Shows will be performed at the historic Sorg Opera House (63 S. Main St.) since MLT and SORG partnered for continued programming in April.
Here’s what is planned:
- “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown”: 8 p.m. Friday, May 1; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, May 2; and 2 p.m. Sunday, May 3
- “The Nance”: 8 p.m. Friday, June 26; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, June 27; and 2 p.m. Sunday, June 28
- “Pippin”: 8 p.m. Friday, July 31; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, August 1; and 2 p.m. Sunday, August 2
- “Master Class”: 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 2; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 3; and 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 4
- “A Christmas Carol: A Live Radio Play with Music”: 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 18; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 19; and 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 20
Shafor said each show connects with MLT’s ongoing mission “to highlight and celebrate people from all...walks of life.”
“Every show has some kind of lesson to learn,” he said.
This year, MLT has two productions to be performed at the 134-year-old Sorg Opera House: “Seussical” (8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 8; 3 and 8 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 9) and “Rehearsal for Murder” (8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 19; 3 and 8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 20).
“Rehearsal for Murder,” a murder-mystery play, will raise funds for Sorg Opera House lobby and dressing room renovations.
MLT announced its closure late last year after 46 seasons and 16 years at 1530 Central Ave. Its last show, “The Glass Menagerie,” was in September.
MLT, which started in 1978, was housed in the Arts in Middletown (AIM) building. After AIM closed in 2002, Middletown Fine Arts Center (now known as the Middletown Arts Center) bought the building and took over operations.
Shafor said MLT “happened on a space” on Central Ave., which became its home for 16 years. Shafor, who had been living and teaching in Delaware, moved back to Middletown in 2007 and took over MLT as president.
Nancy Griffith, Sorg Opera Revitalization Group president, reached out to Shafor around the time MLT left its Central Avenue space to see if he’d be interested in using the Sorg Opera House.
Shafor sees this partnership as the “next phase” of MLT as it finds its new home at the Sorg Opera House.
“There’s a lot of exciting things ahead, I think, for both organizations,” he said.
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