1900 book by Frank Baum and 1939 movie made famous by singer/actress Judy Garland traveling over the rainbow with her dog Toto.

• May 8-17, 2015 - Tuna Does Vegas! is a satire on small town life and attitudes and involves an eclectic group of citizens heading for Vegas to accompany a couple bent on renewing their wedding vows.

• June 12-28, 2015 - Dirty Rotten Scoundrels is a musical that takes place in a casino near the French Riviera where two con men try to settle their rivalry by betting on who can swindle a young American heiress out of $50.000 first.

Ticket purchases

Patron tickets (vouchers) may be purchased based on the following levels: Actor, $495, 16 vouchers; director, $990, 32 vouchers; producer, $1485, 48 vouchers; executive producer, $1980, 64 vouchers and angel, $2475, 80 vouchers. Patron tickets include attendance at private opening night events, ticket flexibility, priority seating, free ticket exchanges, free parking, tax deduction, 10% off additional tickets purchased and recognition in the Playbill. Specific rules regarding the use of vouchers may be found on their reverse side.

Season tickets are based on these options: (1) one ticket for each of the 9 performances; $121 per adult, $108 per senior and students and $75 for children 14 and under. (2) four tickets to be used for four different shows; $101 per adult, $$90 for seniors and students.

One ticket for the plays designated as Kraft Family Series performances are $36 for adults, seniors and students and $29 for children 14 and under.

History of the theatre

Fire is in the history of the Landers Theatre and its predecessor the Baldwin Theatre, first on January 6, 1909, when the Baldwin was completely demolished, and then in December 1920 when reportedly a boiler explosion destroyed much of the Landers. Reopened in May 1921 as part of the Orpheum Circuit, the Landers attracted many famous touring artists and vaudeville acts. In 1970 the Landers was purchased by the Springfield Little Theatre organization that had been in operation elsewhere since 1934. The theatre continues to undergo a series of restoration projects, preserving its original Baroque Renaissance/Napoleon style architecture and decor thanks to contributions from Springfield individuals and businesses and the city of Springfield's Hotel-Motel Tax Matching Fund. Recent restorations of the 641-seat structure, placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977, have been cited with awards from American Institute of Architects.

The Springfield Little Theatre, a volunteer driven organization, is located at 311 E. Walnut Ave., Springfield. The box office is open Mondays-Fridays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Please phone (417) 869-1334 for tickets.

Go Back