# Cumberland Theatre

The Cumberland Theatre is Western Maryland's only regional professional theatre. It is located in Cumberland, Maryland, and stages a wide variety of musicals, plays, and dramas. It is a nonprofit organization, founded in 1988 and relocated in a formerly empty church in 1991.

## History

Started as a project of Frostburg State University as a way to rejuvenate the summer theatre program, the theatre has since become independent from the university. Three of the founders were President Reinhard, Dr. Press and Dean Phillip Allen. It was incorporated in 1987, after Frostburg President Herb Rinehard expressed concern about the absence of summer theatre in Cumberland, which led to the cooperation of current theatre professor David Press and Dean Phillip Allen in founding the Cumberland theatre with a view to stimulating the local economy. A board of Trustees was later established, chaired by Shirley Giarritta. This board included members from the university, County and City administration, local businesses, and local residents.
The new Summer Theatre started in 1988 and 1989 as a rotating repertory theatre. Dr. Press acted as the artistic director as well as the Producing Director. In the next season, Dean Allen assumed the role of executive director and the Producer while Dr. Press remained the artistic director. By the third season, the first full-time Producing Director and general manager, Mr. Pat Julian, was selected.
The theatre group performed in a borrowed storefront in the Schwarzenbach building on the Downtown Mall until 1991, when with assistance from the State of Maryland, Mrs. Giarriatta and Mr. Nicholas Giarriatta bought and renovated a disused Assembly of God church on Johnson street. Mr. Don Whisted was engaged in 1992 as artistic director and remained in that position assisted for many years by Mr. Gary Goodson, Associate Producer, until his retirement in October, 2016. In 2003 William H. Macy, an Emmy Award winning actor, agreed to serve on the board of trustees. That same year the auditorium was named “The Nicholas and Shirley Giarritta Playhouse” to honour their many contributions to the theatre. The newly selected theatre management team consists of Co-Artistic Directors Kimberli Rowley & Rhett Wolford.

## Accommodation

The theatre's present location is at 101 North Johnson Street, formerly an Assembly of God Church. The building houses the costume and scene shops and storage as well as the theatre house. The theatre seats 198 patrons. The Bev Walker Gallery serves as the lobby of the theatre with an art show on display with each production.

## Management

The Cumberland Theatre is owned and operated by a volunteer board of trustees and is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organisation. The theatre is also supported by volunteers who serve on various committees and work as front of house staff.
The theatre is supported by donations from residents of the city of Cumberland, along with patrons such as Allegany County, Maryland Arts Council, Allegany County, the City of Cumberland, and the Allegany Arts Council.

## Productions

The Cumberland Theatre produces a variety of plays. The artistic director posts a brief synopsis of the play and usually a subjective rating, based on the language and themes contained in the shows. The wide variety of genres include, comedy, drama, horror/thriller, musical, colonial, autobiographical, romance, crime, and mystery. Over the years musicals have proven to be generally the most popular, followed by comedies and thrillers. Furthermore, the theatre has produced many shows featuring stories specific to different minorities. Some examples are: The Diary of Anne Frank, Ain't Misbehavin', Hairspray, The All Night Strut, and To Kill A Mockingbird.

