Shawnee Mission (North since 1959) Theatre Department History

In 1942 Shawnee Mission High School became the second Thespian Troupe to be charted in the state of Kansas!

(Information compiled by Maureen Davis beginning in 1999.)

1942

Old Virginia

Footloose

Double Door

by Elizabeth McFadden 

What a Life

by Clifford Goldsmith

1943

Georgie Porgy

Every Family Has One

by George Batson

Incognito

by N. Richard Nusbaum

1944

HMS Pinafore

Jane Eyre

novel by Charlotte Brant's, drama by Robert Johnson

1945

Smilin’ On

Mumbo Jumbo

by Jack Barnard

The Charm School

by Alice Duer Miller and Robert Milton

1950

Ins and Outs

1952

Lost Horizon

by James Hilton adapted by Anne Coulter Mrtens and Christopher Sergal

Wow

1953

Our Town

by Thorton Wilder

Good Housekeeping

by William McCleery

1954

Seventeenth Summer

book by Maureen Daley, adapted by Anne Coulter Martens

Mr. Barry’s Etchings

by Walter Bullock and Daniel Archer

1955 (Virnelle Fletcher, theatre teacher 1955-1968)

Phantom Tiger

Cinderella Cottage Brigadoon

1956

The People vs. Maxine Lowell

Father Knows Best

Adapted by Kristin Sergel from the radio-play Edward James

1957

The Little Dog Laughed

Dino

by Reginald Rose Adapted Roso, adapted by Kristin Sergel

1958

Oklahoma!

by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hamerstein II

Submerged

Early Frost

by Douglas Parkhirst

The Singapore Spider

1959

The Pajama Game

by George Abbott and Richard Bissel, Richard Adler and Jerr Ross

Our Hearts Were Young and Gay

by Jean Kerr from Cornelie Otis Skinner and Emily Kimbrough classic

Happy Journey from Camden to Trenton

1960

The King and I

by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II

A Murder Has been Arranged

by Emlyn Williams

Take Care of My Little Girl 

1961

Ladies of the Jury

by Fred Ballard

The Desert Song

by Oscar Hammerstein II, Otto Harbach, Frank Mandel, and Sigmund Romberg

Caught in the Villain's Web

by Herbert E. Swayne

Submerged 

1962

Tiger House

January Thaw

William Roos, Adapted from novel by Bellamy Partridge

Cinderella

Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hamerstein II

1963

One Acts

Antic Spring

by Robert Neil

Dust of the Road

by Kenneth Sawyer Goodman

Death of the Hired Man

based on poem by Robert Frost, dramatized by Jay Reid Gould

Mouse Trap

by Agatha Christie

Guys and Dolls

by Jo Sweling and Abe Burrows, Frank Loesser

1964

If a Man Answers

novel by Winifred Wolfe, adapted by David Rodgers

Where’s Charley?

by George Abbott and Frank Loesser

1984

book by George Orwell, adapted by Robert Owens, Wilton E Hall Jr. and William A Miles Jr.

1965

The Marriage Machine

Bye Bye Birdie

by Michael Stewart, Charles Strouse, Lee Adams

Tom Jones

book by Henry Fielding, adapted by David Rodgers

1966

Thunder on Sycamore Street

by Reginald Rose, adapted by Kristin Sergel

Rally Round the Flag Boys!

book by Max Shulman, adapted by David Rodgers

Carnival!

by Bob Merril and Michael Stewart

1967  (Roma Drevets theatre teacher 1967-1979)

Brigadoon

by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe

1968 

Abe Lincoln in Illinois

by Robert E. Sherwood

The Robe

All the Way Home

by Tad Mosel

The Crucible

by Authur Miller

1969  (Yvonne Sutter, theatre teacher 1969-1978)

Look Homeward Angel

by Ketti Frings, novel by Thomas Wolf

Tales of the Pacific

1970

The Impossible Years

by Bob Fisher and Arthur Marx

Branded

The Widow’s Plight

by Louise Helliwell and Marion H. Willoughby

Inherit the Wind

by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee

Design for Murder

by George Batson

1971

Don’t Drink the Water

by Woody Allen

Serpent Message

A Night of One Acts:  Crawling Arnold, Rats, To Burn a Witch, The Man Who Came to Dinner

