The Fantasticks

The longest running musical in U.S. history
Book and lyrics by Tom Jones, music by Harvey Schmidt Suggested by a play called “Les Romanesques,” by Edmund Rostand
Produced by special arrangement with Music Theatre International.

April 15 – June 1

Purchase Your Tickets Here
A Note from the Director
The Cast
Scenes and Musical Numbers
Technical and Artistic Staff
Cast Biographies
Theme Buffet Menu
Enjoy a Video of The Fantasticks
Photo Album
Review, Jeri Seely, The Paper

The Fantasticks opened in 1960 and by the time the final curtain was brought down in 2002, had played 17,162 performances thus becoming the longest running musical in U.S. history. The show’s producer Lore Noto stepped into the role of Hucklebee in 1971 and by 1986 had performed in well over 6,000 performances, garnering another longest running record. The Fantasticks is now in revival in the Snapple Theatre on Broadway starting a new run at its own record. Fittingly Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt wrote The Fantasticks for a summer theatre production at Barnard College. “Try to Remember” and “Soon It’s Gonna Rain” became part of the national culture. In reflection the Wall Street Journal called The Fantasticks “The Perfect Musical” upon its revival in 2006.

A Note from the Director

Welcome to The Round Barn Theatre at Amish Acres! Thank you for contributing to this evening’s magic. I feel honored to “return home” to share this timeless piece of art with you.

Some may view The Fantasticks as a simple story. In fact, when I accepted the offer to direct this musical, I felt the same way. However, the process of directing the show taught me that it holds more meaning than I ever imagined. My heart was exposed to multiple reasons why “this jazz symphony of human experience” has become the longest running musical in American theatre, as well as the most frequently produced musical in the entire world.

Amish Acres This evening, you will join the The Fantasticks legacy! It is a beautiful fairy tale about first love, lost love, and most importantly, true love. Love can be exciting, wonderful, intriguing, frightening, complicated, messy, hurtful, frustrating, and also, greatly worth it, once it is earned. The show revolves around growing into the season of maturity, knowledge, and reality. What story holds more universal meaning than that? Tonight, the troupe of players will use an assortment of devices from theatrical history, all of which have helped mold theatre into the incredible art form it is today. As Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt stated, “We took all the things we love about theatre and attempted to throw them into one little musical.” Again, I must ask, what can be more fulfilling and universal than that?

So, please sit back, relax, and trust that you, the audience, are truly a contributor to this evening’s story. I challenge you to use your imagination, as you “Try to Remember” a time of dreams and endless possibilities. I hope that tonight’s story will inspire you as much as sharing it has inspired all of us. After all, we are all storytellers trying to change the world with the stories we tell; and without an audience that “follows,” there would be no story.

