MOUNT CARROLL, IL -- Timber Lake Playhouse, in collaboration with Timber Lake Resort and Campground, will present an interactive event performance of the Felix and Fingers Dueling Pianos Show at the playhouse on Saturday, May 9th. This nationally renowned show that take requests from the audience and encouraging dancing in your seats, will begin at 7:00 p.m., with cash bar opening at 6:30. Tickets are $20 and are available online and through the TLP box office.

"Ron Swanson–of Timber Lake Resort–came to us with the idea as a way to kick off the summer and celebrate Mothers Day Weekend. Then he reached out to restaurants in Mount Carroll. There are many exciting things happening in downtown Mount Carroll, we also saw this as a way to partner with the town," said TLP Artistic Director, Jim Beaudry.

"We thought it was a great idea, and I immediately thought of Felix and Fingers because I know how much people love them in the Chicago area, and not all dueling pianos acts are as good as they are," Beaudry continued. "So you can imagine my excitement when I found out that was the same group Ron had already reached out to about coming to TLP."

Tickets to the event, which is appropriate for all ages, can be purchased online at www.timberlakeplayhouse.org, by calling 815-244-2035 during business hours or stopping by the TLP office across the street from the theatre at 8215 Black Oak Road in rural Mount Carroll. Seats are reserved, so advance tickets are suggested, unless planning to spend the entire evening dancing in the aisles. Dinner options in Mount Carroll are separate from the ticket price.

Henry's Double K in Mount Carroll will be taking reservations for a pre-show all you can eat buffet at the restaurant that evening. The $15 buffet will include roast pork, chicken breasts, cheesy potatoes, vegetable, salad bar, rolls and coffee. Contact Henry's Double K at 815-244-0810 for more information. Sievert's Steaks & Stuff in Mount Carroll will offer 10% off pizzas between 4:30 and 5:30 p.m. Visit www.mountcarrollil.org for a cull list of restaurants in the town.

Timber Lake Playhouse's pre-season events begin Wednesday, May 6 with the Magic Owl Children's Theatre production of The Commedia Pinocchio for kids and families, which runs through Saturday May 9 at 10:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. All tickets are only $6 and are available by calling the office, or at the theatre the day of the show.

Office hours for TLP are Monday through Friday between 10:30 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. Timber Lake Playhouse is located at 8215 Black Oak Rd. in Mount Carroll.

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^{MOUNT CARROLL, IL -- Timber Lake Playhouse, the professional theatre company in Mount Carroll, in collaboration with Timber Lake Resort and Campground will present a one night only performance of the nationally renowned Felix and Fingers Dueling Pianos Show at the playhouse on Saturday, May 9th. The performance will begin at 7:00 p.m., with cash bar opening at 6:30. Tickets are $20 and are available April 1st online and through the TLP box office.}

^{Henry's Double K in Mount Carroll will be taking separate reservations for a pre-show all you can eat buffet at the restaurant that evening. The $15 buffet will include roast pork, chicken breasts, cheesy potatoes, vegetable, salad bar, rolls and coffee. Contact Henry's Double K at 815-244-0810 for more information. Sievert's Steaks & Stuff in Mount Carroll will offer 10% off pizzas between 4:30 and 5:30 p.m.}

^{Felix and Fingers began in 2010 when Dave Radford and Mike Potts came together to create their own unique take on dueling pianos. Dave have recently been a top ten male finalist on American Idol, and Mike had spent several years touring the world as a musician on cruise ships. Since 2010, they have grown from playing the Chicagoland area to playing venues throughout the entire country.}

^{Timber Lake Playhouse's 54th Summer Season officially begins June 4th with the Tony Award winning musical Hairspray. The Felix and Fingers show is part of a pre-season kick-off that also includes the Lena! Las Vegas Casino Night on Saturday, April 18th from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.}

^{The Casino Night event will take place at The Rafters in Lena, IL. Tickets are $50 and include the Cheezer's Palace Mac & Cheese Bar, roving appetizers, a starting purse, chances to win prizes, and access to gaming tables. Table games are provided by U. S. Poker and Casino Parties of Bensonville and will include blackjack, craps, roulette and Texas hold'em.}

^{For tickets to either of the TLP kick-off events, contact the playhouse at 815-244-2035, visit the website at www.timberlakeplayhouse.org, or stop by our office at 8216 Black Oak Rd. in Mount Carroll Monday through Friday between 10:30 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. Timber Lake Playhouse is located at 8215 Black Oak Rd. in Mount Carroll. The Rafters is located at 9426 W. Wagner Rd. in Lena.}

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MOUNT CARROLL, IL -- Timber Lake Playhouse, the professional summer theatre in Mount Carroll, will hold open auditions for teenagers and young adults who look like high school students for ensemble roles in their summer production of Hairspray. The company is seeking to cast up to ten strong dancers who can sing. African Americans are strongly encouraged to audition.

