The Lofte Community Theatre - 50th Season!

What started out as a bunch of kids and their teacher doing plays in a barn in the middle of a corn field in Cass County, 50 years later, has become an award-winning community theatre, and we are excited to celebrate that milestone with our 50th season in 2026! This year we are bringing back a few audience and director favorites mixed with some new productions as well! Season tickets continue to be available by either calling the box office or visiting our website, and auditions for these shows will be held throughout the year. Read on to learn more about our upcoming productions and all of the fantastic theatre you can see at the Lofte this season!

You Can't Take It With You

by Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman

The family of Martin Vanderhof lives just around the corner from Columbia University. Grandpa, as Martin is more commonly known, is the head of a large and extended family of charming eccentrics. When his granddaughter Alice falls for her boss, Tony, a handsome scion of Wall Street, she fears that their two families – so unlike in manner, politics, and finances – will never come together. But why be obsessed by money? After all, you can’t take it with you!

This show was one of the most popular plays of its time, winning the 1937 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and an Academy Award for its 1939 film adaptation.

The Lofte performed this production twice before. During the most recent production (which was back in the "old barn" in 2004) one performance had to be cut short due to tornado warnings. While no damage was done in our area, there was severe damage done elsewhere. Here's hoping we have better weather this time around!

Performances are March 20, 21, 22, 26, 27, 28, & 29

Making God Laugh

by Sean Grennan

The cast is 5 people, 2 women and 3 men. Ages for all could range from 20 to 80, as the family ages over time, with the same actors playing each character.

Making God Laugh follows one typical American family over the course of thirty years' worth of holidays. Starting in 1980, Ruthie and Bill's grown children -- a priest, an aspiring actress, and a former football star -- all return home, where we learn of their plans and dreams as they embark on their adult lives. The empty-nester parents contend with their own changes, too, as old family rituals are trotted out and ancient tensions flare up. As time passes, the family discovers that, despite what we may have in mind, we often arrive at unexpected destinations.

The first part of the play takes place at Thanksgiving. Ten years later, we see the kids back for Christmas and how much has changed. In Act Two, the pattern continues. The play takes a close look at not only how our lives change, but also how our expectations have changed about the lives we could have lived, or the lives we expect others to live or have lived. This takes a close look at family dynamics and relationships through time, and also humorously touches on some of the current events from each decade!

Performances are May 1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 9, & 10

Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella

with Music by Richard Rodgers and Book by Oscar Hammerstein II

The cast includes roles for at least 6 women and 3 men of various ages, as well as a full ensemble.

The timeless enchantment of a magical fairy tale is reborn with the Rodgers & Hammerstein hallmarks of charm and elegance. Originally broadcast on television in 1957, starring Julie Andrews, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella was the most widely viewed program in the medium's history. Other patrons may remember the 1997 version that featured Bernadette Peters, Whoopi Goldberg, Brandy, and Whitney Houston.

Songs that folks might remember include "In My Own Little Corner", "Impossible; It's Possible", "Then Minutes Ago", "A Lovely Night", and "Do I Love You Because You're Beautiful?" Cinderella has the unique distinction of premiering on television rather than on Broadway, and before its broadcast, many of the songs were released on records and to radio stations so audiences could become familiar with them ahead of time.

Performances are July 18, 19, 23, 24, 25, 26, 30, 31 and August 1, & 2

A Few Good Men

by Aaron Sorkin

The cast includes roles for at least 13 men ages 18+, 1 woman in her early 30s, and potential additional small roles for men.

Aaron Sorkin’s groundbreaking debut tells the story of a group of military lawyers assigned to defend two Marines in Guantanamo Bay. During the course of the trial, they uncover a high-level conspiracy designed to eliminate weaker soldiers in the name of patriotism. Recognizing our nation’s 250th birthday, we celebrate the armed forces with this classic play. We suggest PG-13.

A Few Good Men premiered as a play in 1989 and was adapted into a film in 1992 by Castle Rock Entertainment and Columbia Pictures, directed by the late Rob Reiner. The film starred Tom Cruise, Jack Nicholson, Kevin Bacon, Kevin Pollak, Kiefer Sutherland, and Demi Moore in the only female speaking role. The film won the People's Choice Award for Favorite Motion Picture and Favorite Dramatic Motion Picture.

Performances are September 4, 5, 6, 10, 11, 12, & 13

Arsenic and Old Lace

by Joseph Kesselring

The cast includes 3 women and 11 men, ages 25-70.

Drama critic Mortimer Brewster’s life is upended when he discovers a corpse in his elderly aunts’ window seat. Mortimer rushes to tell Abby and Martha before they stumble upon the body themselves, only to learn that the two old women are already aware of the dead man in their parlor. Find out how he got there by joining us for this classic comedy about the only thing more deadly than poison: Family.

The Lofte last presented Arsenic and Old Lace before we moved to our new facility, and we are excited to bring this classic back to our stage! This show blends thrilling suspense and eerie horror elements with laugh-out-loud comedy. Murder, mayhem, and the life of Theodore Roosevelt collide in this classic play that’s equal parts creepy and hilarious.

Performances are October 16, 17, 18, 22, 23, 24, & 25

Christmas at Leon's

by Kevin Colbert and Mick Kovar with music by Mick Kovar

The cast has 7 to 8 women and 8 to 9 men, ages 16 to 70.

To celebrate our 50th season, we revive the Lofte’s homegrown Christmas musical! It’s Christmas Eve, and a busload of troubled passengers seeks refuge at Leon’s diner while waiting out a snowstorm. With a little angelic help, the travelers have a chance to reach their destinations with a renewed Christmas spirit. Last produced on the Lofte stage 5 years ago, join us at Leon’s once again for an evening of laughter and song.

Christmas at Leon's originally debuted on the Lofte stage in 2010. In honor of the Lofte's 50th season, we are bringing our original musical back! We look forward to sharing this touching and funny story with our audience again. Featuring songs like "How Was I Supposed to Know?" "Christmas in the Caribbean," "This is Your Fault," and "We Believe in Christmas Eve," this show will put a song in your heart, a smile on your face, and give you cheer all season long. Stay tuned for dinner specials (but look out for that number 5)! Welcome to Leon's!

Performances are December 5, 6, 11, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, & 20

This, our 50th season, it sure to be one for the record books, so don't miss it! Get your season tickets right now at lofte.org/tickets or call our box office at 402-234-2553. We look forward to seeing you soon!