Phantom Theater’s summer offerings: ‘Something for everyone’

June 29, 2024  |  By Kate Youngdahl-Stauss

In the Mad River Valley, nothing says summer like theater in a barn.

Now in its 39th year, Phantom Theater returns to the beautiful Edgcomb Barn in Warren for a season rich with theater, dance, circus arts, music and storytelling. 

“Phantom 2024 hits the sweet spot with something for everyone,” said Artistic Director Tracy Martin.

Act I: Circus

Everything kicks off Tuesday, July 9, with a family favorite: Kevin O’Keefe and Circus Minimus. Though he hails from New York City, O’Keefe is a familiar face in the Valley, where he has appeared on stage and has run numerous residencies at local elementary schools. 

While “minimus” may signify the scale of the circus which magically fits in a suitcase, the entertainment is absolutely “maximus.” O’Keefe’s love of circus arts is infectious, and members of the audience are always invited to get in on the act. 

A second circus offering, “Our Lady of the Home,” aims for a more mature audience Friday-Sunday, Aug. 9-11, when Canadian contemporary circus performer Liza combines aerial acrobatics, contortion, comedy and illusion in a compelling one-woman show set in the 1960s. An exploration of the troubling history of women and madness, this is a poignant tale of self-reclamation.

Act II: Theater

This season’s theatrical offerings shine a light on three very different styles of comedy.  All hands will be on deck when a crackerjack crew of Phantom all-stars from New York City, Los Angeles and San Francisco present “Blow Me Down! A Pirate Play in Three Acts” on Friday and Saturday, Aug. 2-3. An original work by Brooklyn playwright St. John Frizell, it promises gales of laughter and salty humor. 

Pamela Rickard performs Samuel Beckett’s “Happy Days,” Aug. 17-18. Courtesy photo

At the opposite end of the spectrum is Samuel Beckett’s “Happy Days,” widely considered his greatest showcase for an actress. Warren’s own Pamela Rickard plays a woman who is literally buried up to her waist yet continues to talk Aug. endlessly – about life’s trivialities. A darkly hilarious homage to humanity’s ability to ignore ever-present death, this masterwork of absurdism will be staged Friday-Saturday, Aug. 17-18.

Somewhere in the middle of the comic spectrum lies “Cry It Out” by Molly Smith Metzler. Director Joanne Greenberg and actress Maren Langdon Spillane team up once more in a contemporary story about three neighbors who start out as strangers and discover the sometimes bumpy intersection of motherhood, female friendship and class. Playing Thursday through Saturday, Aug. 22-24.

Act III: Music

Cellist Miranda Henne and musical friends play as Henne and Company Aug. 30-31. Courtesy photo

There’s music for every taste this summer, launching with a dance party by hometown hero Ella Holter and her L.A.-based rock band Ella Grace. A member of one of the Valley’s most musical families, Ella played Phantom last year and brought the house down. She’ll surely do so again on Saturday, July 18. 

Jazz aficionados and lovers of the American songbook eagerly await the return of Peter and Will Anderson – New York’s twin virtuoso saxophonists – on Friday, Aug. 16. The Washington Post lauds their work for “consistently bringing a fresh perspective to classic pop and jazz tunes.” In this outing, they’ll focus their signature swinging arrangements and animated storytelling on Cole Porter, composer of hits like “Night and Day” and “Anything Goes.”  Also featuring guitarist Adam Moezinia.

Classical repertoire gets a brilliant twist when world-class cellist Miranda Henne appears on Friday and Saturday, Aug. 30-31. Collaborating with friends from diverse musical backgrounds (last year this included a bluegrass banjo player!), Henne and Company will delight both traditionalists and classical newbies.

Act IV: Dance

Phantom’s reputation for bringing daring choreography to the Valley continues this summer with three shows by some of Vermont's finest dancers. 

For the past three years, Chimera Art Co-Lab has gathered dancers from diverse backgrounds including Waitsfield’s Larissa Ursprung, for an experimental residency. On Saturday, July 20, they will present new work as well as the now-completed piece, “The Space[s] We Hold,” which debuted at Phantom in 2022.

Choreographer, musician, filmmaker and rising Vermont star Millie Heckler brings her troupe, Female Funeral Soul, on Friday and Saturday, July 26-27 to present the newly commissioned performance “Subtle Rage.” Through movement, vocalization, and imagination, the piece explores rage and forgiveness. A former lecturer at the University of Vermont who has received international acclaim, Heckler makes work that provokes thought and promotes healing.

The art of improvisation shines on Wednesday, Aug. 28, with “soft rocks and movement collective.” Conceptual artist and choreographer Hanna Satterlee takes the floor with dancers Jessie Owens and Danielle Tekut along with live music by Matt LaRocca, Jeremy Frederick and Kyle Saulnier in an immersive place-based performance.

But wait, there’s more

A fan favorite closes out the season: a Moth storytelling event on Sunday, Sept. 1. Stay tuned for the theme! 

Find more information about the artists and performances, as well as show times and ticket details for all of Phantom’s programming online at phantomtheater.org.