oldtownplayhouse.com Paid content

Old Town Playhouse is the primary community theater serving Traverse City and the surrounding northern Michigan region. It produces a full season of shows across multiple performance spaces, offers theater education for youth and adults, and welcomes participants as performers, volunteers, donors, and audience members. If you're looking to see a show, get involved on stage, or enroll a young person in theater classes, this is the main hub to start with.

What Old Town Playhouse Offers

The organization describes itself as offering "quality community theatre or community theater" and frames its mission around the idea that it's a place "Where Everyone Plays A Part." That phrase reflects the range of ways to participate beyond just buying a ticket.

Performance categories listed on the site include:

• MainStage — the primary season productions
• Studio Theatre — smaller-scale or more intimate productions
• Special Events — one-off performances and gatherings
• Young Company — youth-focused productions
• Aged to Perfection — programming with an older-adult focus
• Staged Readings — script-in-hand performances

This range means you can find everything from full mainstage musicals to low-key readings, depending on the night.

Current and Upcoming Shows

The site's "Up Next" section highlights Honky Tonk Laundry, described as a country-music-filled play running October 9–11, 2026 — three shows only. The plot follows two women who turn a laundromat into a honky-tonk, featuring music from artists like Dolly Parton, Patsy Cline, Carrie Underwood, and Reba McEntire.

One important practical detail: this particular production is not at the Playhouse's usual venue. It takes place at Milliken Auditorium in the Dennos Museum Center on the Northwestern Michigan College main campus, 410 College Drive, Traverse City. The site maintains a dedicated "Other Venues" page for exactly this reason — always confirm the location before you go.

Also listed as coming soon: Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors, plus the Northern Michigan Asylum Playwriting Contest.

Recent and announced productions include Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Shrek the Musical (the latter through the Theatre for Young Audiences program), showing the mix of family-friendly and general-audience work.

How to See a Show

The site organizes the audience experience under a "Plan Your Visit" section with these pages:

If you're deciding whether to bring children or want to know what a production contains, check Content Guidance before buying. If you have access requirements, check Accessibility first. For any show at Milliken Auditorium or another off-site location, read Other Venues so you don't drive to the wrong building.

How to Get Involved

Beyond attending, the site lists several participation paths:

• Auditions — with an "Upcoming Auditions" page and an Audition FAQs page for first-timers
• Volunteer — a standing option in the main navigation
• Donate — also in the main navigation
• Membership — listed under the About section
• Adult Learning — including "Workshops for Adults"
• Youth Learning — including Young Company, Fall Classes, and Theatre Day Camps

For young people specifically, the youth track runs from classes through day camps to full Young Company productions. For adults who want to try theater for the first time, the Audition FAQs page is the sensible starting point before the Adult Learning workshops.

Practical Notes Before You Go

• Confirm the venue. Old Town Playhouse performs both at its own space and at other locations such as Milliken Auditorium. The show listing itself notes when a performance is off-site.
• Check the refund and exchange policy before purchasing, since terms vary by organization.
• Look at content guidance if you're bringing family members or are unsure about a show's themes.
• Watch the calendar — the site separates performances by category (MainStage, Studio Theatre, Special Events, Young Company, Aged to Perfection, Staged Readings), so browse by the type of experience you want rather than assuming all shows are similar.

The Bottom Line

For community theater in northern Michigan around Traverse City, Old Town Playhouse is the central organization to know. It covers the full spectrum — mainstage productions, studio work, youth programming, adult classes, auditions, volunteering, and donating. Start with the "Plan Your Visit" pages to buy tickets and confirm logistics, and check the Auditions or Learning sections if you want to be part of a show rather than just watch one.

The Arts & Recreation Foundation of Overland Park is a nonprofit organization that raises money and builds community partnerships to support arts, culture, and recreation in Overland Park, Kansas. If you live in or near the city, its work shows up in places you may already visit: Deanna Rose Children's Farmstead, the Overland Park Arboretum & Botanical Gardens, and public art projects across the community. The foundation itself is not a city department; it works alongside the city and donors to fund enhancements, programs, and special projects that go beyond what tax dollars alone cover.

