Interlakes Theatre's shows go on, despite challenges

MEREDITH — Nancy Barry has been producing Interlakes Theatre shows for 17 years — longer than she’s done anything, she said — and it hasn’t gotten any easier. Royalties for show titles are nearly double what they once were, nearly every other expense has also risen significantly, yet ticket demand is only beginning to match what it was prior to the pandemic.

“The struggle is real,” Barry said in an interview Thursday about the upcoming four-show season, which starts on Wednesday, July 3.

Yet, if she needs to know why she keeps up with the struggle, all she needs to do is take a walk through the theater district in New York City.

“We have someone in every single show that’s running on Broadway, and the national Broadway tours,” Barry said, referring to performers who spent a summer in Meredith while they were still building their resumes. “It’s just insane, I can go to any theater on Broadway, walk into the lobby, and see my people’s names” in the cast for that theater’s show.

Interlakes Theatre, which Barry advertises as “Broadway in the Lakes Region,” brings in professional actors, largely from New York, to produce musicals which have enchanted theatergoers in New York and around the world.

This year’s lineup features “Newsies” July 3-14, “Chicago” July 17-28, “Legally Blonde” July 31-Aug. 11, and “Million Dollar Quartet” for one week only, Aug. 14-18.

If July is too long to wait, there’s a solution this year. Interlakes Theatre is presenting “Old Friends,” a fundraising gala, on the evening of Saturday, June 1, and the afternoon of Sunday, June 2, at the Lakeport Opera House. The gala, which also includes a silent auction, offers Barry the chance to bring back some of the stars of previous Interlakes seasons, while also providing some revenue at a time when all of the expenses of a season are upon her, yet it’s still a couple of weeks before her first show.

“Periodically we do a show in May, we’ve done shows at Christmastime, we’ve done a spring show,” Barry said. The “Old Friends” show, she said, will be “like a cabaret. There’s going to be some solos, some duets, some will talk about our history and our successes. Mostly they’re just going to have fun with each other.”

It’s also being held in an intimate setting that’s both historic and modern. “I love the Lakeport Opera House, it’s such a sweet venue,” Barry said.

Sales from the event will help jump-start the business plan for the 2024 season, which is resulting in some significant costs. Barry said royalties for the four shows total around $50,000, and the cost to house the cast and crew is also in the tens of thousands. “We need to get ourselves kicked off for the season. Any extra cash is going to help us,” she said.

“It’s startup funding, and if people can’t come and they still want to contribute they can donate online.” For details about the fundraiser, visit interlakestheatre.com.

Barry said she was reluctant to raise ticket prices more than a few dollars, because she would rather grow her audience. The 2024 lineup of shows is designed to do just that.

“Newsies,” a Disney musical about a feisty group of newspaper-selling children, is Barry’s offering for audience members of all ages. “We did it for one week in 2018 and it sold out,” she said, noting that she even put an audience member, who showed up last minute, on a stool. “When I looked at my season, I wanted a family show. It’s got young characters, it’s got a great message, it’s clean, it’s wholesome.”

The second show, “Chicago,” is also a favorite of local fans, though it’s decidedly a bit racier than “Newsies.”

“We’re doing it very much in the style of the Broadway tour, slimmed-down, less Vaudeville, great story, great dancing,” Barry said about "Chicago," noting frequent collaborator Gustavo Wons will be directing and choreographing the show.

“Legally Blonde” will be a new title for Interlakes audiences. The musical, based on the 2001 film that has since become a cultural touchstone, is Barry’s invitation to a new generation of theater fans.

“We’ve never done it before,” Barry said about “Legally Blonde.” After seeing the show in person, she said, “What I discovered about it, it’s really fun. It’s just fun, and that’s a really good thing. The people who are coming to see this are probably younger people, and they maybe haven’t come here before.”

The season ends with “Million Dollar Quartet,” which tells the true story of a meeting in Sun Studios between Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and a young Jerry Lee Lewis.

She first saw the show years ago, she said. “When I first saw it, I said, 'My audience would love this show, but my audience hasn’t heard of this show.'” Since then, the title has become better known, a fact reflected in its strong ticket sales — at least one date for “Million Dollar Quartet” has already sold out.

Producing professional theater in the Lakes Region continues to be a challenge, even after 17 years, Barry said. For example, she’s still searching for places to house some of the talent she has contracted for this summer.

However, early returns are promising. Last year, her sales just about matched her pre-pandemic figures, and her pre-season sales this year are ahead of where she was at this point in 2023.

Even more important to Barry, though, is the talent she’s going to be able to host this summer.

“I’m excited because we really did get some great, great people.”