1972

Disaster

Brigadoon

by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe

The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie

by Jay Allen, from the novel by Muriel Spark

1973

Voices of Change

Snow White

by Edna Kuder and Frederick Loewe

Footlights

Bad Seed

by Maxwell Anderson, from William March's novel

The Man of La Mancha

by Dale Wasserman, Mitch Leigh and Joe Darion

The Man Who Came to Dinner

by Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman

Comings and Goings

by Megan Terry

An Overpraised Season

by Richard S. Dunlop

Voices of Chance

1974

Take Her, She's Mine

by Phoebe Ephron and Henry Ephron

Picnic

by William Inge

Applause

by Betty Comeden, Adolph Green, Charles Strouse, and Lee Adams

The Boyfriend

The Entertainer

by John Osborne

Studio Theatre '74

1975

Waiting for the Bus

Cast Up by the Sea

Sandra and Janitor

House of Blue Leaves

by John Guare

Studio Theatre '75

1976

The Miracle Worker

By William Gibson

Anything Goes

By Cole Porter, Guy Bolten, R.G. Wodehouse, Howard Lidsey, and Russel Crouse

Up the Down Staircase

Book by Bel Kaufman Dramatized by Christopher Sergal

Studio Theatre '76

1977

Once Upon a Mattress

by Mary Rodgers, Marshall Barer, Jay Thompson and Dean Fuller

Ten Little Indians

by Agathe Christie

Alice in Wonderland

by Blanche Martin

Razzle Dazzle

1978-79 (Frank Robertson, theatre teacher 1978-1985, Margaret McClatchey, theatre teacher 1978- 2005)

Advanced Repertory Theatre performed and toured children's theatre

Harvey

Bus Stop

by William Inge

Ninth Annual Thespian Honors and Awards Banquet

1979-80

Advanced Repertory Theatre performed and toured children's theatre

The Fantastics

The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail

1980-81

Advanced Repertory Theatre performed and toured children's theatre

The Rainmaker

N. Richard Nash

Take Me Along

by Bob Merrill, Robert Russell. Joseph Stein. Based on a play by Eugene O’Neill

Our Town

By Thornton Wilder

Eleventh Annual Thespian Honors and Awards Banquet

1981-82

Advanced Repertory Theatre performed and toured children's theatre

I Never Sang For My Father

by Robert Anderson

You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown

by Clark Guesser and Andrew Lippa

Born Yesterday

by Garson Kanin

Twelfth Annual Thespian Honors and Awards Banquet

1982-83

Advanced Repertory Theatre performed and toured children's theatre

Look Homeward Angel

by Ketti Frings, Novel by Thomas Wolfe

Cinderella

by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II

Arsenic and Old Lace

by Joseph Kesselring

1983-84

Advanced Repertory Theatre performed and toured children's theatre

Miracle Worker

by William Gibson

Two by Two

by Richard Rodgers, Peter Stone, Martin Charnin

Fools

by Neil Simon

Advanced Repertory Theatre Spring Show

Fourteenth Annual Thespian Honors and Awards Banquet

1984-85 

Whose Life is it Anyway?

by Brian Clark

Advanced Repertory Theatre Fall Show

Fiddler on the Roof

by Joseph Stein, Jerry Bock, and Sheldon Harnick

Story Theatre

by Paul Sills

Advanced Repertory Theatre Spring Show

Fifteenth Annual Thespian Honors and Awards Banquet

1985-86(Margaret McClatchey, 1978-Oct. 17, 2005, Maureen Davis, theatre teacher 1985-   )

I Never Saw Another Butterfly

by Celeste Raspanti

Picnic

by William Inge

Advanced Repertory Theatre Fall Show

Three for Two

The Pirates of Penzance

by W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan

Six Impossible Things Before Breakfast

by Lewis Carroll

Mister Roberts

by Thomas Heggen and Joshua Logan

Advanced Repertory Theatre Spring Show

Sixteenth Annual Thespian Honors and Awards Banquet

1986-87

Hold Me

by Jules Feiffer

The Foreigner

by Larry Shue

Advanced Repertory Theatre Fall Show 

Actor's Studio Showcase

The Crucible

by Arthur Miller

Spoon River Anthology

by E.L. Master

Man of LaMancha

music and lyrics Mitch Leigh, Joe Lardon, book by Dale Wasserman

Voices from  High School

by Peter Dee

Amadeus

by Peter Shaffer

Actor's Studio Showcase Developmental Center inclusion with actor's studio classes 

