Sept-Oct

2022

Nov

2022

Feb

2023

March

2023

May

2023

DESCRIPTION OF 2022-2023 THEATRE SEASON

 

MERELY PLAYERS’ established reputation for theatrical excellence propels us into our 28th year, and we are already preparing five dazzling shows for our region – a lineup that includes three regional premieres, a Shakespearean comedy, and a bluegrass musical.  As ever, we remain committed to offering exciting, high-quality theatrical experiences; and we promise you the lively creativity, joyful energy, memorable design, fine scripts, and outstanding talent that our company is known for.

We invite you to experience all that this season has to offer in a special way by joining the Merely Family as a Season Subscriber. As a season subscriber, you can use our flex packages to design a theatre package according to your personal taste.  In the past, we’ve had to turn disappointed people away because most of our performances sell out.  Season Subscribers get first shot at our tickets, resulting in getting the best seats in the house at substantially discounted ticket prices. They avoid ticket and exchange fees, have access to our Season Subscriber phone line, and get a name listing in our programs. PLUS, Subscribers get the satisfaction of helping to keep Durango’s most long-standing professional quality theatrical troupe in our community.

EXPERIENCE

 the magic and creativity of MERELY PLAYERS.

AS YOU LIKE IT

 “Love is merely a madness.”

All the world’s a stage in one of Shakespeare’s most enchanting comedies. Music and poetry escort romance into the Forest of Arden where best friends stick together and love notes grow on trees. Our playful production is filled with flirtatious disguise, witty encounters, inventive puppetry, original music, and some of Shakespeare’s most famous phrases. Professional out-of-town actors Erika Vetter, Adam Fontana, and Zachary Chiero appear as Rosalind, Orlando, and Touchstone, joining a company of experienced and talented locals in the show that gave Merely Players our name.

Preshow Plot chats are offered before each show and the show is appropriate for the entire family.

SEPTEMBER 23, 24, 29, 30, and OCTOBER 1, 2022 at 7:00 pm

SEPTEMBER 25 and OCTOBER 2 at 2:00 pm

THE HALF-LIFE OF MARIE CURIE

“The world is bigger than both of us. But for that summer, it wasn’t. Thank God, it wasn’t.”

 

In 1911, Marie Curie won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for her discovery of the elements radium and polonium. By 1912, she was the object of ruthless gossip over an alleged affair, all but erasing her achievements from public memory. Reeling from public scandal, she retreats to the seaside home of Hertha Ayrton, a brilliant electromechanical engineer and suffragette. There, the friends explore what it means to be women, scientists, and leaders in a changing world on the verge of war. Local favorites Maureen May and Sarah Choszczyk star in Lauren Gunderson’s true and empowering story of two extraordinary women.

NOVEMBER 11, 12, 17, 18, 19, 2022 at 7:00 pm

NOVEMBER 13, 20 at 2:00 pm

MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS

And so it begins… It is clear that someone on this train committed this murder, and I will find out who it is, I promise you.”

 

Just after midnight, a snowdrift stops the Orient Express in its tracks. The luxurious train is surprisingly full, but by morning it is one passenger fewer. An American tycoon has been stabbed in his compartment, with the door locked from the inside. Isolated and with a killer in their midst, the passengers rely on detective Hercule Poirot to identify the murderer – in case he or she decides to strike again. Wax your mustache and get out your notebook as we go off the rails with Ken Ludwig’s spectacular adaptation of Agatha Christie’s famous mystery. It will slay you.

FEBRUARY 17, 18, 23, 24, 25, 2023 at 7:00 pm

FEBRUARY 19, 26 at 2:00 pm

 

THE LIFESPAN OF A FACT

“It was supposed to be a quick fact check! Confirm a few dates, interact with a respected author, make sure the names are spelled correctly. Except you actually did it. You checked the facts. Every. Single. One of Them.”

When a magazine gets the opportunity to publish an essay written by a famous author, fact-checking the article is a routine exercise. Unless the editor-in-chief happens to hire an eager millennial focused on getting every fact right. The battle over accuracy versus artistic license explodes with blistering comedy and timely relevance in the regional premiere of this 2018 Broadway hit. It’s smart, funny, profound, provocative, and compelling. In other words, you’ve gotta see this play. That’s a fact.

By Jeremy Kareken, David Murrell, and Gordon Farrell, based on a true story.

