Depot Theatre announces mainstage season lineup

WESTPORT — The Depot Theatre has announced its 45th season lineup, which includes two hilarious and thought-provoking plays and a nod to the Depot’s anniversary with a classic musical from its very first season.

Lights go up on the main stage on June 29th with “What The Constitution Means To Me.” Upbeat and quick-witted, a middle-aged woman recounts traveling the country as a fifteen-year-old speech and debate champion. She takes the audience on a fascinating and gut-wrenching journey, ending each performance with a unique, live debate against a student on the subject of the U.S. Constitution. The show will run from June 29 through July 16.

The season continues with “Chesapeake” by Lee Blessing, in which one wildly versatile actor brings alive a string of disparate characters who argue completely polar perspectives on the value of art, politics and the mysterious connections between dogs and their humans. Hilarious and delightfully otherworldly, this oneman show draws its title from the Chesapeake retriever that plays an integral role in a heist gone wrong. Performances run from July 20 through Aug. 6.

The season ends with the world’s longest-running Off-Broadway musical and one from the Depot Theatre’s very first season, “The Fantasticks.” The show is a quintessential celebration of love, its enduring mysteries, it’s sweet simplicities, and all the foolish ways we tend to mess it up.

Boasting a cherished score of classic tunes, including “Try to Remember” and “Soon it’s Gonna Rain,” the season’s finale runs from Aug. 10-27.

“This season conveys a message collectively about meeting one another on a shared level and moving forward together,” says Michael Glavan, Depot Theatre artistic production manager. “And as a bonus, each production tells a story with a solid dose of comedy!”

The Depot Theatre is a non-profit, professional theatre located in a historic, functioning 1876 train station in Westport, and it’s the only theatre in the Adirondacks that operates under an agreement with Actors’ Equity Association. The 2023 Depot Theatre season is sponsored by the Roger-Carroll Family Foundation.

Season passes and individual tickets can be purchased online at DepotTheatre.org or by calling the box office at 518-9624449 More details and information about the Depot Theatre Academy summer youth program, additional events, and news updates can be found online.

¯ Musical theater: “The Muppet Cabaret” — 7 to 8 p.m., Pendragon Theatre, 15 Brandy Brook Ave., Saranac Lake, $25-30 advance, 518-891-1854.

¯ Meadowmount Student Concert — 7:30 p.m., Campe Concert Hall, 1424 County Route 10, Westport. More info: meadowmount.org.

Saturday, July 22

¯ Keeseville Plein Air — Part of the Community Arts Festival, July 21-22. Three days of painting, two days of shows and sales. Plein air show & sale opening reception Friday night, show and sale Saturday, brunch with the artists, live music and more. More info: www.adkaction.org.

¯ Sidewalk Signing — 3 to 5 p.m. with Kim van Alkemade, The Bookstore Plus, 2491 Main St., Lake Placid. More info: www.thebookstoreplus.com.

¯ Live music: Far Trio — 5 to 8 p.m., Raquette River Brewing, 11 Balsam St., Tupper Lake, free.

¯ Live music: Brad and Mike of Annie in the Water — 6 p.m., P-2’s Irish Pub, 31 Main St., Tupper Lake, free.

¯ Meadowmount Student Concert — 6:30 p.m., Lake Forest Senior Living Community, Plattsburgh. More info: meadowmount.org.

¯ “A Tribute to David Smith” — Part of The Sembrich Trailblazers Summer Festival, 7 p.m., 4800 Lake Shore Drive, Bolton Landing. More info and tickets: thesembrich. org/festival.

¯ Adirondack Gems: North Country Women in Music — Featuring Martha Gallagher, Rose Chancler, Patricia McCarty and more, plus Adirondack premiere of Winfred Hysons “Somewhere in the Wild,” 7:30 p.m., Keene Valley Congregational Church, 1791 NY-73, suggested donation $10-20.

¯ Lake Placid Sinfonietta Symphony Series Concert: “String Sorcery” — 7:30 p.m., Lake Placid Center for the Arts, 17 Algonquin Drive, $10-30. Playing Max Bruchs “Violin Concerto No. 1” with Young Concert Artist Bella Hristova, and Tchaikovskys “Symphony No. 5.” Meet-theartist reception follows.

¯ Seagle Music Festival: “A Little Night Music” — 7:30 p.m., Oscar Seagle Memorial Theatre, Schroon Lake. More info and tickets: 518-532-7875 or seaglefestival.org.

Sunday, July 23

¯ Meadowmount Student Concert — 10 a.m. performance during morning service, Keene Valley Congregational Church, 1791 state Route 73, Keene Valley. More info: meadowmount.org.

¯ Sidewalk Signing — 3 to 5 p.m. with L.R. Smolarek, The Bookstore Plus,

2491 Main St., Lake Placid. More info: www.thebookstoreplus.com.

¯ Meadowmount Student Concert — 5 p.m., Campe Concert Hall, 1424 County Route 10, Westport. More info: meadowmount.org.

Monday, July 24

¯ Monday Morning Storytime — 10 a.m., The Bookstore Plus, 2491 Main St., Lake Placid. More info: www.thebookstoreplus.com.

¯ Live music: Night School — Dance hits from yesteryear and today, 7 p.m., Flanders Park, Tupper Lake, free.

¯ Film screening: The Conductor (2021) — Part of The Sembrich Trailblazers Summer Festival, 7:30 p.m., 4800 Lake Shore Drive, Bolton Landing. More info and tickets: thesembrich.org/festival.

Tuesday, July 25

¯ Birding hike with Joan Collins — 7 a.m. meet at Overlook Park, 3 Santanoni Drive, Newcomb, walk on rail bed along Vanderwhacker Brook. Register: 518-6243077. Maximum 15 participants. Bring food, water, jacket, appropriate attire/hiking shoes, binoculars, hat, sunscreen and bug spray.

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