Whether you’re looking to introduce children to the wonders of live theater or enjoy the drama and musical delights of adult productions, the Southgate Community Players has a strong season selected for its 2026-2027 season.
The Young People’s Theatre teen show opens the season Aug. 7 to 16 with the musical “The Addams Family.”
The story follows Wednesday Addams, who is engaged to a usual young man, who asks her parents to meet his family and provide her with “one normal night.”
Pugsley, who is afraid he will lose his relationship with his sister, acquires a truth serum with the intention of using it to break up Wednesday and her finance, Lucas, but Lucas’ mother drinks it instead, and humiliates her husband, who tries to force his family to leave.
Uncle Fester calls on the Addams ancestors to create a storm to keep Lucas and his parents in the Addams manse to work through their problems, which the Addams family members do as well.
The show contains memorable songs like “When You’re an Addams,” “One Normal Night,” “Full Disclosure,” “Crazier Than You,” and “Tango de Amor.”
Next on the calendar is the adult drama “The Wolves,” which runs Oct. 16 to 24, a one-act play about a high school girls’ indoor soccer team, and follows their conversations during their pregame warmups as they discuss their lives.
The show was a finalist for the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for drama, and has been praised for its accurate and authentic portrayal of teenage girlhood, with the characters on the brink of adulthood.
The girls talk about politics, personal tragedies, relationships and sex. As athletes, they have unique perspectives on friendship and competition, as well as their own dreams of their futures.
“A Christmas Story,” a non-musical family production, runs Dec. 4 to 12, and is based on the movie that featured Ralphie and his quest for a Red Ryder BB gun in 1940s Indiana.
It contains many of the iconic moments from the movie, including the temperamental furnace, the sexy leg lamp and Flick taking a “triple-dog dare” and licking the frozen flagpole, causing his tongue to stick to it.
Adult Ralphie’s clever voiceover narration drives the storyline with its humor and nostalgic charm.
Next up is “Company,” an adult main stage musical, which runs Feb. 19 to 27, ushering in the new year.
It features music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by George Furth. The original 1970 production was nominated for 14 Tony Awards, and won six.
The story was one of the first musicals to deal with contemporary dating, marriage and divorce, and through a series of vignettes follows a single person dealing with their married friends who have thrown them a 35th birthday party.
The original show featured a bachelor, while the 2018/2021 revival featured a bachelorette in the pivotal lead role.
Memorable songs include “You Could Drive a Person Crazy,” “Another Hundred People,” “Getting Married Today,” “The Ladies Who Lunch,” and “Being Alive.”
A kid show follows, with “Honk! Jr.” running March 11 to 14 as a Young People’s Theatre Production, featuring a cast ranging in age from 5 to 18 years old.
The musical is based on the Hans Christian Andersen classic “The Ugly Duckling.” It celebrates being different and teaches tolerance.
Ugly is teased by the other farm animals because he looks different from the other ducklings. His journey includes a hungry cat who wants to eat him, a colorful flock of wild geese, an unassuming frog and a beautiful swan.
It features a catchy score and a heartwarming message about acceptance.
The closing show of the season, John Patrick’s “The Curious Savage,” is a 1950s bittersweet comedy about a wealthy widow, Ethel Savage, who is committed to an institution by her greedy stepchildren, who hope to gain control of her inheritance.
At the asylum, she enjoys the friendships she develops with the other “guests,” and plans to use her fortune to make their lives more pleasant. The story suggests that the “sane” world is often crueler than the “insane” world.
The Southgate Community Players theater is located at 12671 Dix-Toledo Road in Southgate.
For more information about the group and the upcoming season, go to their website scponstage.com.