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News: we’re in cahoots! the penny seats theatre announces a move to downtown ann arbor

The Penny Seats Theatre Company has joined forces with Cahoots, a co-working space located in downtown Ann Arbor, to bring additional professional theater offerings to downtown throughout 2024 and, they hope, into the future.  The companies announced today that The Penny Seats will take up residence at Cahoots, performing the entirety of its upcoming mainstage season at Cahoots’ recently renovated building on the corner of Huron Street and Fourth Avenue in downtown Ann Arbor.  The theater will occupy Cahoots’ Event Venue, which opens to the Fourth Street side of the building. The venue, which boasts an accessible stage and flexible seating, will host 3-week runs of each Penny Seats show, and will also serve as home for the company’s rehearsals, auditions, and various administrative operations as well.

“In many ways, this partnership is one we’ve dreamed of,” said Lauren London, The Penny Seats’ Executive Director. “Although we loved being at the beautiful Stone Chalet on Washtenaw Avenue, we’ve longed to return to downtown Ann Arbor. But downtown rental and operational costs at marquee properties are often prohibitive for small, non-profit companies like ours, so it’s hard to make the jump. Cahoots offers us the opportunity to finally do that, and to bring walkable, dinner-and-a-show evenings back to downtown Ann Arbor. We hope to create a warm, welcoming atmosphere that makes for a fabulous night of theater, and introduces patrons to the world-class environment Cahoots has built here. We couldn’t be more grateful and excited to begin this partnership.”

The Penny Seats 2024 season is the first for its new Artistic Director, Julia Garlotte. Although new to the role, Garlotte has worked with The Penny Seats for the past six years, and is excited for the possibilities at Cahoots.  “The Penny Seats’ move into a new indoor home for my first season as Artistic Director is very exciting. We pride ourselves on our agile, flexible creativity as a company, and I know Cahoots does too. Getting the chance to call their beautiful space our home is a terrific opportunity for us to demonstrate who we are. I’m so looking forward to seeing what we and Cahoots can do together this year!” Cahoots Executive Director Chelsea Hohn echoed Garlotte’s excitement. “We’re thrilled to have the Penny Seats Theater company continue to grow here at Cahoots, and happy to host and support such a vibrant part of our arts community in Ann Arbor!”

The Penny Seats will stage all three of its mainstage shows at Cahoots in 2024. They are:  Beehive: The 60’s Musical, by Larry Gallagher, performing August 8-24; Usher, by John Sousanis, performing October 10-26; and The Men of Sherwood, by Joseph Zettelmaier, performing November 22-December 8. The lineup includes The Penny Seats’ summer musical, which has in the past been performed outside in Ann Arbor city parks. Bringing the summer show indoors will be yet another first for the group.  

“It’s a big change, to be sure,” says London. “We’ve loved staging summer theater in the park; it can be magical, and the City of Ann Arbor is second-to-none when it comes to park stewardship and recreation.  But we’ve heard more and more that our patrons are craving a comfortable, climate-controlled experience in the summer, and moving inside this year will ensure we don’t endure cancellations due to rain, wind, heat, or other factors. It’s an experiment in comfort, one that provides added opportunities to experience all that downtown Ann Arbor has to offer. We hope our patrons will enjoy the summer musical at Cahoots this year!”   

Tickets to all Penny Seats shows will be available on the Penny Seats website, www.pennyseats.org, beginning 30 days before each show. Cahoots is located at 206 E. Huron St., Ann Arbor, MI 48104.

Next Up for The Penny Seats: A Gala on April 19 at Cobblestone Farm, featuring performances from past and future shows, a silent auction, delicious food, and more! Gala tickets will be available soon.

NEWS: The PENNY SEATS theatre ANNOUNCEs 2024 SEASON

The Penny Seats Theatre Company is thrilled to announce the lineup for its 13th season. For more than a decade, this Ann Arbor-based professional non-profit theatre company has brought audiences everything from wild musicals in the park to intimate horror shows in Gothic locales. Over the years, the organization has grown in size and scope, and its newest season embraces the future while presenting shows that examine the past.

The Penny Seats will start the season in April with a one-night-only gala event celebrating the group’s proud past and bright future. Plans for a 10th anniversary celebration were delayed due to Covid, but the time has come to light the candles and ring in their next chapter with song, food, a live auction and more! Outgoing Artistic Director Joseph Zettelmaier will pass the torch to new Artistic Director Julia Garlotte amidst a musical cabaret of previous shows. The venue will be announced soon.

The group’s annual outdoor summer musical will be Larry Gallagher’s Beehive: The 60’s Musical. Beehive celebrates the powerful female voices of the 1960’s with such timeless hits as “My Boyfriend’s Back,” “Be My Baby,” “Son of a Preacher Man,” and “Me and Bobby McGee.” Told from the perspective of six young women who come of age in this enigmatic decade, Beehive takes us from their first Beehive Dance to the challenges we faced as a nation. The show will be presented at Burns Park.

