Journey away, and return changed.
OUR MAINSTAGE SEASON
City Hall Circus
Step Right Up!
November 15 | Amesbury City Hall Auditorium
Local Artisan Market 12–2 PM
Performance 3 PM
Amesbury's City Hall Auditorium becomes a big top for one unforgettable event. With gravity-defying performances where skill, balance, and showmanship take center stage, internationally celebrated circus performers share the stage with our own neighbors and friends. Stroll our artist midway to discover treasures from local makers, then settle in for a one-of-a-kind show. Tickets are pay what you will—because this magic is for everyone.
A Nutcracker Panto
The Holiday Tradition – At Firehouse Center for the Arts!
Theater in the Open’s annual holiday panto returns to the Firehouse Center for the Arts in December with A Nutcracker Panto! A goofy spin on Tchaikovsky’s classic ballet, join Clara for an unforgettable Christmas, filled with pratfalls, snowballs, and plenty of laughs. Whether a Theater in the Open Panto has been part of your holiday tradition in the past, or you’re joining us for the first time, we are thrilled to welcome you to the Firehouse for some holiday cheer.
Previous Performances this Season
Maudslay is Haunted
Our annual haunting of Maudslay State Park returns this October for more frightening fun and giggling ghouls! This family friendly stroll through the park is our largest fundraiser of the year—grab your costumes and join us for some spooky, Halloween fun!
Poe.
Nevermore….
Your favorite fearful Poe poems and stories — including The Raven and The Cask of Amontillado — come to life at this all-ages show at the Ellen T. Brown Memorial Chapel at Oak Hill Cemetery.
Bar(d)
Choose Your Own Shakespeare!
We’re going on a Bar(d) crawl! Did you know that Elizabethan actors would often have their first reading of a play at the tavern? Free candle light and good beer were a big draw! In that spirit, we’ll be touring restaurants and bars this September with Bar(d). Using cue scripts generated by our very own ‘Tis Your Cue, we’ll be allowing you to choose what Shakespeare play we perform, “scroll-in-hand”, each night. At Bar(d), the audience calls the shots (sometimes literally), the actors get their cue scripts moments before curtain, and the next scene might just include you. Choose your play, choose your pint, and prepare for a tragically funny night of theatrical mayhem.
Doors open an hour before showtime to choose your play and choose your pint.
As You Like It
Who doth ambition shun, and loves to live i’th’sun, come hither…
July 19–27 | Saturdays & Sundays at 4 PM
Maudslay State Park
Tour Dates
Rolling Ridge, North Andover MA, August 9 at 5pm
Stonehurst, Waltham MA, August 10 at 5pm
Alnoba, South Hampton NH, August 14 at 5pm
Langdon House, Portsmouth NH, August 16 at 5pm
Eustis Estate, Milton MA, August 17 at 5pm
Pay-What-You-Will
The good Duke is in exhile in the forest, and a tyrant rules the city in his place. With the biggest questions, of who we are, and how we are, suddenly open, Shakespeare sends us back to Nature for answers. Banished from the court, Rosalind heads to the Forest of Arden disguised as a boy, where love blossoms, identities get mixed up, and everyone finds out who they really are (with a lot of laughter along the way). TITO focuses on nature and song to present this wild, witty adventure that proves sometimes you have to get lost to find your way home.
Circus Smirkus
August 1 at 2 pm and 7 pm
August 2 at 1 pm and 6 pm
The annual Big Top Tour returns to the Spencer-Peirce-Little Farm in Newbury on August 1 and 2. Four shows over two days with some of the most talented young circus performers in America—all proceeds help benefit Theater in the Open’s programs and scholarships. We’ll see you out at the farm!
Roll the dice, whirl the spinner, and join the ultimate circus showdown—The 2025 Circus Smirkus Big Top Tour: Game On! This high-energy, action-packed spectacular brings your favorite board games to life with daring circus acts, playful twists, and nonstop fun for all ages!
From gravity-defying flips to hilarious hijinks, this game is full of surprises—and the only rule? Expect the unexpected! It’s your turn now—so get ready to have fun! When Circus Smirkus is in town, it’s always GAME ON!
Tickets go on sale May 1 through Circus Smirkus.
Petrushka & the Caterpillar
Everyone's favorite clown returns!
May 17–25 | Saturdays & Sundays at 2 PM
Maudslay State Park
Pay-What-You-Will
What happens when your favorite stories need a new ending? Journey into the forest with everyone's favorite clown, Petrushka, as she upends iconic fables and fairytales in our signature storytelling style – with tons of imagination, humor, and heart!
This program is supported in part by grants from the Local Cultural Councils in Lawrence, Merrimac, Newbury, Newburyport, Salisbury, Rowley, Georgetown, West Newbury, & Haverhill, all local agencies which are supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.