What the Foundation Actually Does

Think of the foundation as a charitable partner for Overland Park's cultural and recreational assets. Its role generally includes:

• Fundraising: Accepting donations and gifts that are directed toward specific attractions, programs, or public art.
• Community partnerships: Working with businesses, civic groups, and residents who want to support local amenities.
• Events: Hosting or supporting events that both raise funds and give the community a reason to gather.
• Project support: Helping pay for improvements, additions, and experiences at the destinations it serves.

Because it is a nonprofit, money raised goes back into the community rather than to private owners. That structure is what allows residents and local businesses to contribute directly to the places they care about.

The Destinations and Initiatives It Supports

Deanna Rose Children's Farmstead

Deanna Rose Children's Farmstead is a family-oriented attraction that gives children and adults a hands-on look at farm life, animals, and Kansas history. Foundation support for the Farmstead typically means helping fund enhancements, educational experiences, and community events that keep the site engaging for repeat visitors and first-timers alike.

Overland Park Arboretum & Botanical Gardens

The Arboretum & Botanical Gardens is a living collection of gardens, trails, and natural areas. Supporting it can involve funding plantings, garden features, educational programming, and long-term care that keeps the grounds beautiful and accessible through the seasons.

Public Art Projects

Public art is another core focus. The foundation helps bring sculptures, installations, and other artistic works into shared spaces, making art part of everyday life rather than something you only see in a museum. These projects often depend on donations and partnerships to move from idea to installation.

How Community Partnerships and Events Fit In

The foundation's model relies on the community, not just on institutional funding. Local businesses may sponsor an event or a project. Residents may attend a fundraiser, buy a ticket, or make a donation. Civic organizations may partner on a specific initiative.

Events serve two purposes at once: they raise money and they build awareness. A well-attended event introduces new people to the Farmstead, the Arboretum, or a public art effort, and some of those people become ongoing supporters. Over time, this cycle of participation and giving is what sustains projects that a city budget alone might not fully fund.

Practical Ways Residents Can Get Involved

If you want to support this work, you do not need to be a major donor. Here are realistic starting points:

1. Visit the attractions. Attendance and word-of-mouth support matter. Spend a day at the Farmstead or the Arboretum and bring friends or family.
2. Attend a foundation event. Events are the easiest entry point. You get an experience, and your ticket or participation helps fund projects.
3. Donate. Contributions can often be directed toward a specific area, such as the Farmstead, the Arboretum, or public art. Check the foundation's website for current giving options.
4. Volunteer. Nonprofits frequently need help with events, outreach, and administrative tasks. Volunteering is a low-cost way to contribute time and skills.
5. Partner as a business. If you own or manage a local business, sponsorship or in-kind support can align your brand with community assets people genuinely value.
6. Spread the word. Sharing events and projects with neighbors, school groups, or community boards helps the foundation reach people who might want to help.

For current details on events, donation methods, and volunteer needs, go directly to the foundation's website, since programs and opportunities change over time.

Why This Matters for Local Quality of Life

Arts, culture, and recreation are not extras. They shape how a city feels to live in. A children's farmstead gives families a shared destination. Botanical gardens provide green space and seasonal beauty. Public art makes ordinary streets and parks more interesting. When residents and businesses invest in these things through a foundation, they are effectively choosing the kind of community they want.

The Arts & Recreation Foundation of Overland Park exists to make that choice easier and more organized. It connects people who care about these places with the projects that need support, and it keeps the benefits local.

A Simple Way to Think About It

If you are trying to understand the foundation in one sentence: it is the community's fundraising and partnership arm for Overland Park's arts, culture, and recreation, with a focus on Deanna Rose Children's Farmstead, the Overland Park Arboretum & Botanical Gardens, and public art. You benefit from its work when you visit these places, and you can contribute by attending, donating, volunteering, or partnering. Start with a visit, then decide how you want to take part.