~ Brett Egan Schrier

The Cast

The Narrator (El Gallo).....................Joe Ford

The Girl (Luisa)...............................Trisha Hart Ditsworth

The Boy (Matt)................................Michael Wolter

The Boy’s Father (Hucklebee)...........Matthew C. Scott

The Girl’s Father (Bellomy)..............Jeremy Littlejohn

The Old Actor (Henry).....................Don Hart

The Man Who Dies (Mortimer)..........Sam Brown

The Mute........................................Lance Mullins

Amish Acres

Scenes and Musical Numbers

Act I

Overture – Orchestra

Try to Remember – El Gallo, Luisa, Matt, Fathers

Much More – Luisa

Metaphor – Matt, Luisa

Never Say No – Fathers

It Depends on What You Pay – El Gallo, Fathers

It Depends on What You Pay (Reprise) – Fathers

Soon It’s Gonna Rain – Matt, Luisa

The Abduction Ballet – Orchestra

Happy Ending – Fathers, Luisa, Matt, El Gallo

Act II

Opening Act 2 – Orchestra

This Plum Is Too Ripe – Fathers, Matt, Luisa

I Can See It – Matt, El Gallo

An Episode – Mortimer, Henry

Rebuilding the Wall – Orchestra

Plant a Radish – Fathers

Much More (Reprise) – Luisa, El Gallo

‘Round and ‘Round – El Gallo, Luisa, Company

Beyond That Road – El Gallo, Matt

They Were You – Matt, Luisa

Metaphor (Reprise) – Matt, Luisa

Try to Remember (Reprise) – El Gallo, Company

Technical and Artistic Staff

Executive Producer: Richard Pletcher

Artistic Director: Jeremy Littlejohn

Director / Choreographer: Brett Egan Schrier

Music Director: Phil Rittner

Technical Director: Erin Ramer

Production Stage Manager: Regina Warren

Set Designer: Richard Pletcher

Costume Designer: Scott Saegesser

Lighting Designer: David Castaneda

Sound Designer: Paul Dodds

Master Carpenter: Alvin Yoder

Box Office Manager: Jennifer Scheffer

Marketing: The Village Group, LLC

Read the Technical and Artistic Staff Biographies

Cast Biographies

Sam Brown (Mortimer) A Nappanee native, Sam has been performing on stage in church, school and Community Theater since elementary school. His first professional work was for a local company, Playhouse Productions which performed dinner theater for various groups and businesses. Sam has been performing at the Round Barn Theater since 1997 and has held many posts here including House Manager, Props Master and Stage Manager. This will be his ninth season on the Joseph Stein Stage. Audiences may remember Sam in such roles as Jeff Douglas in Brigadoon, Charles Thompson in 1776, Dan King in Plain and Fancy, Schroeder in You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown, Reverend Ogelthorpe in Smoke on the Mountain, Lumiere in Beauty and the Beast and King Pellinore in Camelot. He also played the lead role of David Kolowitz in the Second Stage Production of Enter Laughing and recently played Uncle Louie in Lost in Yonkers. Sam enjoys writing as well as acting. He has written two plays and is currently working on a third.

Trisha Hart Ditsworth (Luisa) grew up in Mesa, Arizona but now lives in New York City. Cruise Ship contracts, an Asian Tour and Regional Theatre have kept her busy for the past few years. Trisha feels incredibly lucky to be doing what she loves. Special thanks to Mom and Dad!

Joe Ford (El Gallo) The Fantasticks marks Joe's 20th production at the RBT. The list begins with Fiddler on the Roof in 1996, and doesn't include his favorite show here to-date, last fall's staged reading of Floyd Collins (Floyd). His top five productions here in the last 12 years include Joseph...Dreamcoat (Joseph, 2002), 1776 (Edward Rutledge, 1998), West Side Story (Bernardo, 2002), The Secret Garden (Dr. Neville Craven, 2003) and The Wizard of Oz (Scarecrow, 2003). Recent favorites back home in Chicago are the world-premiere musical Madame X, and the Jeff Award-nominated American Premiere of Jerry Springer - The Opera.

Don Hart (Henry) is elated to return to The Round Barn Theatre for a second season. You might have seen Don in 2007 as the silent Eddie in Pump Boys and Dinettes and Isaac in Plain and Fancy. When he isn’t performing Don enjoys singing, playing guitar, bicycling and being in a business where he can meet people from all over the world! And he makes a decent bar of lye soap too. He hopes you will enjoy The Fantasticks! “Live your life.”

Jeremy Littlejohn (Bellomy) has worked for Amish Acres since 1997 and has appeared on the Joseph Stein Stage in over 30 different musicals. Favorite RBT credits include Barnaby in The Baker’s Wife, Judge Wilson in 1776, Dimas in Triumph of Love, Sancho in Man of La Mancha, Diesel in West Side Story, Archibald Craven in The Secret Garden, Roscoe Dexter in Singin’ in the Rain, Cowardly Lion in The Wizard of Oz, Johnny Brown in The Unsinkable Molly Brown, Horton the Elephant in Seussical, Cogsworth in Beauty and the Beast and Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof. He also appeared in the staged readings of Take Me Along as Sid, The Spitfire Grill as Caleb and Floyd Collins as Homer. In his spare time he is a private acting coach and obsesses over The Simpsons.

Lance Mullins (The Mute) is 19 years old and recently graduated from Northwood High School. Favorite roles include Mereb in Aida at Northwood, Lefou in Beauty and the Beast with Elkhart Civic Theatre, Charlie in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory with Nappanee Civic Theatre and High School Musical with The Round Barn Theatre in 2007. He was also recently seen in the RBT’s Second Stage Production of Lost in Yonkers as Jay. He can be seen back on the Joseph Stein Stage this summer in Willy Wonka. Some of his favorite hobbies include photography and writing music.

Matthew C. Scott (Hucklebee) returns to the Joseph Stein Stage after being seen last as Scrooge in A Christmas Carol and Trevor Graydon in Thoroughly Modern Millie. Matthew is excited about revisiting The Fantasticks after having played the character of Matt 20 years ago, but he is also a little chagrinned at now having to play Matt's father. Some of Matthew's favorite roles include the Baker in Into the Woods, Henry Saunders in Lend Me a Tenor, and Aslan in Narnia for which he was nominated for best actor in a musical.

Michael Wolter (Matt) is very excited to make his debut at the Round Barn! Michael is the proudest of natives of Red Wing, Minnesota, and a graduate of New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. Regional credits include Motel in Fiddler on the Roof and Protean/Hero U.S. in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (Arizona Broadway Theatre) and Don Pedro in Mananas de Abril y Mayo (National Theatre for Arts and Education). In NYC Michael appeared as Patroclus in Troilus and Cressida (SoHo Rep) and Charles Darcy in Pride and Prejudice (Stella Adler Studio). Michael thanks The Round Barn and Amish Acres for this great opportunity and dedicates his performance to his Mom, Dad, Sarah, Heidi and Christopher.