Advanced Repertory Theatre Spring Show

Seventeenth Annual Thespian Honors and Awards Banquet

1987-88

Variety, Thy Name is Woman

The Pigman by Paul Zindel

Brighton Beach Memoirs

by Neil Simon

Advanced Repertory Theatre Fall Show 

Juvie

by Jerome McDonough

Peter Pan

by J.M. Barrie Lyrics by Carolyn Leigh, Betty Comden, and Adolph Green

Free to Be You and Me

conceived by Marlo Thomas

To Kill a Mockingbird

based on the novel by Harper Lee, dramatized by Christopher Sergel

Advanced Repertory Theatre Spring Show

Eighteenth Annual Thespian Honors and Awards Banquet

1988-89

Wanna Play

by Young, Bergman, Rizzo, Denne 

Scenes from American Life

by various plawrights

The Nerd

by Larry Shue

Advanced Repertory Theatre Fall Show

Canadian Gothic

by Joanna Glass 

Stuff & Nonsense

by SMN students

Grease

book and Music by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey

Free to be a Family

conceived by Marlo Thomas

Wait Until Dark

by Fedrick Knott

1989-90

The Interview & Hunter and the Bird  

by Jean-Claude Van Itallie

Teen Gems  

by various playwright

You’re a Good man Charlie Brown

by Clark Guesser and Andrew Lippa

Advanced Repertory Theatre Fall Show

Original One Acts

by SMN students

Oliver!

by Lionel Bart

A.R.T. - Improvisation Night

Wild Oats

by James McLure

Advanced Repertory Theatre Spring Show

Twentieth Annual Thespian Honors and Awards Banquet

1990-91

Nunsense

by Dan Giggin

Hair

book & lyrics by Gerome Ragni and James Rado and music by Galt MacDermot

The Diviners

by James Leonard

1991-92

Catch Me if you Can

by Jack Weinstock & Willie Gilbert

Camelot

by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe

Tea and Sympathy

by Robert Anderson

1992-93

Rumors

by Neil Simon

A Chorus Line

by James Kirkwood, Nicholas Dante, Marvin Hamisch, and Edward Kleban

One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest

By Dale Wasserman based on the novel by Ken Kesey

1993-94

A Piece of my Heart

by Shirley Lauro

West Side Story

By Arthur Laurents, Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim

Sly Fox

by Larry Gelbart

1994-95

The Children’s Hour

by Lillian Hellman

Jesus Christ Superstar

by Andrew Lloyd Webber, Tim Rice

Inspecting Carol

by Daniel Sullivan and The Seattle Repertory Theatre

1995-95

Little Shop of Horrors

by Howard Ashman, Alan Menken

Into the Woods       

by James Lapine, Stephen Sondheim

A Few Good Men

by Aaron Sorkin

1996-97

The Miracle Worker

by William Gibson

Peter Pan

by J.M. Barrie Lyrics by Carolyn Leigh, Betty Comden, and Adolph Green

The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged)

by Adam Long, Reed Martin, and Austin

1997-98

Indians

by Arthur Kopit

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

by Andrew Lloyd Webber, Tim Rice

The Foreigner

by Larry Shue

1998-99

The Odd Couple (male and female version)

by Neil Simon

Tommy

by Pete Townshend & Des McAnuff

Arsenic and Old Lace

by Joseph Kesselring

1999-00

Wizard of Oz

by L. Frank Baum, Harold Arlen, E.Y. Harburg

The Completely Uncensored Secret Life of Girls

by Lisa Cordes

The Nerd

by Larry Shue

2000-01

Grease

book and music by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey

The Complete History of America (abridged)

by Adam Long, Reed Martin, and Austin

Harvey

by Mary Chase

2001-02

Nothing but the Truth

by Ron Smith

Fiddler on the Roof

by Joseph Stein, Jerry Bock, and Sheldon Harnick

The Rainmaker

by N. Richard Nash

2002-03

Footloose

By Dean Pitchford, Walter Bobbie, and Tom Snow

Lost in Yonkers

by Neil Simon

Bless Cricket Crest Toothpaste and Tommy Tune

by Linda Daugherty

2003-04

Romeo and Juliet

by William Shakespeare

The King and I

by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II

Steel Magnolias

by Robert Harling

2004-05

Black Out Comedy

by Peter Shaffer

Oklahoma!

written by Richard Rodgers and lyricist/librettist Oscar Hammerstein II

To Kill a Mockingbird

based on the novel by Harper Lee, dramatized by Christopher Sergel