Spring is upon us, and we’re practically jumping out of our shoes at Verge Theater! So in honor of the uncanny energy that explodes at this time of the year, we’re ramping up the unconventional, the odd, the strange, the queer.

For 9 years running, for one weekend only, we have celebrated the quirk and the camp, the kinked and the warped, with our live stage production of The Rocky Horror Show, by Richard O’Brien.  An annual tradition that is an experience not to be missed with call outs, audience participation, costume prizes, and a great musical performance by a one of a kind cast, is a loving homage to the classic B sci-fi and horror film genres. With an irresistible rock’n’roll score, The Rocky Horror Show is a hilarious, wild ride that no audience will soon forget. We will have four showings, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, Apr. 12, 13, & 14 at 8pm, and then a special midnight show as Saturday turns into a very sinful Sunday. So come do the Time Warp AGAIN with us! Tickets are $16 in advance (online at vergetheater.com, or in person at Cactus Records) or $18 at the door. Recommended for ages17+

And to celebrate April being the cruelest month, we are bringing to the stage the hilarious and irreverent Barbeque Apocalypse, by Mark Lyle. Three couples gather on the back deck of a very modest suburban home for a mid-summer barbecue where the hosts, Mike and Deb, struggle with feelings of inadequacy about their home decor, their clothes, their careers, their culinary skills, and pretty much everything else. Throughout the first act feelings are hurt over petty gossip, inconsequential concerns, physical slights, and pop cultural deficiencies. The superficial, neuroses-laden interpersonal squabbles bubble over to a flash of inept violence when one of the guests makes what we learn is just one in a series of passes at Deb. As the act closes, the group discovers that the rest of the world has been literally falling apart during their little, terrible barbecue. Act Two takes place on the same deck for another barbecue to celebrate their one-year post-apocalypsiversary. In a year where the only way to measure success is survival, roles have reversed, and we explore how each character’s basic nature has allowed them to adapt and thrive or has pushed them to the brink of extinction.

Barbeque Apocalypse runs Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm, from April 27 – March 12. Tickets are $14 in advance (online at vergetheater.com, or in person at Cactus Records) or $16 at the door.

The Bozeman Improverts are back in April with Improv On The Verge Monday nights. The Improverts give the biggest laughs for the fewest bucks! Guaranteed to be a hilarious start to your week. Popular Improv games are played, in the style of the TV show “Whose Line is it Anyway?”, as well as long-form Improv. Everything is created on the spot and based on audience suggestions. Come enjoy Cheap Thrills for your Laugh Hole! Upcoming shows are April 9 & 23 at 7PM. Tickets for Improv are $7 in advance (online at vergetheater.com, or in person at Cactus Records) or $9 at the door. Check the Verge website for more Monday Night Improv throughout the regular Season! Recommended for ages17+

Also in April, on our Family Stage, we will be producing Judith Viorst’s Stage Musical adaptation of her own book: Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day! With fun and funny music by Shelly Markham, and co-directed by Teen Theater alumni Gabe and Isaac Gilbertson, this will be a ride you don’t want to miss!

Alexander is having a bad day. A terrible day. A horrible day! To be quite honest, it’s a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. But then, everybody has bad days, sometimes. In this delightful adaptation of her popular book, Judith Viorst sets Alexander’s rather trying life to music and brings to the stage one of America’s feistiest characters. Not only does Alexander wake up with gum in his hair, but his mother forgets to pack him dessert, and his best friend decides he’s not his best friend anymore. And if that’s not bad enough, Alexander’s brothers don’t have any cavities but—he does. And just when it can’t get any worse, there are lima beans for supper and —yuck!—kissing on TV. It is enough to make anyone want to go to Australia. Alexander’s struggles with life’s daily dramas will not only entertain but educate young audiences as they identify with Alexander and the obstacles he encounters, encouraging them to share their feelings and to realize that bad days happen—even in Australia.

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day runs on Saturdays at 3PM from April 7 - 28. Tickets are $7 in advance (vergetheater.com or in person at Cactus Records) or $9 at the door. Children 2 and under are FREE!

And last, but certainly not least, the Verge Theater Education wing is offering up our Teen Theater Middle School Production: I Hate Shakespeare, by Steph DeFerie. This educational and theatrical experience is available to teens in 6th-8th grades. Director Jaelyn Silvey will guide the cast through the rehearsal and production process for 6 weeks, beginning on April 10, and then the cast and crew will perform the show on Friday and Saturday, May 18 and 19. Everyone who participates will be given a part, but auditions for specific roles will take place at the first rehearsal.

Rehearsals are Tuesday-Friday from 4:00-6:00 pm. We understand that teens are busy and are happy to work around conflicts. I Hate Shakespeare is a hilarious theatrical debate on the merit of Shakespeare. It is a whirlwind of Shakespearean soliloquies, unconventional staging, witty banter, and talking cows. Not only will it give teens an introduction to Shakespeare, it will challenge their comedic skills and give them experience breaking the fourth wall.  

Visit vergetheater.com for reservations and more info about our entire 2017-2018 Season. We hope to see you at The Little Black Box On The Edge (of Bozeman)!