River Valley Players (RVP) recently approved plans for its 2026 season. RVP will offer two musicals and a farce featuring: Once Upon a Mattress, Rumors, and the Roald Dahl Matilda Musical, JR. RVP President Patrick Hagen said: “RVP is in a growth phase. It’s an extremely exciting time. The upcoming season includes remarkable stories and opportunities for actors and creatives of every age to participate in highquality community theater.”
The season will open with the musical Once Upon a Mattress, directed by Hannah Jo Anderson. Anderson describes it as a “high-energy adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen’s The Princess and the Pea, filled with humor and heart.” It opens on April 10 in the historic Gard Theater in Spring Green and runs for two weekends. Tickets are now available online at rivervalleyplayers.org, and in person at North Earth Crystals and Gifts.
In October, RVP will produce Neil Simon’s farce, Rumors. Director Ari Pollack provides this description of the show: “Four NYC power couples gather for a dinner party, but the hostess is nowhere to be found, and the host is upstairs passed out with a bullet hole in his earlobe. Hilarity ensues.” Auditions for Rumors will take place in late August. More information is available at rivervalleyplayers.org.
The RVP season will conclude with Matilda, JR., the first weekend of December during the Spring Green Area Chamber of Commerce’s Country Christmas. Directed by Michael Stanek, Matilda, JR. is the witty and wonderful musical adaptation of Roald Dahl’s beloved story for young people that teaches us that “sometimes you have to be a little bit naughty.”
As a volunteer community theater group, RVP is always looking for new talent, whether you’re new to theater or an old hand. For those interested in proposing shows for production, the proposal deadline for the 2027 spring show is June 1,, and the deadline for the 2027 fall and winter shows is December 1. Please check rivervalleyplayers.org for more information.
RVP welcomes donations to support our work: https://onthestage.tickets/river-valleyplayers/donate#/donations. We currently have opportunities for businesses, organizations, and individuals to support us as Season Sponsors, Show Sponsors, and Advertising Partners. Please contact Patrick Hagen at hagenp2@gmail.com if you would like to learn more about supporting community theater in the River Valley.