Auditions will be held on Saturday, February 14th at the West Carroll Middle School in Mount Carroll, located at 633 South East Street. Performers should arrive at 10:30 a.m. to sign in. The audition will begin with a dance call at 10:45 a.m. Based on the dance call, people may be asked to stay and sing. All auditions will end by 2:00 p.m.

Anyone attending should bring proper footwear, a current photo, and sheet music for a song in the style of the musical. An accompanist will be provided. Singing to a recording is discouraged. Please bring a list of potential rehearsal conflicts, as well.

Rehearsals for the production will begin on May 22nd. Rehearsals are every day through June 3. The production runs June 4th through June 14th. TLP will try to work around class schedules for rehearsals. No performance conflicts are allowed. Visit the website for more information.

Hairspray will be directed by Lili-Anne Brown, artistic director of Bailiwick Chicago and recipient of the 2014 Jeff Award for best direction of a musical for her company's production of Dessa Rose. Choreography will be by Zachary L. Gray, who recently served as associate director/choreographer of Shrek The Musical at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre and was a resident performer and choreographer at TLP in 2008.

Winner of 8 Tony Awards including Best Musical, Hairspray is a family-friendly musical piled bouffant high with laughter, romance, and deliriously tuneful songs. It's 1962 in Baltimore, and the lovable plus-size teen Tracy Turnblad has only one desire ? to dance on the popular Corny Collins Show. When her dream comes true, Tracy is transformed from social outcast to sudden star. She must use her newfound power to dethrone the reigning teen queen, win the affections of heartthrob Link Larkin, and integrate a TV network, all without denting her 'do!

For more information,  visit www.timberlakeplayhouse.org, call the box office at 815-244-2035, or visit the company at 8216 Black Oak Rd. in Mount Carroll.

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Shout! Celebrates the 60s at TLP

Mount Carroll?The summer season at Timber Lake Playhouse comes to a close with Shout! The Mod Musical, opening Thursday, August 14 and performing through Sunday, August 24. This "swinging sixties sensation" features TLP favorites Daryn Harrell, Allison Hunt, Caroline Murrah, Lexie Plath and Melissa Weyn performing songs made famous by Petula Clark, Dusty Springfield, Nancy Sinatra and more.

Featuring terrific new arrangements of such classics as "Those Were The Days," "To Sir With Love," "Downtown," "Son of a Preacher Man," "Goldfinger," and the title song, Shout! The Mod Musical follows five women through Swinging London. With a shimmy and shake, the songs are tied together by hilarious sound bites from the period -- from 60s advertisements from face creams to The Pill, to letters answered by an advice columnist who thinks every problem can be solved with a "fetching new hair style and a new shade of lipstick."

The cast includes some of the best talent TLP has had in the last several years. Daryn Harrell (Sweet Charity, Children of Eden) returns after spending the last two years working with Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines. Allison Hunt won the heart of the audience and "the monster" in Young Frankenstein. Caroline Murrah brought her gorgeous voice and charms to all six of TLP's mainstage shows this year. Lexie Plath is completing her second full summer, and Melissa Weyn is back after blowing audiences away as the narrator in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

Courtney Crouse, who helmed last year's hit 'SWonderful, directs the show, with musical staging by James Beaudry. While the show takes a lighthearted look at the 1960s, it includes some discussion of the sexual revolution, so parental discretion is advised.

Shout! The Mod Musical performs Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings at 7:30. There is a Saturday matinee at 3:00 p.m. on August 16, Sunday matinees at 2:00 p.m. on August 17 and 24, and a Wednesday matinee at 2:00 p.m. on August 20. Tickets are $17-$23. This program is partially sponsored by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency, with federal funds from the National Endowment for the Arts.