### Past productions

Past productions :
| Date | Show | Credits |
| July 2013 | The Producers | by Mel Brooks and Thomas Meehan |
| July 2012 | The Pirates of Penzance | Book by W. S. Gilbert, Music by Arthur Sullivan |
| April 2012 | Romeo and Juliet | by William Shakespeare |
| February 2012 | Boeing Boeing | |
| December 2011 | Every Christmas Story Ever Told | by Michael Carleton, Jim FitzGerald & John K. Alvarez |
| October 2011 | Little Shop of Horrors | by Alan Menken & Howard Ashman |
| July 2011 | RENT | by Jonathan Larson |
| April 2011 | The Importance of Being Earnest | by Oscar Wilde |
| February 2011 | The Last of the Red Hot Lovers | by Neil Simon |
| Nov/Dec 2010 | Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island | by Ken Ludwig |
| October 2010 | The Rocky Horror Show | by Richard O'Brien |
| July 2010 | Hairspray | Book: Mark O'Donnell & Thomas Meehan, Music & Lyrics: Marc Shaiman, Lyrics: Scott Wittman |
| 2009 | Dirty Blonde | by Claudia Shear |
| | Fiddler on the Roof | Book by Joseph Stein, Lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, Music by Jerry Bock |
| | Laughter on the 23rd Floor | by Neil Simon |
| | The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) | by Adam Long, Daniel Singer & Jess Winfield |
| | Plaid Tidings | by Stuart Ross |
| 2008 | Jekyll & Hyde | Conceived for the stage by Steve Cuden & Frank Wildhorn; Book & Lyrics by Leslie Bricusse, Music by Frank Wildhorn |
| | Copenhagen | by Michael Frayn |
| | The Glass Menagerie | by Tennessee Williams |
| | A Christmas Carol | by Charles Dickens, adapted for the stage by Tony Reich |
| 2007 | The Full Monty | Music & Lyrics by David Yazbek, Book by Terrence McNally |
| | The Man Who Came To Dinner | by Moss Hart & George S. Kaufman |
| | Shirley Valentine | by Willy Russell |
| | Ten Little Indians (And Then There Were None) | by Agatha Christie |
| | Cinderella | Music by Richard Rodgers, Book & Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II |
| 2006 | Camping With Henry & Tom | by Mark St. Germain |
| | Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat | Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, Lyrics by Tim Rice |
| | Hay Fever | by Noël Coward |
| | Deathtrap | by Ira Levin |
| | Twelfth Night | by William Shakespeare |
| 2005 | Tru | by Jay Presson Allen |
| | The Sound of Music | Music by Richard Rodgers, Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II Book by Howard Lindsay & Russell Crouse |
| | Pippin | Book by Roger O. Hirson, Music & Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz |
| | The Diary of Anne Frank | by Albert Hackett & Frances Goodrich |
| | A Christmas Carol | by Charles Dickens, adapted by Tony Reich |
| 2004 | My Way | by David Grapes & Todd Olson |
| | Play It Again Sam | by Woody Allen |
| | Shenandoah | Book by James Lee Barrett, Peter Udell & Philip Rose; Music by Gary Geld, Lyrics by Peter Udell |
| | Frankenstein | based on the novel by Mary Shelley |
| | A Christmas Carol | by Charles Dickens, adapted by Tony Reich |
| 2003 | Sweeney Todd | Music & Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, Book by Hugh Wheeler |
| | The Odd Couple | by Neil Simon |
| | Big River | Music & Lyrics by Roger Miller, Book by William Hauptman |
| | Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird | by Christopher Sergel |
| | A Christmas Carol | by Charles Dickens, adapted by Tony Reich |
| 2002 | Guys & Dolls | Music & Lyrics by Frank Loesser, Book by Jo Swerling & Abe Burrows |
| | Jerry's Girls | Concept by Larry Alford, Wayne Cilento & Jerry Herman |
| | Bye, Bye Birdie | Book by Michael Stewart, Lyrics by Lee Adams, Music by Charles Strouse |
| | Macbeth | by William Shakespeare |
| | Angel Street | by Patrick Hamilton |
| 2001 | Forever Plaid | by Stuart Ross |
| | Pump Boys and Dinettes | by John Schimmel, Cass Morgan, Jim Wann, Debra Monk, John Foley, Mark Hardwick |
| | Annie | Book by Thomas Meehan; Music by Charles Strouse, Lyrics by Martin Charnin |
| | Brigadoon | Book & Lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner, Music by Frederick Lowe |
