A Manayunk Mystery Tour
Directed by Lexa Grace
Written by Matthew Windham
Produced by Sean Connolly.
Stage Managed by Glynnis Nadel
Starring: Matthew Windham, Lize Meisenzahl and john Patouhas. With help from Kierceton Keller and David Hilbert.
It was a dark and stormy night when a young woman from Manayunk mysteriously went missing … AND WAS MURDERED!!! Follow Manayunk’s finest private investigator, a child genius turned conspiracy enthusiast, and a VERY serious podcast reporter as they try to solve the MURDER of Manayunk’s Missing Millennial. Join Manayunk Theatre Company for A Manayunk Mystery Tour! This FREE Fringe show along the Manayunk Towpath September 12th-15th, 2019.
ShakesBEER Roulette
Directed by Lexa Grace
Written by Gabe Henninger and Lexa Grace
Produced by Sean Connolly.
Starring: Kierceton Keller, Matthew Windham, Brishen Miller and Lize Meisenzahl.
Hamlet! Macbeth! Romeo and Juliet! and Much Ado About Nothing! Mix them together and what have you got? Assigned reading in higschool? Maybe?! An amazing mashup of the Bard’s best?! You bet- Shakespeare Roulette is a new ‘spin’ on Shakespeare. We handpicked the choicest scenes from each of these classics and each night the audience will spin our roulette wheel of scenes to see what we do! That means it’s a new show every night! And it’s the audience that makes it happen! We have just over an hour the make the best show we can out of the mix with your help! Drinking is strongly encouraged as we plot a course through some of Shakespeare’s most famous works. Help us make history, or break history, at Shakespeare Roulette!
September 14th-21st, 2018
Part of the 2018 Philadelphia Fringe Festival..
*Presented with Funds from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
The Hand Job
Written and Directed by Sean Connolly
Starring: Laura Barron, Chris Monaco, Meghan Winch and Annelise Pakewski.
September 6th-16th, 2017 at St. Josaphat's Roman Catholic Church for the 2017 Philly Fringe Festival. The Hand Job is a 70 minute horror comedy inspired by real events from the life of Sean Connolly in Edinburgh, Scotland.
“The Hand Job” is solid playwriting, and the production fits it, uh, like a glove"
-Howie Shapiro, Review WHYY
Funded through a Small But Might Grant.
Irish-ish: A Trio of Irish Tales
Emerging Philadelphia directors, Shamus Hunter McCarty and Cat Ramirez join Resident Playwright/MTC Managing Director Gabriel Henninger to celebrate the Irish in all of us! Through the works of three Philadelphia Playwrights, (Henninger, Artistic Director Sean Connolly & Alex McCormick) audiences will take a wild ride aboard a fantastical SEPTA regional rail ride on St. Patrick’s Day, through a musical marriage lacking in love, and finally to an Irish pub where assassins think dark thoughts and drink dark beers. Grab a Guinness and your favorite Colleen, and come on down to Irish-ish: A Night of Irish Tales where everyone is Irish - even the Scots.
Confusion by Hank Curry
Confusion is a comic exploration of the transient nature of identity in the modern world as seen through the eyes of the clown. Hank Curry explores the pitfalls and pratfalls of modern life as he tries on seven unique identities, each with their own troubles and travails. Prepare to meet a meek matador, a consternated conductor, and a ballerina nobly clinging to her dignity as the floor beneath her refuses to cooperate. Run away and join the circus of modern society with this new play that reveals the common characteristics that make us human in ways that can be challenging but are ultimately joyful.
Bedlam: Shakespeare in Rehab
Written and Directed by Amanda Coffin and Gabriel Henninger.
Starring an all female cast, including:
Elise D’Avella, Jess Otterbine, Madison Auch, Colleen Rose, Brittnie Knight, Elizabeth Montgomery and co-founder of the Women’s Theatre Festival, Brie Knight.
This show was produced for the 2016 Philly Fringe Festival by Roxborough Memorial Hospital, Manayunk Tavern, Bourbon Blue, Lucky’s Last Chance and the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.
"BEDLAM: SHAKESPEARE IN REHAB takes its audience members, cast as philanthropists interested in women’s health, on a tour of a ramshackle mental hospital where they observe the treatment of seven Shakespeare heroines suffering from maladies ranging from Ophelia’s (Betty Montgomery) bipolar disorder (with psychotic features) to Viola (Brittnie Knight) and Rosalind’s (Madison Auch) gender dysphoria." - Lauren Ristvet, Phindie
The Dolls of New Albion: A Steampunk Opera
The Dolls of New Albion: A Steampunk Opera was written by Paul Shapera and directed by Gabe Henninger for the Philadelphia Fringe Festival 2015. It was presented at the Venice Island Performing Arts Center from September 3rd to 12th. This was the United States premier of The Dolls of New Albion and brought together a labyrinth of boxes, beautiful costumes, and stella acting which made the stage come alive.
Cast and Crew:
Gabe Henninger - Director
Sean Connolly - Producer
Paul Shapera - Writer
Matt Clark - Stage Manager
Travis Fischbach - Ass. Stage Manager
Julia Hopkins - Narrator
Anna Flynn-Mekaton - Annabelle/Priscilla
John DiFerdinando - Jasper
Melissa Raub - Amelia
Aubrey McKinney - Bryon
John O'Donnell - Edward/Soldier
Ariana Ballerini - Fay
"The songs! The music! The costumes! A familiar but not slavish Sweeney Todd-esque aesthetic pervades Shapera’s catchy, hook-ridden cabaret songcraft as well as Manayunk Theatre Co.’s evocative 19th-century fashion design. Julia Hopkins’ presentation as the narrator is subtly yet immediately sexy right from the jump, a red military dress coat and top hat framing her hyper-stylized cat-clown-doll face paint. Strong vocal turns from Anna Flynn-Meketon and the rest of the ensemble keep the audience fully engaged throughout, while music director Joshua McHugh fuels their performances with an accordion soundtrack that’s practically a case study in the instrument’s emotional versatility."
- Review of Dolls, Stephen Segal, Philly Weekly
Makin Love: A One Act Compilation
Makin' Love opened on Valentine's Day 2015. Made up of three one acts, the three shows made for a great date night. They were written by PA natives Gabe Henninger and Derek Smith, whose wit certainly won the audience over every night. Even in the face of -1 temps, Manayunk Theatre Company will be forever grateful to the souls who braved the cold and snow to share in a little love makin' laughter. Makin' Love was presented in The Side Room @ the Cornerstone Inn.
Cast and Crew:
Gabe Henninger - Director/Steve This One's Different by Gabe Henninger
Kathy La - Stage Manager Marky Mark the Barkeep by Derek Smith
Sean Connolly - Producer/Jim The Sideroom by Gabe Henninger
Matt McWilliams - Kyle/Arthur
Julia Kershetsky - Danielle/Margaret
Hank Curry - David/John
Anna Flynn-Meketon - Chloe/Beatrice/Marissa
Matt Clark - Marky Mark/Teddy
Rebecca Greenberg - Amanda/Amy
 Splatter-Tabloid.jpgPromotional poster for Splatter. |  Splatter CastThe cast of Splatter: (from left to right) Gabe Henninger, Brookelyn Rose, Dexter Anderson, Sean Connolly, Josh Kachnycz. |
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 Promotional picture for Splatter |  Promotional picture for Splatter |
 Fringe Arts poster |  From left to right: Ken Sandberg, Dexter Anderson |
 From left to right: Ken Sandberg, Brookelyn Rose |
“Manayunk has made a splash (or Splatter!) with their first production and hope to do something in a similar vein each year. We hope they do, and we are thrilled that this sort of daring site specific work in a non-traditional genre is being done in Philly this year.”
- Trish Parry in a review for Splatter
Splatter
A sadistic murderer appears in Eastern Europe. He has captured a girl. The terror of the scene is matched only by the horror that is this murderer! No worries though, it’s just a movie. Although this film is awfully creepy, this script is extremely strange, and this director is incredibly . . . maybe this isn’t just a movie. Splatter by British playwright Dale Pearson was put on by the Manayunk Theatre Company in September 2014 as part of the Philadelphia Fringe Festival. Splatter was first produced at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, but this production marked its American debut and the first production for the Manayunk Theatre Company. A second run of the show was offered in October, sponsored by the Manayunk Development Corporation for Halloween.
Cast and Crew:
Sean Connolly – Producer/Director
Gabe Henninger – Stage Manager
Dexter Anderson – Webb
Brookelyn Rose – Grace
Ken Sandberg – Parrish (September)
Josh Kachnycz – Parrish (October)