Welcome to the website of Colonial Chorus Players. Please explore the site to learn more about us, what we do, and how to join us in our mission of providing quality theatrical entertainment and educating people of all ages in the theater arts.
Just when you thought it was safe to go back to the Hose House, Accidentally on Purpose makes their return Saturday, August 13, for an evening of wild and unpredictable improv comedy! Featuring our own Heather Hamilton!
This joint fundraiser with CCP begins at 7:30 PM. Doors open at 7 PM. Tickets $20 at door—cash only.
Please note: CCP currently requires audience members to wear masks inside the Hose House. Policy subject to change.
Accidentally on Purpose’s comedy style is similar to the hit TV show Whose Line Is It Anyway? with lots of audience interaction. Due to its improvisational nature, things can get a little R-rated. Don’t say we didn’t warn you!
Hey, Big Spender! Have you spent a little time with us?
We’d love to replace the current Hose House seating with comfy, spacious, padded new chairs, which is why we’re starting up our
Sweet Chairity Fundraiser.
We’re hoping to purchase a total of 70 chairs at the cost of roughly $90 per chair, which includes delivery.
Any amount is welcome and appreciated! For example, you can sponsor one leg of a chair for $22.50.
Three Easy Ways to Donate:
“The Shrew Must Go On” by Lori M. Myers
Melanie Gold . . . . Kayla Clegg
Katherine/Kate . . . . June Dever
Harry . . . . Jack Croughwell
“A Woman’s Battle” by Sean Adams
Cassandra . . . . Ivy Ho
Andromache . . . . Jennifer Hurley
Helen . . . . Trisha Barungi
Hecuba . . . . Michelle Leibowitz
“Another Conversation” by Marjorie Bicknell
Queen Gertrude . . . . Kris Reynolds
Ophelia . . . . TBA
“Beatriz . . . If You Speak of Love” by David Nice
Beatriz . . . . TBA
Yolanda . . . . TBA
“The Lear Sisters” by Sue Lange
Claudia . . . . TBA
Reenie . . . . Kayla Clegg
Gordy . . . . Jennifer Hurley
“Haircuts” by Barbara Trainin Blank
Anne Boleyn . . . . June Dever
Isabella . . . . Ivy Ho
“The Nurse’s Rebellion” by Sandra Fenichel Asher
Juliet . . . . Trisha Barungi
Nurse . . . . Michelle Leibowitz
Lady Capulet . . . . Kris Reynolds
Shakespeare . . . . Jack Croughwell
"We had excellent talent come to audition for this show and I'm very excited about the cast we've put together,” says director Krisha Hoyt-Mackler. “I'm looking forward to working with these skilled and mindful actors to bring you an amazing show!”
Everyone is welcome to attend this fun and rewarding event that celebrates the arts in Reading! Now in its
fifth year, this day highlights Arts Reading members, businesses, and associates with tables to share their
worthwhile artistic attributes with you. Various performers on stage will bring you some of the most noted
talents in the community and in the area!
Participants:
This is a wildly popular downtown event that brings together local restaurants, retail businesses, and
community groups for a fun-filled, family-friendly day. During the day, hundreds of visitors enjoy great food,
live entertainment, games, a beer garden, a corn-hole tournament, inflatables, and more than 100 vendor and
community group booths.
CCP will take part in the faire this year on September 10. Drop by our booth to say hello, or volunteer
an hour or two from noon to 5 PM. We’ll have info on CCP, giveaways, and a photo opp with Cinderella’s throne.
To volunteer, contact public relations chair Carla Perrotta at publicrelations@ccp1961.org.
Buckle up, folks—you’re in for a wild ride! Our favorite improv troupe Accidentally On Purpose is returning to
the Old Hose House Saturday, February 24, at 7:30 PM for an evening of unpredictable comedy!
Tickets are $20 at the door with cash, check, or Venmo only. Doors open at 7 PM. All proceeds benefit Colonial
Chorus Players.
Accidentally On Purpose’s comedy style is similar to the hit TV show Whose Line Is It Anyway? with lots of
audience interaction. Due to its improvisational nature, things can get a little R-rated.
Check out this sizzle
reel to see what you're in for! Don’t say we didn’t warn you!
Spontaneous, entertaining, and fun, Accidentally On Purpose (AOP) has an eclectic cast of professionals
whose day jobs include author, teacher, tradesman, salesperson, and corporate executive that have been laughing
together for over a decade.
Join Jan Gallagher for a fun and friendly class designed to prepare you to shine at your next audition. All levels welcome—Jan can teach anyone to dance!
DATES & TIMES:
Tuesdays June 6–July 18 [no class July 4]
It’s time to do some Spring cleaning at the Hose House! All friends of CCP are invited to join us for our annual Work Day Saturday, May 20, anytime from 10 AM to 3 PM.
Outside we’ll be picking up debris, weed whacking, and leaf blowing.
