Murder in the Cathedral, by T.S. Eliot

April 19 - 20, 2024. Murder in the Cathedral was written by T.S. Eliot and performed at Holy Rosary Church, very similar to a cathedral.

In 1170, Archbishop Thomas Beckett was murdered in the Canterbury Cathedral, in one of the most famous assassinations in British history. King Henry II supposedly said, “who will rid me of this troublesome priest?” In 1935, T. S. Eliot—author of The Waste Land, considered among the most important English poems of the 20th Century—was commissioned to write a play for that year’s Canterbury Festival, an annual arts event near Canterbury Cathedral, where Thomas Becket was assassinated in 1170 by knights of King Henry II. T.S. Eliot, then a novice playwright, chose this event as the focal point of his play, Murder in the Cathedral. It was directed by Michael Beehler, and featured John Hosking as Thomas Becket, and Kevin Asselin, Sharon Beehler, Jess Benoit, Jenna Ciralli, Kirsten Daniels, Beth Ann Kennedy, Ben Leubner, Alex Miller, Mary Orr, Aaron Schuerr, and Kalen Watson portraying knights, priests, and townspeople.

Erik Pearson composed original music to accompany this performance, the first time this has been done for this play.

Born With Teeth, by Liz Duffy Adams

February 23 - March 10, 2024: Born With Teeth, written by Liz Duffy Adams, was staged in hte upstairs ballroom at The Eagles Club, downtown Bozeman. Directed by Marc Beaudin and starring Sarah West as Will Shakespeare and Kyrie Dawson as Christopher Marlowe, we staged nine performances. A young Shakespeare and his contemporary Christopher Marlowe meet in the back room of a pub to collaborate on a history play (which turns out to be Henry VI). Born with Teeth is set in a London pub in the 1590s London. Queen Elizabeth I is in the last years of her reign, and she has left no heir. Against the backdrop of religious and political peril, Shakespeare and Marlowe have to write a play that meets the approval of the increasingly authoritarian tyrannical ruler without crossing the line that would bring them imprisonment or death

The Gentleman Caller, by Philip Dawkins

November 10-17, 2023

Playwrights have the ability to hide behind their words as they focusing their energy into the pure honesty and candor infuse in the characters they write. Philip Dawkins wrote this brilliant and heart wrenching play, putting the spotlight on Tennessee Williams and William Inge on the cusp of their rise to fame. The Gentleman Caller gives us a very intimate glimpse inside the lives of these famous playwrights and lets us see their hopes, dreams, and fears.

Using the Story Mansion as the venue, the set was already in place. Joe Faifer played Tennessee Williams and Erik Pearson was William Inge, directed by Sasha Kostyrko.

The Glass Menagerie, by Tennessee Williams

November 3 - 4, 2023: The Glass Menagerie was the play that launched Tennessee Williams into international stardom and led to an astonishing career in 1944. Menagerie a memory play, in which the main character narrates the events of the story. The central theme of The Glass Menagerie looks at the conflict between fact and fiction, especially as we recall our memories.

We staged The Glass Menagerie at the Story Mansion, starring Susan Miller, Gabe Taurman, Mercy Simpson, and Philip Winchester and directed by Gretchen Minton.

An Iliad, adapted by Denis O'Hare and Lisa Peterson

August 18 - 19, 2023: Ray Schultz’s performance, based on a modern adaptation by Lisa Peterson and Denis O’Hare, covered not only the Trojan War, but all wars throughout history, including the Russian Invasion of Ukraine. A brilliant one person show, performed at the Story Mansion.

The Sunset Limited, by Cormac McCarthy

February February 17-19 & 24-26, 2023. The Sunset Limited, written by Cormac McCarthy, was directed by Nnamdi Kanaga, and starred Ben Leubner and Carlo Campbell in this production performed in the Eagles Ballroom.

The Sunset Limited showcases two people as they attempt to bridge the various gaps that separate them from each other. Set in a tenement apartment, it consists of a conversation between a devoutly religious former convict and the atheist professor whose life he has just saved, as they discuss race, belief and unbelief, class systems, education, and what is--or isn't--true and important in life.

BAT's in the Belfry a 24 hour playfest

In this 24 hour play-fest sponsored by BAT on October 21 and 22, 2022, participants were divided into teams with a writer, director, and cast members. Each team was given a Halloween-themed prompt to explore and workshop, the writer then took that night and following morning to write a script. On Saturday, October 22, the scripts were handed off to the directors who cast and rehearsed each show, the performed the whole sequence that same evening.

Zoo Story, by Edward Albee

Directed by Hunter Hash, and starring Julien Harris and Bradford Rosenbloom, Zoo Story was performed at the 2022 Sweet Pea Festival, followed by four performances at Live At the Divide on August 12-14, 2022.

Albee wrote Zoo Story in only three weeks, exploring themes of isolation, loneliness, dehumanization and social disparity.

"Life of Galileo" by Bertolt Brecht

For six performances on October 12-14 and 19-21, 2018, plus a special seventh performance for 200 students from three local middle schools, Bozeman Actors Theatre presented Bertolt Brecht’s masterpiece Life of Galileo at the Museum of the Rockies to rave reviews. Under the direction of Gordon Carpenter, with stage management by Anna Neikirk, the play featured Kalen Watson as Galileo and an outstanding supporting cast of Aaron Schuerr, Alex Miller, Colton Swibold, Emily Jones, Hugh Burroughs, and Sydney Madill playing multiple roles each. (Read the press release.)

The play’s costume designer was Stefanie Cytron, with lighting and sound design by Jonathan Dove and scenic design by Angela Cateora and Taylor Davis. Gretchen Minton served as dramaturg, and Tonya Andrews was acting coach for the cast. The play’s producer was Kevin Brustuen.

The play featured thoughtful talkback discussions with MSU scholars and the actors following most performances, and a calendar of related events at the Museum and on campus during the month of October kept interest alive even after the play closed.