MANSFIELD — Scott Woodlee loves to engage in banter with Evelyn, his teenage daughter — just usually not in public. The father/daughter from Loudonville make an exception in the comedy, “Caught in the Net,” which opens Friday night as the Mansfield Playhouse launches its 2024-2025 season. “We like to banter back and forth in regular […]
Mansfield Playhouse
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From Shawshank to Stand-Up: Pete George brings humor to Mansfield Playhouse
Nationally touring headliner Pete George has performed more than 8,500 comedy shows. He has headlined at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas, the House of Blues and Hard Rock Casino in Cleveland, winning critical acclaim. George was in the Shawshank Redemption and will be returning from Los Angeles to participate in a Q & A panel […]
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Lincoln Highway Bluegrass Band: A modern twist on classic American sounds
MANSFIELD — It’s a band that features five talented and versatile musicians who just happen to play bluegrass. But to Scott Osborne, the leader of the Lincoln Highway Bluegrass Band, this is not your grandfather’s bluegrass group. Music lovers will get a chance to hear that sound on Saturday night when the five-man band performs […]
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Part I: Mark Jordan’s ode to iconic writer, storyteller Jim Bowsher
MANSFIELD — The telephone rang. It was a chilly late afternoon in December of 2003. I was sitting at the desk in my apartment that I rented from the Mansfield Playhouse, half of their old costume storage building. I answered the phone. It was Susie Schaus, the Playhouse secretary. “Mark, I have a message for […]
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Never grow up: Mansfield Playhouse brings ‘Peter Pan Jr.’ to life on Friday
MANSFIELD — Peter Pan, born 120 years ago in the fertile mind of Scottish playwright Sir James Matthew Barrie, has never grown up. But Milo McDonald, who will be an eighth-grader at Ashland Middle School this fall, is already considering his own grown-up career options. First, however, the 13-year-old will bring Barrie’s primary creation to […]
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Richland County Foundation supports children’s summer activities
MANSFIELD – The Richland County Foundation is supporting summertime programs focused on children. The Summertime Kids Committee Chaired by Foundation Board of Trustee member Karen Bierly along with members from the community approved $62,606 in Summertime Kid grants. The grants of up to $2,500 support creative, educational, and fun-filled activities for hundreds of Richland County […]
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Sibling squabbles & southern charm take center stage at Mansfield Playhouse
MANSFIELD — Scott Stoops is used to developing his roles as an actor, fleshing out words from a script, searching for the nuances of the characters he portrays. On Friday night, the veteran actor makes his directorial debut with “Crimes of the Heart” on the 2nd Stage at the Mansfield Playhouse. “I have really enjoyed […]
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Clean comedy comes to town: Lee Hardin to take the Mansfield Playhouse stage
MANSFIELD — Lee Hardin finds a lot of humor in jobs he worked before becoming a stand-up comedian. “All of these random jobs led me to talking about them on stage,” the 38-year-old comic said Tuesday. “I was a lifeguard at one point. Substitute teacher. An Easter Bunny. Papa John’s delivery driver. “Lots of things […]
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Alfred Hitchcock meets Monty Python: ‘The 39 Steps’ opens Friday at the Mansfield Playhouse
MANSFIELD — Alfred Hitchcock was the undisputed king of movie suspense and thrills. The Englishman directed 50 feature films in a career that spanned six decades, including “The Lady Vanishes,” “Rebecca,” “Lifeboat,” “Spellbound,” “Rear Window,” “Vertigo” and, of course, “Psycho.” But the often dour-faced Hitchcock never took himself, or his work, too seriously. “A good […]
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Newest Playhouse production tells heartwarming story of family ties
MANSFIELD — Family: Can’t live with ’em, can’t live without ’em. At least, that’s what the characters learn in “Over the River and Through the Woods,” the newest creative endeavor gracing the stage of the Mansfield Playhouse this weekend. The show tells the story of Nick, a single, Italian-American guy from New Jersey, played by […]