To purchase tickets, visit www.timberlakeplayhouse.org or contact the TLP box office. The box office is open daily 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. through August 24.

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Timber Lake Playhouse Announces 2015 Summer Season

Mount Carroll?Timber Lake Playhouse, the professional summer theatre of Northwest Illinois, and Executive Director James Beaudry announced their 54th consecutive summer season for 2015 at on July 19th. The theatre company, which has over 20,000 visitors annually, announced a lineup of six mainstage shows. Two productions for young people will be announced shortly.

The season will be begin June 4, 2015 with the musical Hairspray. Winner of 8 Tony Awards including Best Musical, Hairspray is a family-friendly musical piled bouffant high with laughter, romance, and deliriously tuneful songs. It's 1962 in Baltimore, and the lovable plus-size teen Tracy Turnblad has only one desire?to dance on the popular Corny Collins Show. When her dream comes true, Tracy is transformed from social outcast to sudden star, using her newfound power to dethrone the reigning teen queen, win the affections of heartthrob Link Larkin, and integrate a TV network, all without denting her 'do.

Following Hairspray, is a big-hearted new play called The Big Meal, which premiered in Chicago in 2011 and tells the extraordinary story of an ordinary family. Somewhere in America, in a typical suburban restaurant on a typical night, Sam and Nicole first meet. Sparks fly. And so begins an expansive tale that traverses five generations of a modern family, from first kiss to final goodbye.  Though it premiered in 2011, The Big Meal already feels like a classic. In the spirit of Thornton Wilder's plays (Our Town, The Long Christmas Dinner), The Big Meal is humorous, human and ambitious.  Pulitzer Prize Winner Annie Baker recently called it "The greatest play ever written."

In July, for the first time ever, TLP will present the Broadway musical Peter Pan. Since 1955, when Mary Martin first took to the air as Peter, the show has become a must-see classic around the world. Beloved by generations, the playhouse will offer additional matinees of the productions to accommodate families.

The fourth show and second play of the season is Greater Tuna, the hilarious comedy about the third smallest town in Texas, where the Lion's Club is too liberal and Patsy Cline never dies. The eclectic band of citizens that make up this town are portrayed by only two performers, making this send-up of life in rural America even more delightful as they depict all of the inhabitants of Tuna -- men, women, children and animals. The action takes place in the early Eighties, though nothing in Tuna has changed since then, anyway.

In 2003, film director Tim Burton transformed the novel Big Fish into a beloved film starring Albert Finney, Ewan McGregor and Jessica Lange. Last year, the story was turned in a glorious new Broadway musical. TLP will present the area premiere of this show in a special production starring long time TLP favorite Karl Hamilton (last seen as Rev. Moore in Footloose) and Elizabeth Haley (who starred as his wife, Vi Moore). The two are also married in real life.

Big Fish tells the story of Edward Bloom, a traveling salesman whose incredible, larger-than-life stories thrill everyone around him - most of all, his adoring wife Sandra. But their son Will is determined to find the truth behind his father's fantastic tales. Overflowing with heart, humor and spectacular stage magic as Edward's stories come to life, it is an extraordinary new musical that reminds us why we love going to the theatre - for an experience richer, funnier and bigger than life itself. Executive Director James Beaudry, who brought his inventive style to Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, directs and choreographs.

The final production of the 2015 season will be Roger Miller's Big River: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Propelled by an award winning score from Roger Miller, the king of country music, this journey down the mighty Mississippi provides a brilliantly theatrical celebration of pure Americana. Twain's timeless classic is played out by actor-musicians to the sound of country and bluegrass as irrepressible Huck Finn helps his friend Jim, a slave, escape to freedom. Their adventures are hilarious, suspenseful and heartwarming, bringing to life our favorite characters from the novel.

Subscribers may reserve advance tickets to all six productions immediately. Tickets for individual shows will go on sale in 2015. Gold series subscriptions are $105 (30% off the individual ticket price), and are available through Labor Day only. Silver series subscriptions are $119 (20% off the individual ticket price) and will be available following Labor Day.

Audition opportunities for area teens and kids will be announced in March.

To purchase a subscription, visit www.timberlakeplayhouse.org or contact the TLP box office. The box office is open daily 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. through August 24.

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