Through June 1, Magnolia Theatre Company
Magnolia Theatre Company concludes its 2023-2024 season with a staged reading of this new play by Thelma Virata de Castro. The play “tells the story of Gullie, Osprey, and Ric who are all lost and find their way to the beach and each other. With the help of lunar eclipse water, these lost souls create their own mythology as they seek home and navigate time at the mouth of the San Diego River.” Thelma Virata de Castro was a 2022 finalist for the AGE Legacy Playwright grant from Advance Gender Equity in the Arts. “Penumbra” was also commissioned by The Old Globe Theatre in 2022 and workshopped in 2023. The reading is directed by Countess Winfrey, a member of Dayton Contemporary Dance Company. The cast includes Jerry Buck, Amirah Musa, Dominique Owen, Fran Pesch and Ali Thomas. Each performance will be followed by a talkback with the artists and playwright. 7:30 p.m. Friday and 2 p.m. Saturday at PNC Arts Annex, 46 W. Second St., Dayton. $7.50-$12.50. magnoliatheatrecompany.org
Credit: ANGELA FARIS BELT
Credit: ANGELA FARIS BELT
“The Kite Runner”
Through June 2, Dayton Live and Human Race Theatre Company
Under the sleek direction of Giles Croft, Matthew Spangler’s gripping adaptation of Khaled Hosseini’s humorous, heartbreaking and relevant international best-selling novel receives a powerful, quietly compelling local premiere courtesy of this timely national touring engagement. Ramzi Khalaf, rarely leaving the stage in his narrative capacity, delivers an engaging, emotional portrayal of Amir, an author haunted by his past who ultimately yearns for redemption. Excellent supporting performances are rendered by the endearingly expressive Shahzeb Zahid Hussain as Hassan/Sohrab, the commandingly authoritative Haythem Noor as Baba, perfectly creepy Wiley Naman Strasser as the villainous Assef, seamless Hassan Nazari-Robati as Ali/Farid, strikingly stern James Rana as General Taheri, and lovely Awesta Zarif as Soraya, Amir’s wife. Tabla artist Salar Nader bolsters the ambience as well. This is a riveting, refreshingly diverse theatrical experience not to be missed. 7:30 p.m. Wednesday-Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, and 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sunday at the Victoria Theatre, 138 N. Main St., Dayton. $25.50-$79.50. 937-228-3630 or daytonlive.org.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
An Afternoon With Will Liverman: Opera Star Recital
June 2, Dayton Opera
Grammy Award-winning baritone Will Liverman delivers the Dayton Opera Star Recital. Liverman most recently appeared in Metropolitan Opera’s premiere of Anthony Davis’ “X: The Life And Times Of Malcolm X,” and notably opened the Met’s 2021 season as the lead in Terence Blanchard’s acclaimed “Fire Shut Up In My Bones.” His Dayton recital will feature works by Black composers as well as pieces from the traditional classical music canon. 2:30 p.m. Sunday at Schuster Center, 1 W. Second St., Dayton. $5-$88.50. 937-228-3630 or daytonlive.org.
“Twelfth Night”
June 7-9, Shakespeare in the Heights
This newly formed troupe presents Shakespeare’s comedic tale of mistaken identity and romance. 8 p.m. Friday-Sunday with a 2 p.m. matinee on Sunday at Eichelberger amphitheater at the Heights, 8625 Brandt Pike, Huber Heights. Free, with donations accepted. Audience members are invited to bring blankets, cushions, or stadium chairs for comfort. shakespeareith.org or facebook.com/shakespeareith.
“Superior Donuts”
June 7-23, Dayton Theatre Guild
Set in a rundown Chicago donut shop, Tracy Letts’ comedy concerns the relationship between a former 1960s radical and a young African-American who wants to update the establishment. 8 p.m. Fridays, 5 p.m. Saturdays (with the exception of June 8 at 8 p.m.) and 3 p.m. Sundays at the Guild, 430 Wayne Ave., Dayton. $14-$21. 937-278-5993 or daytontheatreguild.org.
“Mamma Mia!”
June 11-16, Dayton Live
This blockbuster musical set on a Greek island about a young woman inviting her three possible dads to her wedding features such classic ABBA tunes as “Money, Money, Money,” “Take a Chance on Me,” “Knowing Me, Knowing You,” “Dancing Queen” and “The Winner Takes It All.” 7:30 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, and 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sunday at the Schuster Center, 1 W. Second St., Dayton. $39-$139. 937-228-3630 or daytonlive.org.
“The Church Basement Ladies: Plowin’ Thru”
Through June 16, La Comedia Dinner Theatre.
Set in 1975, the ninth installment of the “Church Basement Ladies” musical comedy series focuses on a struggling church coping with changing leadership roles from the pulpit to the kitchen. Thursday, Friday and Sunday matinees and Thursday-Sunday evenings at La Comedia Dinner Theatre, 765 W. Central Ave., Springboro. $70-$79. 937-746-4554 or lacomedia.com.
Credit: CONTRIBUTED
Credit: CONTRIBUTED
U.S. Air Force Band Singing Sergeants
June 19, Wright Patterson Air Force Base
The United States Air Force Band’s Singing Sergeants will honor the service of airmen both past and present. 3 p.m. Wednesday at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force, 1100 Spaatz St. Dayton. The concert is free and open to the public though tickets are required. music.af.mil/Bands/The-United-States-Air-Force-Band/Events/.
“The Music Man”
June 20-July 7, Brookville Community Theatre
Meredith Willson’s classic musical comedy features such timeless tunes as “Seventy-Six Trombones,” “Gary, Indiana” and “Till There Was You.” 8 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays and 3 p.m. Sundays at Brookville Community Theatre, 770 Arlington Rd., Brookville. $20. 937-833-6790 or thebct.org.
“The Hello Girls”
June 21-30, Beavercreek Community Theatre
This musical centers on America’s first women soldiers who served as bilingual telephone operators on the front lines during World War I. 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 3 p.m. Sundays at Beavercreek Community Theatre, 3868 Dayton-Xenia Road. $15-$18. 937-429-4737 or www.bctheatre.org.
“Soundtrack Magic: John Williams and Friends”
June 22, Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra
Dayton Philharmonic salutes blockbuster film scores with this John Williams tribute that also includes selections from “2001: A Space Odyssey,” “Casablanca” and “The Lord Of The Rings.” 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Schuster Center, 1 W. Second St. $13.50-$88.50. 937-228-3630 or daytonlive.org.
“Unite and Ignite”
June 28-29, Dayton Dance Initiative
Dancers and choreographers from Dayton Ballet, Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, Mutual Dance Theatre and Wright State University will collaborate in a showcase of eight original works. 7:30 p.m. Friday and 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the PNC Arts Annex, 46 W. Second St., Dayton. $33.50. 937-228-3630 or daytonlive.org.
About the Author