| | Arsenic and Old Lace | by Joseph Kesselring |
| 2000 | West Side Story | Concept by Jerome Robbins, Book by Arthur Laurents, Music by Leonard Bernstein, Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim |
| | Blithe Spirit | by Noël Coward |
| | Oliver | Music, Lyrics & Book by Lionel Bart |
| | Dracula | by Hamilton Dean & John L. Balderston |
| 1999 | Dames at Sea | Book & Lyrics by George Haimsohn & Robin Miller; Music by Jim Wise |
| | Noises Off | by Michael Frayn |
| | The King And I | Music by Richard Rodgers, Book & Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II |
| | The Taming Of The Shrew | by William Shakespeare |
| | The All Night Strut | by Fran Charnas |
| | Dial 'M' For Murder | by Frederick Knott |
| 1998 | Nunsense Jamboree | by Dan Goggin |
| | Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? | by Edward Albee |
| | Blood Brothers | Book, Music & Lyrics by Willy Russell |
| | Barefoot in the Park | by Neil Simon |
| | A Closer Walk With Patsy Cline | by Dean Regan |
| | The Woman In Black | by Stephen Mallatrat |
| 1997 | Godspell | Concept by John Michael Trebelak; Music & Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz |
| | The Lion In Winter | by James Goldman |
| | The Pirates Of Penzance | Book by W. S. Gilbert, Music by Arthur Sullivan |
| | Moon Over Buffalo | by Ken Ludwig |
| | Ain't Misbehavin' - The "Fats" Waller Musical | Concept by Murray Horowitz & Richard Maltby, Jr. |
| | Sleuth | by Anthony Shaffer |
| 1996 | The Fantasticks | Book & Lyrics by Tom Jones, Music by Harvey Schmidt |
| | Cat On A Hot Tin Roof | by Tennessee Williams |
| | Cabaret | Book by Joe Masteroff, Music by John Kander, Lyrics by Fred Ebb |
| | Don't Dress for Dinner | by Marc Canolletti, Robin Hawdon |
| | A Closer Walk With Patsy Cline | by Dean Regan |
| | Sherlock Holmes | by William Gillette & Arthur Conan Doyle |
| 1995 | Forever Plaid | by Stuart Ross |
| | Private Lives | by Noël Coward |
| | The Music Man | Book, Music & Lyrics by Meredith Wilson, Story by Franklin Lacey |
| | Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris | Conception & English Lyrics by Eric Blau & Mort Shuman; Music by Jacques Brel |
| | Rumors | by Neil Simon |
| | The Mousetrap | by Agatha Christie |
| 1994 | Nunsense II | by Dan Goggin |
| | Greater Tuna | by Jaston Williams, Joe Sears & Ed Howard |
| | Man of La Mancha | Book by Dale Wasserman, Music by Mitch Leigh, Lyrics by Joe Darion |
| | Love, Sex and The I.R.S. | by William Van Zandt & Jane Milmore |
| | Something's Afoot | Book, Music & Lyrics by James McDonald, David Vos & Robert Gerlach |
| 1993 | Lettice & Lovage | by Peter Shaffer |
| | Evita | Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, Lyrics by Tim Rice |
| | Run For Your Wife | by Ray Cooney |
| | Murderer | by Anthony Shaffer |
| 1992 | A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum | Book by Burt Shevlove & Larry Gelbart; Music & Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim |
| | Social Security | by Andrew Bergman |
| | I Do! I Do! | Book & Lyrics by Tom Jones, Music by Harvey Schmidt |
| | Dracula | by Hamilton Dean & John L. Balderston |
| 1991 | Nunsense | by Dan Goggin |
| | Other People's Money | by Jerry Sterner |
| | Lend Me A Tenor | by Ken Ludwig |
| 1990 | The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas | Book by Larry L. King & Peter Masterson; Music & Lyrics by Carol Hall |
| | Steel Magnolias | by Robert Harling |
| | Side By Side by Sondheim | Music & Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim; Additional Music by Leonard Bernstein, Mary Rodgers, Richard Rodgers & Julie Styne. Continuity by Ned Sherrin |
| 1989 | Broadway Bound | by Neil Simon |
| | Promises, Promises | Music by Burt Bacharach, Book by Neil Simon, Lyrics by Hal David |
| | Romantic Comedy | by Bernard Slade |
| 1988 | Brighton Beach Memoirs | by Neil Simon |
| | The Pajama Game | Music by Richard Adler & Jerry Ross; Book by George Abbott, Richard Bissell; Lyrics by Richard Adler, Jerry Ross |
| | The Nerd | by Larry Shue |