STORY AND PHOTOS BY KAREN BOSSICK

The Liberty Theatre Company will roll out a classic, a jaunty musical written by a Grammy Award winner, a play inspired by Rosa Parks with a Latino twist and a new adaptation of a Mexican or Peruvian children’s folk story during its upcoming season.

The Hailey theater company pulled back the curtains on its upcoming season for major supporters Saturday night in an event that included a magic show. And it pulled back the curtain in its entirety Sunday night for those who crowded into the theater to watch the 24 Hour Theatre Festival.

Artistic Director Naomi McDougall Jones said that 8,000 people attended The Liberty Theatre Company’s shows this past year. And many of those patrons ate in Hailey restaurants and went out for drinks before or after plays in Hailey bars.

Hannah Nye and Laura Duncan performed excerpts from “The Importance of Being Earnest” and “Waitress; The Musical.”

“We’re so proud of how our lively theater company fuels a lively downtown,” she said. “We’re the only professional company in the south valley offering live performances. We’re the only access to arts for many of those in Hailey and Bellevue.”

McDougall Jones and other Liberty Theatre Company members introduced the upcoming lineup through short excerpts, song and dance:

“WAITRESS: THE MUSICAL”—June 27-July 12

Tess Makena will play the role of a small-town waitress in an unloving relationship who fears her dream of opening her own pie shop is vanishing after she becomes unexpectedly pregnant.

Tess Makena gave a preview of one of the songs in “Waitress: The Musical.”

At the urging of her friends and her obstetrician, she enters a pie baking contest for which the grand prize could be her path out of her troubles. Supported by her fellow waitresses, she summons the secret ingredient she’s been missing to find happiness where she would not have expected it.

McDougall Jones will choreograph and direct the play, which will bring in actors from New York and Chicago to join Makena.

The musical, booked on a 2007 indie film by the same title, features music and lyrics by Grammy Award winner Sara Bareilles and book by Jessie Nelson. It premiered on Broadway in 2016 and ran through January 2020 before returning to Broadway in 2021 and going on tour.

“WHERE DID WE SIT ON THE BUS?”—Oct. 2-18

Eryn Alvey introduced “The Importance of Being Earnest.”

This one-person show revolves around an 8-year-old Latino girl who raises her hand during a history lesson on Rosa Parks and asks, “Where did Latinos sit on the bus?” The coming-of-age comedy play takes audiences on a soulful musical journey of Latin rhythms, hip hop and spoken word poetry as it asks, “What is my place?” “Where do I fit in?” and “What does being Latino mean—as a youngster, as an adult?”

The play by Brian Quijada features original compositions by Satya Chavez, a Chicago-based composer, actor and musician.

“THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST”—Feb. 5-21

Oscar Wilde’s farce, produced first in 1895, depicts the tangled affairs of two young men who have assumed the name Ernest while wooing the two young women of their affection. The two women, of course, are indignant to learn that the Ernest they think they’re engaged to has proposed to the other. The play is known for its wit and repartee

Leonardo Padillo Sacha provided Spanish translation for Spanish speaking audience members during the announcement of the adaptation of a Mexican or Peruvian story.

Company of Fools, the first theater company to call The liberty Theatre its home, had planned to stage the play in 2020, only to have it cancelled by the Covid pandemic.

“It’s a tale of two gentleman caught in uproarious lies and mistaken identities,” said McDougall Jones.

TO BE REVEALED--Dec. 11-14

The Liberty Theater Company is partnering with the Sun Valley Playwrights Residency to commission a new adaptation of a Mexican or Peruvian children’s story that will be presented in English and Spanish by two separate casts.

“We’re so excited to celebrate the rich folklore,” said McDougall Jones.

It will be the company’s second Spanish-language programming following a performance of “Alice in Wonderland: A Radio Play” that was presented in both English and Spanish in December.

24 HOUR THEATRE FESTIVAL—April 5

The festival will return for the third time, giving amateurs a chance to create a short masterpiece alongside professional actors over a 24-hour period, then enact it in front of an audience.

“The 24-hour Festival allows anyone to participate. Last year spots filled up in two weeks; this year, four days,” said McDougall Jones.

McDougall Jones announced that she is stepping into an advisory role with the theater company as her second book—a memoir—is to be published by Random House. The new Artistic Director will move from Los Angeles with her family the end of April.

“In my wildest dreams I couldn’t have dreamed a woman as amazing as this one,” McDougall Jones said.

In addition to staging plays, the theater company also works with students in schools and offers an apprentice program for young people. It has partnered with the Idaho Shakespeare Festival to bring in hour-long plays geared towards youngsters and coupled with educational experiences.

The Liberty Theatre Company makes sure no one is turned away due to inability to pay. In that vein, the company will again offer its Pay What you Feel season passes beginning June 1.Last year’s season passes fueled a 400 percent increase in attendance, McDougall Jones said.

SPONSORSHIPS range from $2,500 to $10,000 and include program ads, tickets, hats and T-shirts. To learn more, contact Naomi McDougall Jones at naomi@libertytheatrecompany.org or 970-618-5219.

WANT TO MAKE A DONATION? Donations may be made by credit or debit card at https://www.libertytheatrecompany.org/, over the phone at 208-582-8388 or by check at The Liberty Theatre Company, LLC, P.O. Box 2001, Hailey, ID 83333.