Powerhouse Theatre Collaborative announces 2022 season

LACONIA — Powerhouse Theatre Collaborative, the theatre program at the Belknap Mill and resident theatre company of the Colonial Theatre, has announced their planned lineup for the 2022 season, generously sponsored by Spectacle Live. Like in 2021, Powerhouse will be producing a “Mill Series” and a “Colonial Series.”

The 2022 “Colonial Series” will be sponsored by RE/MAX Bayside and begins in February with Matt Cox’s hilarious and heartwarming comedy "Puffs or 7 Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic and Magic." While the setting may sound familiar to anyone who has read a book or seen a movie in the past 20 years, the heroes in this play are the loveable losers known as ‘Puffs.’

Up next are two big musicals — May brings "Something Rotten!" by Wayne and Karey Kirkpatrick and John O’Farrell. A comedic mashup of Shakespeare and Broadway, two brothers set out to write the world’s first musical.

August will bring "Seussical" by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty. With roles for kids and adults, this family friendly musical brings many of Dr. Seuss’ most popular stories to life on stage.

October will hold a collaboration between Powerhouse and many Lakes Region High School theatre programs jointly producing John Cariani’s very popular play, "Almost, Maine." This sentimental comedy based in the fictional Maine town consists of nine short plays, each to be produced by a different school, and brought together at the Colonial so theatre kids from all over the region can work collaboratively under Powerhouse’s oversight.

The Colonial Series will wrap up in December with the return of "A Christmas Carol: The Musical Ghost Story," an adaptation by Joel Mercier, produced in collaboration with NCCA at Jean’s Playhouse, the same production that is wrapping up the 2021 season this December in what will hopefully become an annual tradition.

Powerhouse’s “Mill Series” actually kicks off the 2022 season in January with a staged reading of "My Backyard," a new musical by Krisanthi Pappas and Bryan Halperin. A struggling composer returns to the safety of her hometown to find musical inspiration in her backyard. Inspired by the themes of Our Town, this musical caps off the 7 week Celebrate Our Town — Laconia project.

February brings Powerhouse’s first full production to the Mill’s Rose Chertok Gallery with a musical version of "Daddy Long Legs" by John Caird and Paul Gordon. Based on the book that inspired the Fred Astaire movie of the same name, this is a Cinderella story about a young woman and her mysterious benefactor.

The Mill Series finishes with three staged readings — the comedy "I Hate Hamlet" by Paul Rudnick in May, "Angel Street (Gaslight)" by Patrick Hamilton in September, and "Cul-de-sac" by John Cariani in November.

Powerhouse is also planning a special event in fall 2022 in collaboration with Prescott Farm in Laconia, called “The Arborlogues.” More information on this unique theatrical experience will be forthcoming at a later date.

Says Bryan Halperin, Powerhouse producer, “Our late starting 2021 season has been a success in introducing Powerhouse to the community. We have over 40 people involved in both Our Town and A Christmas Carol. We can’t wait to start 2022 off with a bang and bring more opportunities for community members to participate and collaborate with us throughout the year at both the Colonial and the Mill.”

For all the news on Powerhouse check out powerhousenh.org.

Contact powerhouse@belknapmill.org for more details on these productions and other opportunities to get involved or become a sponsor.