October will see the sixth installment of The Penny Dreadful Series. This year, The Penny Seats ventures into American-born horror with Usher, an adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe’s masterful tale of haunted madness. Written by celebrated Michigan author John Sousanis, Usher explores the decaying home of a once-prosperous family. Roderick and Madeline are the last of the legendary Usher clan, and have invited a long-absent friend to their macabre manse. Happy reunions quickly take a dark turn as familial horrors both real and imagined rise up to claim the last of the line. Will the visitor be able to save his beloved friends from the encroaching darkness, or are the Ushers and their house destined to fall?

Finally, for a decidedly different Christmas tale, The Penny Seats present The Men of Sherwood, a world premiere by Joseph Zettelmaier. Once, they were Little John, Friar Tuck, Alan-a-Dale, and Will Scarlet. Now they are the last of Robin Hood’s band of rogues, and they think their battles are behind them. Long dead are Robin, Marian, King Richard, and the Sheriff. With Will Scarlet newly freed after years of imprisonment, they all gather at Rufford Abbey to drink wine and remember better days. But for one of them, the battle is far from over. They must face what it means to be a legend, and what happens to warriors who outlive their wars.

The upcoming season will be The Penny Seats’ first under the Artistic Direction of Julia Garlotte. She takes the reins from Zettelmaier, who’s stepping down in advance of a move to Florida early next year. In preparing his last slate of shows for the group, Joe noted, “it was never going to be easy to step away from Penny Seats, but knowing that Julia will be spearheading this fantastic season certainly makes it easier. My time with this organization has been among the happiest of my career, and I feel that all these shows capture the spirit of Penny Seats beautifully.” For her part, Julia is excited to begin work on the season, having held various roles with The Penny Seats over the last six years. “Joe and the rest of the Penny Seats team have set me up with an exciting first season as Artistic Director,” she noted. “ I’m honored to be trusted with the reins, and I can't wait to see what the future of this wonderful theatre company holds.”

NEWS: JULIA GARLOTTE TO SUCCEED JOSEPH ZETTELMAIER AS THE PENNY SEATS’ NEXT ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

The Penny Seats Theatre Company announced today that Julia Garlotte will become the company's next Artistic Director in 2024, taking the reins from Joseph Zettelmaier, who has served as Artistic Director since January, 2020, and originated this critical role for the company. Zettelmaier plans to move to Florida early next year. 

Garlotte was chosen after a comprehensive search by the theatre's Board of Directors. She has worked professionally in numerous southeast Michigan theatres for over 15 years, in both artistic and administrative roles. She has acted and designed sound for companies such as Williamston Theatre (2 Thespie Awards for Best Sound Design), Shakespeare in Detroit (Wilde Award for Best Performance - The Bard), Tipping Point Theatre, The Purple Rose Theatre, The Ringwald Theatre, The Performance Network, and Detroit Public Theatre, to name a few. Garlotte also knows The Penny Seats well, having performed in no less than seven Penny Seats shows and served as Sound Designer for eight. Most recently, she served as Assistant Director for the Penny Seats summer musical, Return to the Forbidden Planet and will direct The Man Beast this fall. 

“I'm absolutely thrilled to take on this new role,” she said. “I am so excited to work closely with the entire Penny Seats team, as we continue to bring exciting, joyful, and fun theatre experiences to Ann Arbor artists and audiences alike.” In addition to theatre, Julia narrates audiobooks professionally. She also enjoys watching sci-fi movies, cuddling with her cats, and exploring the outdoors with her husband.

Outgoing Artistic Director, Joseph Zettelmaier, was equally excited to welcome Julia into her new role, as he prepares to leave Michigan to begin a new chapter (and get married!) next year. “Stepping down as the Artistic Director of Penny Seats is one of the hardest professional decisions I’ve ever made. There are no words for how much this company means to me, but as I’m moving out of state to begin a new life with my fiancée, I know it's time. I've spent the past 6 years working closely with this organization, and serving as their first Artistic Director has been an unparalleled honor. My goals included finding us a regular indoor performance venue, creating an expanded season, and bringing a more unified artistic vision and higher caliber productions. I'd like to think all these have been accomplished. I'm particularly proud of the creation of the Penny Dreadfuls, our yearly Gothic horror plays produced every October, which have seen ever-increasing attendance and now stand among our best sellers.”

Zettelmaier also expressed continued gratitude for his time with the organization. “The staff and board I’ve gotten to work with have shown me the utmost faith and support, and Executive Director Lauren London has been the artistic partner of my dreams. Her unflinching ethics and strong business sense provided me all the foundation I could ask for, not to mention a deep friendship I cannot be more grateful for. Bringing in Julia Garlotte as our new Artistic Director shows me conclusively that Penny Seats will not just continue but thrive. I've worked with her for many years over numerous productions. She has a keen artistic eye, many years of artistic management experience, and a welcoming, inclusive nature that is deeply in-line with Penny Seats. She knows our organization completely, and I'm truly honored to pass along my leadership position to this consummate professional and dear friend.”

Julia Garlotte will begin her tenure as The Penny Seats’ Artistic Director on January 1, 2024.