Inside we’ll be giving the rehearsal space, bathrooms, and back room a thorough cleaning. Plus, we’ll be sorting, cleaning, and organizing all props in our Props Department!
We’ll also be collecting scrap metal, so feel free to bring whatever you want to get rid of from home.
BRING:
Please email Hose House chair Fred Gallagher at HoseHouse@ccp1961.org to let him know you’re coming.
We’re overjoyed to announce that for the first time since 2019 we are back at Tin Bucket in Reading for our annual Paint Night fundraiser!
Join us Wednesday, May 31, from 7–9 PM at Tin Bucket, 12 Woburn Street, Reading. Bring friends or come make new ones—and leave with an original work of art created by YOU!
No experience necessary—anyone can paint. As Bob Ross would say, “There are no mistakes, just happy accidents."
Cost is $45 per person. Tin Bucket supplies all the materials and tools and donates part of the proceeds back to CCP. If you want, bring snacks and beverages to share. Wine is always welcome.
Space is limited to about 20 people, so get your ticket now at
https://www.tinbucketshop.com/event-details/colonial-chorus-paint-night-fundraiser-private-event
For the second show in our 2023–2024 season, we’re turning to Stephen Sondheim and his bold, original, disturbing, and alarmingly funny musical Assassins.
In this musical, the most notorious Presidential assassins (or would-be assassins)—John Wilkes Booth, Lee Harvey Oswald, Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme, John Hinckley, Jr., and others—gather on stage in a panoramic story about our national obsession with celebrity and the violent means some will use to obtain it.
Assassins will run February 2–10, 2024, at the Old Hose House in Reading. Produced by Amy Oldenquist and Heather Rotondi.
Neil Simon’s romantic comedy set in the 1960s in a tiny Greenwich Village walkup explores the early days of marriage between blissful newlyweds Paul and Corie as they learn to “let go of expectations and embrace the beautiful chaos of life.” The 1967 film version starred Robert Redford and Jane Fonda as the young couple.
When spirited, imaginative Anne Shirley (that’s Anne with an ‘e’) arrives in the town of Avonlea on Prince Edward Island, she quickly upends the provincial lives of the residents there, eventually finding true kindred spirits among them. This charming family musical based on L.M. Montgomery’s classic novel has been recognized by Guinness World Records as the longest-running annual musical theatre production in the world!
At first glance Aaron and Casey have absolutely nothing in common: He’s a conservative banker looking for a meaningful relationship, while she’s a free-spirited artist who’s a little too funky for Wall Street. When they are set up on a blind date, will they find a way to connect? The original Broadway production of this musical comedy featured Zachery Levi and Krysta Rodriguez as Aaron and Casey.
MURDERERS & MAYHEM: A CABARET FUNDRAISER
Join us for an evening of music and mayhem at this cabaret featuring infamous songs from
Sweeney Todd, Les Misérables, Chicago, and other killer Broadway shows. Proceeds benefit CCP's February production of Assassins.
DATE/TIME:
Thursday, January 25, 2024
7 PM
Doors open 6:30 PM
LOCATION:
Old Hose House Theater
1249 Main Street
Reading, MA
TICKETS:
$20 General Admission
Advance tickets available on
TicketStage.
Available at the door for cash, check, or Venmo only.
UPDATED LIST OF PERFORMERS:
Adrianna Crockett-Sears
Christopher Crockett-Sears
Chris Dearbeck
Jess Dearbeck
Michelle Doucet
Lori Duxbury
Robb Laureles
Courtney Liscio
Amy Oldenquist
Heather Rotondi
Stephen Rotondi
Declan Geoffrion Scannell
Milo Wiston
Sarah Wolman
We're in the process of giving our beloved Old Hose House a makeover! All summer we've been working on
repainting, reorganizing, and redecorating inside—and our work will continue into the fall. Outside, we’ve
painted lines for parking spaces and put up a new flagpole, and we're hoping to hang a historic plaque to
celebrate our status as a property on the National Register of Historic Places.
If you’d like to contribute to our efforts, please consider purchasing an item on our Amazon Wish List.
Because we are a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, all donations are tax deductible. Please note: All items
will be shipped to the home of our Hose House Chair, Scott Estabrooks, because the Hose House itself is
unoccupied during the day. Thank you!
Music and Lyrics by Frank Loesser
Book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows
Directed by Andrew Rhodes
Musical Direction by Shawn Gelzleichter
Choreography by Lindsey McGovern
Produced by Fred Gallagher and Heather Hamilton
Guys and Dolls is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International
(MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI.
Colonial Chorus Players announces auditions for
GUYS AND DOLLS
Music and Lyrics by Frank Loesser
Book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows
Directed by Andrew Rhodes
Musical Direction by Shawn Gelzleichter
Choreography by Lindsey McGovern
Produced by Fred Gallagher and Heather Hamilton
Guys and Dolls is presented through special arrangement with
Music Theatre International (MTI).
All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI.