These well-known actors plus many others have appeared at the Barn

Jonathan Larson (1980, 1981)
Composer of the musical, Rent

Jennifer Garner
(1993)
Alias, Elektra, 13 going on 30

Tom Wopat
(from 1976 on)
Dukes of Hazard, Glengarry Glen Ross, Annie Get Your Gun

Stephen Lynch
(1993-2002)
currently on Broadway in The Wedding Singer

Marin Mazzie
(1980-1996)
Kiss Me Kate, Ragtime, Passion

The Augusta Barn Theatre: The Magic of Summer Theater
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It all begins when a costumed young man guides your car into the grassy parking lot. The young actor is serving double duty as a parking attendant. When you leave your car, you join several hundred other theater-goers who are lolling on the expansive lawns having a pre-show drink, talking in small groups, wandering the grounds, and swinging on the lawn swings. The sun is setting; the air is cooling down; and excitement permeates the atmosphere. All the guests know something magic is about to happen – it’s show time at the Augusta Barn Theatre – and this is exactly where they want to be on a beautiful summer evening. As you enter the converted barn, you are greeted by photographs of this season’s actors as well as photographs of the famous and near famous who have “trod the boards” of this theater. The ushers are also actors who will rush from seating the guests to preparing for the opening number. The doors are open; the night air is cool, the live orchestra tunes up, and the curtain opens to another great performance.

For 61 years, the Ragotzy family has owned and operated the Augusta Barn Theater, the oldest professional summer stock theater company in Michigan. Jack and Betty Ragotzy founded the theater in 1946, and today it stands as the only equity summer stock theatre in the state, drawing nearly 50,000 patrons annually during its 16-week season, some from as far away as Chicago and Detroit.

With the passing of his parents, Brendan Ragotzy and his wife, the actress Penelope Alex, have taken over the management of this theatrical treasure and seek each year to expand and broaden the summer theater experience for new generations of theater-goers.
The family-like atmosphere has continued at the Barn since its opening days. Many of the staff have worked here for years; actors return year after year, and patrons come back again and again to see Tom or Kim or Eric or Scott or Joe or Penelope in yet another show.

The Ragotzy family is the tradition at the Barn. Everyone knew Jack and Betty personally and watched Brendan grow up, marry Penelope and take over the management of the theater. And now, the staff, actors and patrons alike are watching the development of the third Ragotzy generation, Luke 11, Calli 9, Jacob 6, and Melina, who is 2.

However, Brendan and Penelope are not seeking the comfort of tradition alone. Every year, they seek to expand the theatrical repertoire, hire fine young professional actors, and entertain adults and children again and again. And it’s not easy. Brendan says that finding plays and musicals to produce at the Barn is sometimes difficult because of its status as a professional theater. They are competing for shows with Miller Auditorium, DeVos Hall, and the Wharton Center. If a show like Rent or Les Miserables is going to play within the next few years at any of those venues, the Barn won’t get the rights to produce it. Brendan and Penelope are more than anxious to have their actors do those shows and others like them, and spend much of the winter seeking to gain the rights to produce award-winning plays and musicals. They are especially anxious to get the rights to produce Rent because its creator, Jonathan Larson, was a once a “Barnie”.

This year’s lineup will have wonderful theater experiences for actors and audiences alike. The season opens with the “laugh-a-minute” two person comedy, Greater Tuna. Joe Aiello and Scott Burkell, perpetual Barn favorites, star in this hysterical comedy. Joe, Scott and Penelope will also perform in the British comedy, Out of Order later in July.
The rest of the season includes four of America’s great musicals, Oklahoma, 1776, Gypsy and The Wizard of Oz. Kim Zimmer, the Emmy award-winning actress on The Guiding Light, returns to the Barn to play the indomitable “Mama Rose” in Gypsy. The season’s schedule as well as ticket office information can be found on the back cover of the June Greater Guide.

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What makes the Augusta Barn Theatre an “Equity house?”

The Augusta Barn Theatre is a professional theatre which means all their actors are part of the Actor’s Equity Association, the union of professional actors and stage managers. There are three ways for an actor to become an Equity member: audition for and be offered a contract at an Equity theatre, be a member of one of Equity's sister unions, such as the Screen Actors Guild, or qualify through the Equity Membership Candidate Program, aimed at actors and stage managers "in training," through which they can accrue weeks of work at Equity theatres, then apply to join the union. The Augusta Barn Theatre offers their apprentice actors the opportunity to participate in this training program. When an actor performs for a certain number of weeks in a professional show, they can then join the union and work for other Equity theatres. This is why so many young actors seek to become apprentices at the Barn. Every year, Brendan and Penelope Ragotzy interview and audition several hundred young actors to be part of the apprentice program.

Augusta Barn Theatre
M-96 West of Augusta
Performances Tues-Sunday
Tickets: $29
269-731-4121
www.barntheatre.com