Category Archives: Announcements

Registration is now open for Youth Theatre Workshop Summer 2024

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Youth Theatre Workshop Session I & II and Internship Opportunities.

Youth Theatre Workshop 2024

We are delighted to announce plans for this summer’s Youth Theatre Workshop, now in its 14th year. There will be two programs, as there was in the past few years. Auditions are used to assign roles to all the workshop participants.

The workshop for Younger kids, in grades 1 thru 8, will be July 8 thru 19, Monday thru Friday, 9 AM to 4 PM. Leading up to performances of the junior musical A Year With Frog and Toad KIDS, on Fri-Sat-Sun 19-20-21 July 2024. The auditions will be Sunday 30 June starting at 4:00 PM. The callback auditions will be Monday 1 July at 6:00 PM. Both the auditions and callbacks will also be meet & greet session for parents.

The junior musical show for Older kids, in grades 6 thru 12 will be Xanadu Jr. Performances will be Fri-Sat-Sun 23-24-25 August 2024. Auditions will be on Tuesday 18 June at 7:00 PM, with callbacks on Thursday 20 June at 7:00 PM. Rehearsals will be on three weekday evenings, starting the last week of June.

Much of the staff is returning from last year. For the Younger kids the stage director will be Britt Mitchell, the choreographer will be Amanda Allen, the musical director will be KG Spungen, and the tech director will be Sean Perry. For the Older kids, the stage director will be Becca Griffing, and the musical director will also be KG Spungen.

The registration materials and more details are coming soon.

If we are unable to secure the rights to perform Frog and Toad, we will instead present Disney’s Alice in Wonderland JR.


Adapted from the three-time-Tony-nominated Broadway hit comes A Year with Frog and Toad KIDS. Based on Arnold Lobel’s well-loved books, the jazzy, upbeat score bubbles with melody. Part vaudeville, part make-believe, and all charm, A Year with Frog and Toad KIDS tells the story of a friendship that endures throughout the seasons.

This whimsical show follows two great friends – the cheerful, popular Frog, and the rather grumpy Toad – through four fun-filled seasons. Waking from hibernation, Frog and Toad plant gardens, swim, rake leaves, go sledding and learn life lessons along the way. Throughout the year, two best friends celebrate and rejoice in the differences that make them unique and special, along with their friends Turtle, Mouse, Lizard, Snails, Birds, Moles, and Squirrels.


Xanadu JR. is inspired by the Tony Award-nominated Broadway musical and the Universal Pictures’ cult classic movie that starred Olivia Newton-John and Gene Kelly.  Xanadu JR. is a moving, electrifying tale of endless fun that will keep audiences in stitches while the original, legendary chart-topping tunes lift them out of their seats.

Xanadu JR. follows the journey of a magical and beautiful Greek muse, Kira, who descends from the heavens of Mt. Olympus to Venice Beach, California, on a quest to inspire a struggling artist, Sonny, to achieve the greatest artistic creation of all time – the first Roller Disco. (Hey, it’s 1980!) But, when Kira falls into forbidden love with the mortal Sonny, her jealous sisters take advantage of the situation, and chaos abounds.


Step into the wacky world of Wonderland in this vibrant new retelling of a Disney classic!

Fall down the rabbit hole with Alice as she navigates the curious world of Wonderland on a journey of self-discovery. When young Alice finds herself in a strange world where everything seems upside down, she must find her way home…and find herself along the way. As she travels through Wonderland, she encounters all of the iconic characters that audiences have come to love: including the ever-tardy White Rabbit, the grinning Cheshire Cat, a cool Caterpillar, the wacky Mad Hatter, and the hot-tempered Queen of Hearts.

Alice in Wonderland JR. features Disney favorites such as “The Golden Afternoon,” “The Unbirthday Song,” and “Painting the Roses Red” along with brand-new songs, including music from the 2010 live-action film. Whether this is your first experience with Alice or your hundredth, you’ll fall in love all over again with this timeless story of adventure, imagination, and pure fun!

