Category Archives: Productions

Past

Joy & The Shooting Stars

Joy & The Shooting Stars

A Visionary New Musical Redefining How We Teach Emotional Resilience to Youth

Marblehead Little Theatre will host a one-of-a-kind evening featuring a brand-new original work by local singer/songwriter and youth educator, Molly Williams. This special performance is a launchpad for a nationwide vision and a fundraiser for the Center for Women & Girls, Inc., at the helm of this production.

Like a modern-day The Wizard of Oz, Joy & The Shooting Stars uses vibrant storytelling and infectious music to help young people quiet the voice of fear, find inner strength, and persevere through challenges to follow their dreams. The musical celebrates the power of community, connection, and kindness.

One performance on July 2 at 6:30pm
At Marblehead Little Theatre, 12 School Street, Marblehead, MA
Proceeds support Center for Women & Girls, Inc.

At the heart of the story is Joy, a young girl who loves to sing but struggles with low self-confidence. After a painful disappointment, Joy falls asleep in tears and finds herself in a magical dream — surrounded by colorful Little Stars in the night sky, each with a unique personality. Together, they attend Shooting Star School to learn how to become “Shooting Stars” under the nurturing guidance of Mother Sky and her trusted assistants: Father Tree, Wise Owl, and the mischievous Gremlin. Through a series of playful and memorable lessons and songs, Joy and the Little Stars, along with the audience, learn real-life skills that strengthen courage, confidence, and resilience.

With youth anxiety on the rise, Joy & The Shooting Stars meets an urgent need: giving kids fun, accessible tools for emotional well-being. This joyful evening is perfect for families, arts supporters, educators, and anyone who believes in the power of story and song to ignite change.
“This performance is the first step in a much bigger vision,” says Williams, who is also the Founder and Executive Director of Center for Women & Girls, Inc. “We’re raising funds to mount a full production and ultimately bring Joy & The Shooting Stars to schools and theaters across the country, paired with a curriculum that supports social-emotional learning for youth.

About Center for Women & Girls, Inc.

Founded by Molly Williams in 2024, Center for Women & Girls, Inc. is a nonprofit dedicated to empowering youth, women, families, and communities. Its inaugural initiative, Joy & The Shooting Stars, blends live, interactive theater with a transformational social-emotional learning curriculum, reinventing how young people learn the skills they need to thrive — on stage and in life. Learn more at www.centerforwomenandgirls.org

Dance, Past, Special Events and Guest Productions

Force of Nature

Illusions in Motion Dance Company Premieres Their Annual Performance

Force of Nature

An Evocative, Story-Driven Exploration of the Elements

This July, audiences are invited to step into the world of Force of Nature, a dance performance that channels the emotional power and quiet intensity of the natural world. Presented by Illusions in Motion Dance Company, the show will premiere at Marblehead Little Theatre on July 11 and 12, 2025 at 7 PM. 

Tickets are available at illusionsinmotion.com. 

Force of Nature is a captivating dance performance that explores the quiet strength and emotional depth of the natural world. Drawing inspiration from the elements—earth, air, fire, and water—the piece unfolds as a series of intertwined stories, each revealing a different facet of nature’s personality: gentle, unpredictable, passionate, and enduring.

Set against a dark, atmospheric backdrop and a textured, cinematic score, the dancers move through shifting landscapes of shadow, light, and color. Flowing fabrics mimic wind and water, glowing embers inspire fiery, rhythmic sequences, and grounded, expressive movement brings the strength of earth to life.

“This performance is about the unseen forces that move us—both human and elemental,” says Emmanuel Encarnacion, co-artistic director. “We wanted to tell stories that feel deeply personal, yet universally connected to something much larger.”

With its sultry tone, emotionally-driven choreography, and rich visual storytelling, Force of Nature offers a fresh, immersive experience for dance lovers and new audiences alike.

Tickets are available at illusionsinmotion.com. 

For press inquiries, interviews, or media access, please contact: Illusionsinmotion@gmail.com

Past, Plays & Musicals

The Crucible

Reviews
Marblehead Independent
Marielle Sabbag (Vocal.Media)

Producer Erin Pelikhov
Exec Producer Chris Adam King, Director Trudi Olivetti
Asst Director Andrew Hankinson

The Crucible by American playwright Arthur Miller, centers on the Salem witch trials of 1692, during which a group of girls accuse local citizens of witchcraft. Soon others join these accusers. This hysteria is fueled by personal grudges and social inequities and a palpable belief that the devil was real. The play is a powerful exploration of that story and the relationships among the characters. But it also serves as an allegory for “witchhunts” occurring at any time or place.

Thank you to our wonderful patrons for making this production so successful.
All Perfromances Are Sold Out

Our Sponsors

We are grateful to Barbara and Michael Schaefer for their generous support and sponsorship of The Crucible

And to Dayle Person for sponsoring the opening night October 3 performance.

Scene Sponsors
Jim Olivetti,  Marblehead Bank, Shubie’s, Arnould Gallery and Framery, Witch City Broom Company, Witch City Walking tours

Character Sponsor – Hestia Creations

Sponsorships of The Crucible offers a unique opportunity to support the arts while showcasing your commitment to the community. Your sponsorship will help cover production costs, including set design, costumes, lighting, and more—ensuring this heartwarming story is beautifully brought to life for our audiences

THE CRUCIBLE is presented by special arrangement with Broadway Licensing, LLC, servicing the Dramatists Play Service collection. (www.dramatists.com)

Children's Theatre Productions, Past

Imagine a Dragon

Imagine a Dragon

The dragon is back in town! Well… not really. That’s the story a ragtag band of innkeepers makes up, desperate to draw questing heroes to the struggling Dancing Dragon Inn. Soon the inn is full of unexpected guests, from an army of princesses out to prove their bravery, to a group of overwhelmed heroes trying to hold onto their fame. But what happens if they all discover the innkeepers’ dragon story is made up? Could there be more than one way to save the day? An epic folk-rock score brings magic to this funny, heartfelt fantasy musical.

Book & Lyrics by KATHRYN FUNKHOUSER
Music & Lyrics by DENVER CASADO

Directed by Ali Mahon Paige
Associate Director Katie Meuse
Musical Director Emily Northridge

Children ages 6-12 make up the cast of Imagine a Dragon. MLT’s Children’s productions are family friendly and age-appropriate.

Performances:
Friday May 2 at 5:30pm
Saturday May 3 at 1:00pm and 5:30pm
Sunday At 1:00pm

IMAGINE A DRAGON
is presented through special arrangement with Beat by Beat Press (bbbpress.com)

Past, Plays & Musicals

Mystic Pizza

Produced by Emily Black
Exec Producer Chris King
Directed by Steve Black
Assoc Director Katie Meuse
Music Direction by Lianne Bunting 
Choreography by Autumn Blazon-Brown   

Based on the beloved 1988 MGM rom-com, Mystic Pizza is a new musical about three working-class girls who navigate the complexities of life, love and family in a small-town pizza joint. The infectious score features megahits of the 80s and 90s, from “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” to “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now.”

A grateful thank you to Barbara & Michael Schaefer, for sponsoring MLT’s production of Mystic Pizza.

To learn more about the show please visit the Concord Theatricals show page, linked here, or the Original Production’s show page, linked here. 

All Performances of Mystic Pizza are SOLD OUT

From time to time, seats become available at the last minute. If you are interest in a stad-by seat, please come to the theater 30 minutes before show time and we will do our best to find you a seat just before the doors close.

Mystic Pizza Program

Mystic Pizza full programDownload

The Cast of Mystic Pizza

ConcordTheatricals.com