MARCH 10, 11, 16, 17, 18, 2023 at 7:00 pm

MARCH 12 and 19 at 2:00 pm

 

BRIGHT STAR

“If you knew my story, you’d have a good story to tell.”

 

Inspired by a true story and featuring a stunning bluegrass score by Steve Martin and Edie Brickell, the award-winning musical Bright Star tells a sweeping and unabashedly romantic tale of love and redemption set against the rich backdrop of the American South early last century. Beautiful melodies, exhilarating dance, and an astonishing story create a theatrical journey that holds you tightly in its grasp. Join us for a shining, uplifting, and genuine new musical about the stories we tell … and the ones we don’t.

MAY 5, 6, 11, 12, 13, 18, 19, 20, 2023 at 7:00 pm

MAY 7, 14, 21 at 2:00 pm

We also have more shows planned, as a part of our STUDIO SERIES. You’ll find out more information about those shows on our website and in our newsletters!

BUILDING A SUBSCRIPTION PACKAGE

  

Tickets in flex packages are discounted, without any additional ticket fees, making them an even greater value. Plus, subscribers have the opportunity to order early and snag the best seats in the house!

Flex Passes – Flex passes offer maximum flexibility and substantial discounts. When you buy digital ticket punch passes, you can use the tickets however you wish. You can use them all for one show, or divide them up among the shows any way you wish.

Design Your Own Package – See the individual ticket prices listed here to put together a subscription that’s just right for you, while avoiding additional box office ticket fees.

Gift Card – Let us know if your order is a gift, and we will send a card notifying the recipient.

A separate phone line is available for our Season Subscribers.  Tickets not purchased in a season package will be subject to ticket fees. Avoid those fees and access personal attention by becoming a Merely Players Season Subscriber!

 

HELPING

Live theatre is a dynamic, expensive venture, and our costs keep rising. Ticket sales pay for only a fraction of what it costs to produce quality shows.  Scenery, costumes, publicity, actor and artist salaries, royalties, rent, administrative fees, and technical elements all create financial demands.  The level of theatre we can produce is directly tied to the donations we receive. We humbly ask that you consider contributing to Merely Players, a 501(c)(3) organization.  Theatre adds vitality and variety to a community, and your tax-deductible donation helps to ensure that we can continue to thrive.

 

Each donor will be listed in our programs in one of these Giving Groups:

ARTISTIC: All season subscribers

DYNAMIC: $10 – $49 over the subscription package amount

IMAGINATIVE: $50 -$99 over the subscription package amount

CREATIVE:  $100-$249 over the subscription package amount

INNOVATIVE: $250-$499 over the subscription package amount

VISIONARY: $500 – $999 over the subscription package amount

INSPIRING:  $1000 – $4999 over the subscription package amount

EXTRAORDINARY: $5000 – $9999 above the subscription package amount

SUPERLATIVE – $10000 or more above the subscription package amount

 

We are grateful for any donation you choose to make. We truly appreciate your consideration and generosity. 

ORDERING

No processing or ticket fees. The price you see below is the all-inclusive price of your purchase.

Your personal information will be collected securely by Thundertix and sent to us.  Please include a phone number and/or an email address so we can contact you if there is an issue with your tickets.

If you would rather have a paper form, follow the button below and you’ll find a printable copy of our season brochure that you can mail in.

FLEX PASSES

GREAT VALUE – An option to offer maximum flexibility! Buy an electronic 4, 5, 6, 8, 10 or 12 ticket punch card, and use the tickets however you wish. You can use them all for one show, or divide them up among the shows any way you wish.

4 ticket flex pass = $104.00

5 ticket flex pass = $130.00

6 ticket flex pass = $156.00

8 ticket flex pass = $205.00

10 ticket flex pass = $250.00

12 ticket flex pass = $300.00

INDIVIDUAL TICKET ORDERS

We are also offering individual tickets for our productions at this time. If you wish to design your own package or need tickets in addition to those in your package, this is the most inexpensive time to get them, as these prepaid tickets incur no ticket vendor fees. If you order tickets to at least 2 of our shows, you qualify as a subscriber.

 

Tickets are not mailed. You can pick them up at WILL CALL on the night of the performance.

Click the button to see our ticket policy-

All performances are held at our performance venue:

Merely Underground

789 Tech Center Drive

In Durango, Colorado

We do not receive mail there.

Mailing address:

49 Wedgewood Circle

Durango, CO  81301

email:  merelydirectors@gmail.com