Lance Norris

The Theatre Company of Saugus regrets the passing of Lance Norris, on December 10, 2023. He was an actor, director, and radio personality. He directed the TCS production of the play Sabrina Fair in November 2009. Here is a link to his Wikipedia page. 

Here is a link to obituary information.

Nominations to the Board of Directors / Election Sunday 10 December


The Theatre Company of Saugus is managed by a Board of Directors. There are nine members serving staggered three-year terms. Each year we hold an election to fill vacant positions.

This year three board members are retiring at the end of their terms, and one open term has a year to go because of a resignation. We thank Matt Garlin, Victoria Isotti, Lauren Lyon, and Deirdre Shaw for their service on the board the past several years. Those continuing on the board include Jeff Bliss, Billy Jenkins, Sherri Raftery, Larry Segel, and Ben Tan.

We are nominating three people for election to the board: Mark Damon, Lauren Thompson, and Kaycee Wilson. We are also still seeking an additional person to fill the fourth opening on the board. We need knowledgeable and responsible theater people to help manage the company.

Additional nominations can be made from the floor prior to the election vote. This will happen in person at our Annual Membership Meeting, which is during our holiday party event next Sunday 10 December 2023 starting at 2:00 PM at the American Legion Post 210 / 44 Taylor Street / Saugus, Massachusetts 01906. All members of the company for 2023 are eligible to vote.

Mark Damon and Lauren Thompson were in our recent production of Little Shop of Horrors, and have been in previous TCS shows. Kaycee Wilson was the director of Zombie Prom and was in Comedy of Errors.

Following the election, the board will meet and elect the officers of the company: President, Vice President, Treasurer, Recording Secretary, Corresponding Secretary. This meeting will be on Wednesday 13 December at 7:30 PM via Zoom. The meeting includes all retiring, continuing, and newly elected board members.

In addition to the regular Board of Directors, we also have Alternate Board Members. They also attend board meetings and can vote if we need additional people to make up a quorum.

Want to get involved but not yet ready to commit to several years? Alternate board members serve for one-year terms. Alternate board members for 2024 will also be selected at the Annual Meeting/Party. Current Alternate members include: Heather Beatty, Dylan Bushe, Rosemary DeGregorio, and Jill Sliby. Deirdre Shaw is interested in joining the Alternate board.

What is required of regular board members?

  • Attendance at monthly board meetings, at which we decide what shows to do, interview and hire directors and other staff, plan events, etc. Currently these meetings have been on Wednesday evenings starting at 7:30 PM, via Zoom. Meetings usually last one to two hours.
  • Some of the board members are Officers, serving one-year terms: President, Vice President, Treasurer, Recording Secretary, Corresponding Secretary.
  • Serving on committees: Play Reading / Production Planning, Nominating, Scholarship, Finance, etc. This requires just a few extra meetings.
  • Being available to work on shows, during Auditions and from Load-In to Strike.
  • Other tasks for which you have a skill or interest: Publicity, Marketing, Recruiting good talent, Technical Theater, Producing

Board members are not always exclusive to TCS, they may work for other theatre groups, as long as they can fulfill their obligations to TCS.

Please contact us ASAP if you have any questions or interest. Write to us at TCSaugus@gmail.com and we will get back to you.

Holiday Party/Meeting Sunday 10 December

All are invited to our Big Event. This is our Holiday-Season Party, celebrating our successful shows in 2023, combined with a Celebration of the 55th year of our business entertaining the region with great musicals, comedies, and dramas, and training the next generation of theatre kids. It is also our Annual Membership Meeting and election of Board of Directors members. And it is a Cabaret for anyone who wants to perform.

The event is on Sunday 10 December 2023, from 2 PM to 6 PM. At our home at the American Legion Post 210 / 44 Taylor Street / Saugus, Massachusetts 01906. It’s a potluck, bring your favorite food to share. The bar will be open, featuring inexpensive beverages, both liquors and soft drinks.

