If you haven’t yet attended—or participated in—a production at Northern Stage in White River Junction, Vermont, then you’re missing out on a gleaming sliver of culture and entertainment in the Upper Valley. This award-winning, professional regional theater was founded in 1997 and has been offering outstanding performances ever since. Read on to discover the past, present, and future of this remarkable microcosm of theater.

Northern Stage offers professional-quality theater in a venue that is accessible to Upper Valley locals, the Dartmouth community, and visitors alike. Shows are performed by top professionals from New York City, alongside talented local actors from the Upper Valley. Kids can get involved in the Theater Education Program, offering students over age 4 the opportunity to learn the ropes. And once kids get a taste of the magic of theater, they often convince other family members, adults included, to try out or revisit acting as a pastime. Holiday performances often boast a cast of local children and their parents or older siblings in the chorus. This interface between local talent and visiting professionals produces shows that are full of experience, familiar faces, and local flavor.  

Looking ahead to the upcoming 2015–2016 season, Northern Stage has a unique and exciting lineup. Mary Poppins will light up the stage from November 18 through January 3. This family pleaser offers a great cultural activity for your family this holiday season. Certainly grandparents and other relatives will love accompanying their young grandchildren to this heartwarming show. With music and dancing, this show is for all audiences, especially for anyone who’s ever tried to spell “supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” (you can double-check my spelling at the show!).

Mad Love, a “hysterical look at romance in the age of hook-ups and cell phones,” will follow from January 27 to February 13. This is a world premier production of this play, and it will be sure to appeal to adolescents and young adults, even those who claim they would prefer to be on their smartphones. This show promises to be both hilarious and relevant to our time.

The Hound of the Baskervilles, a Sir Arthur Conan Doyle classic, will be performed from February 24 through March 12. This detective-story spoof offers timeless humor. Following that, The Mountaintop will nearly cap off the season from March 23 through April 9. This award-winning play offers a momentous view into the soul of Martin Luther King, Jr. Last but certainly not least, The Norman Conquests: Living Together will round out the season. From April 20 to May 8, this show will offer another hysterical rendition of a classical trope in a modern setting. It’s a sort of British soap opera on stage, full of romance and family tensions.

Northern Stage is looking forward to many more successful seasons with the advancement of The Campaign for Northern Stage: New Home, Bright Future. This nine-million-dollar campaign promises to build a new theater and a financial endowment. Ground for the new stage has already been broken, and an anticipated ribbon-cutting and open house took place in October 2015. The campaign still needs your support, though. If you support the arts, learn more and donate here.

Don’t wait! Buy tickets now for the show that most tickles you fancy! Visit the website to check availability and make a reservation. In fact, tickets to a Northern Stage production make great stocking stuffers!