Past Events

7:30 First United Methodist Church, 429 Michigan Ave., South Haven

Starring Jeanann Power (co-founder of the Edge of the Wood Theater in Evanston, IL) as Emily Dickinson.

In this play by William Luce, Ms. Power creates a vivid portrait of Emily Dickenson. The eccentric poetess, who wore only white and remained housebound for 26 years, comes alive with grace and humor through conversations with her family, her neighbors, and her mischievous cat. Although Emily Dickenson’s life was reportedly one of frustration and disappointment, her poems glow through, revealing her internal joy and genius.

7:30 First United Methodist Church, 429 Michigan Ave., South Haven

Come commemorate the 75th anniversary of D-Day with one of its creators, Winston Churchill.

The performance is by Randy Otto, an alumnus of the Milwaukee Repertory Theatre and numerous theatrical roles and now an internationally-known Churchill expert. Otto is so good that he was endorsed by Churchill’s great- grandson who said, “Randy does not attempt to be Winston Churchill, Randy IS Winston Churchill!”

7:30 First United Methodist Church, 429 Michigan Ave., South Haven

As Poe’s professional fame rose, his personal life collapsed. Lucien Douglas performs Eleonora, Tell–Tale Heart, To Helen, and of course, The Raven.  Meanwhile he recounts how Poe started life as a wealthy Southern aristocrat but died shortly after being found comatose on the streets of Baltimore… dressed in another man’s clothes.

Lucien Douglas is now a professor of theater at the University of Texas, Austin.  Previously, he acted in hundreds of roles on Broadway, Off-Broadway, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and others. Television and film credits include parts in Texas Ranger, One Life to Live, Miss Congeniality, Man of the House and more.  And, of course, he holds a PhD in Theatre from Michigan State University!

8:00 First United Methodist Church, 429 Michigan Ave., South Haven

As a comedy-drama, Driving Miss Daisy by Alfred Uhry won a Pulitzer Prize; as a film, it won the Best Picture Oscar. This production by the Master Arts Theater of Grand Rapids includes Jerome Richards, John Meidema, and Pat Kennedy, who won an Excellence in Acting Award at Michigan’s State Festival competition.

Set in Atlanta, the play tells the story of a fiercely independent, aging Southern Jewish matron who crashes her car and must learn to depend on the African-American chauffeur hired by her son. Thus begins a war of wills, but eventually driver and driven form an unlikely friendship that transcends the racial prejudices and the social upheavals of the era as it explores how the characters change from mid-life to old age.

For the second play of its inaugural season, South Haven Theatre Series presents LOVE LETTERS with award-winning actors Barbara Robertson and Greg Vinkler on Saturday, September 22, at 7:30 p.m. at the First United Methodist Church, 429 Michigan at Huron Street.

Love Letters is a play by A. R. Gurney that was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The play centers on Melissa Gardner and Andrew Makepeace Ladd III. Using the epistolary form sometimes found in novels, they sit side-by-side at tables and read the notes, letters and cards written over nearly 50 years. They discuss their hopes and ambitions, dreams and disappointments, victories and defeats that have passed between them throughout their separated lives.

---