The casts and staff of all our shows in 2023 are invited to reunite at the event, including Comedy of ErrorsPeter and the StarcatcherWizard of OzShrek, and Little Shop of Horrors.

Please contact us if you have any questions or want to help set up the party. Write to us at TCSaugus@gmail.com and we will get back to you.

Announcing our Cast for “Little Shop of Horrors”

TCS is pleased to share with you our talented cast for Little Shop of Horrors – our Fall 2023 musical theater production! You may have seen the original 1960 Roger Corman black & white film with a VERY young Jack Nicholson as one of the dentist’s patients. Or perhaps you heard the musical theater version early on in 1982 when it was Off-Broadway? Ellen Greene, who originated Audrey, reprised her role in the next movie version… Or were introduced to the musical film version of 1986 with Rick Moranis as Seymour Krelborn?

For more information about this production, please visit the show page.

TCS is nominated for many 2022-23 DASH Awards, and wins one

The nominations for the 2022-23 EMACT DASH Awards were announced on July 23, 2023. EMACT is the Eastern Massachusetts Association of Community Theatres, and the DASH awards are like the local Tony awards.

The Theatre Company of Saugus production of Zombie Prom, presented in October 2022, received seven nominations, and was the winner of one of the awards:

  • WINNER! – Supporting Performer in a Male Identifying Role in a Musical – Sean Perry as Eddie Flagrante
  • Lead Performer in a Female-Identifying Role in a Musical – Mia Mercurio as Toffee
  • Sound Design for a Musical – Shawn Gelzleichter, Tyler Bliss, and James Wlodyka
  • Hair and Makeup Design for a Musical – James Valentin and Kaycee Wilson
  • Props Design for a Musical – Lauren Lyons
  • Musical Direction – Shawn Gelzleichter
  • Best Musical Production

The TCS production of Peter and the Starcatcher, presented in May 2023, earned an acting nomination:

  • Lead Performer in a Male-Identifying Role in a Play – Kaleigh Ryan as Black Stache

Other current or former TCS members were nominated for their work at other theatre companies:

  • Lead Female Role in a Play – Allison Rudmann Putnam for Handbagged at The Hovey Players
  • Lead Female Role in a Play – Michelle Mount for Dancing at Lughnasa at Arlington Friends of the Drama
  • Supporting Female Role in a Play – Rebecca Greene for Equivocation at Marblehead Little Theatre
  • Lead Female Role in a Musical – Emily Sheeran for Bat Boy The Musical at The Burlington Players
  • Director of a Musical – Paul Gymziak for Next to Normal at Dramatically Incorrect Theater Group & Dance Company
  • Choreography – Will Fafard for Tuck Everlasting at Marblehead Little Theatre
  • Set Design for a Play – Nathan Fogg-DeSisto for A Christmas Story at Massasoit Theatre Company
  • Makeup and Hair Design for a Musical – Will Farfard for Bat Boy: The Musical at Burlington Players
  • WINNER! – Makeup and Hair Design for a Musical – Will Fafard for Chicago at Pentucket Players
  • WINNER! – Consultant Choice Award – Dom Pappagallo for “Outstanding Solo” in Rent at Riverside Theatre Works

The cast of Zombie Prom performed at the DASH Gala on Saturday 19 August 2023, at which the winners of each award were announced. Click here for the complete list of nominations and awards. Click here for information about the gala.

Amy DeMarco accepting the award on behalf of Sean Perry at the DASH Gala.
The cast of Zombie Prom performing at the DASH Gala.

Announcing the Cast of Shrek The Musical, JR.

We’re excited to announce the cast of our Summer Intensive for grades 8-12 of our production of Shrek The Musical, JR.

Leading the programming this summer are:

  • Acting Coach – Rebecca Griffing
  • Music Coach – Katarina Spungen
  • Dance Coach – Victoria Isotti
  • Technical Director – Sean Perry
  • Stage Manager – Chelsea Sutherland
  • Producers – Amanda Allen & Heather Beatty

Performances are AUG 18-20. Visit our tickets page for more details. TCSaugus.org/tickets