ActorsNET is celebrating 30 years of theater in Morrisville by kicking off its 30th season with a lineup chosen by the people who have helped make the theater what it is today.
For its 10th, 20th and now 30th anniversaries, ActorsNET has surveyed patrons and volunteers about productions they would like to see again. The result for this milestone season is what Managing and Youth Programs Director Cat Milone calls a collection of the theater’s “greatest hits from the last 30 years.”
“We are opening our 30th season with ‘You Can’t Take It With You,’ which is one of the greatest American comedies ever written,” Milone said. The production opens Oct. 15 and runs through Nov. 1.
The season will continue with “Little Women,” a more modernized and feminist adaptation of the Kate Hamill version, followed in January by Agatha Christie’s “And Then There Were None.” In March, ActorsNET will present Oscar Wilde’s classic farce “The Importance of Being Earnest,” followed by “Harvey” in April and May.
The season will conclude with Shakespeare’s “The Tempest,” continuing a tradition that has become one of ActorsNET’s most popular events.
For the past seven years, ActorsNET has partnered with Fonthill Castle in Doylestown for Shakespeare at the Castle. The theater builds an outdoor stage with the castle as a backdrop for two performances in July.
“It’s a lovely event,” Milone said. “People bring picnics and bottles of champagne and they watch a Shakespeare play under the stars.”
ActorsNET performs the Shakespeare production in its own theater in June before taking it to Fonthill Castle the second weekend in July. Each performance at the castle draws an average of about 250 people, according to Milone.
As part of the 30th anniversary season, ActorsNET plans to add a special surprise event to each production. The events will be announced through the theater’s social media and will take place after select matinee performances.
The 30th season is also a celebration of the theater’s history, which began with Joe and Cheryl Doyle, a married couple who had traveled around the country performing summer stock.
“They got tired of doing all the traveling and wanted to set up their roots somewhere and set up a theater that brings the people of the community together,” Milone said.
The Doyles made their home in Morrisville and worked with borough officials and local business owners to transform a municipal garage into a theater. Three decades later, ActorsNET remains in that same converted garage on Demore Avenue near the Calhoun Street Bridge.
The theater has 77 seats, with room for additional seating when productions sell out.
“Once they moved in they never looked back,” Milone said.
The Doyles have since retired but continue to attend productions, usually on opening night.
“Every single one of us is there because of them,” Milone said. “We will definitely be honoring them in our spring event.”
The spring celebration will be part of the theater’s 30th anniversary observances, bringing together ActorsNET volunteers and others who have been part of the theater’s history to celebrate three decades of productions. The event will also give the theater an opportunity to recognize the Doyles and the foundation they established when they converted the Morrisville garage into ActorsNET.
ActorsNET has produced more than 200 shows during its 30 seasons, covering a wide range of genres, from Broadway musicals and classic American comedies to new dramas, Shakespeare and works by playwrights such as Henrik Ibsen.
Milone has a history with ActorsNET that stretches nearly as far back as the theater itself. She joined in its fifth year, when she was 19, and has been involved ever since.
Her introduction came unexpectedly. A friend who was choreographing “Show Boat” was placed on bed rest shortly before the production was scheduled to open. Milone stepped in and choreographed the musical in three weeks. Joe Doyle was directing the show and, after learning that Milone also danced, acted and sang, asked her to audition for another production.
“Two months later I was in ‘The Man Who Came to Dinner’ and from there on, there was no turning back,” Milone said. “I was just another member of the theater.”
Over the years, she choreographed, directed and acted in productions. About six years ago, after the theater had struggled through the COVID-19 pandemic, she took on a larger role in keeping ActorsNET operating.
The pandemic had forced the theater to close for two years, eliminating the ticket revenue it relied on while expenses such as rent and electricity continued.
“I had been there almost 30 years and I couldn’t bear to see it close without me fighting my hardest to drag us out of the red and keep the lights on,” Milone said.
Today, Milone is the theater’s only employee. The rest of the operation relies on volunteers.
As ActorsNET rebuilt its audience, Milone looked for ways to make attending a production more than simply watching a show. She introduced themed lobby decorations, photo booths, refreshments during intermission, raffles and other activities connected to individual productions.
“I decided to treat every patron who came into this building as if I was hosting them in my own home,” she said.
That approach has continued to shape ActorsNET as it enters its fourth decade. The theater also has maintained open auditions and programs for young people, while continuing to present productions ranging from classic comedies and dramas to Shakespeare and musicals.
Among the theater’s highlights over the years was a production of Christopher Durang’s “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike.” Durang, a Bucks County native, attended a performance and stayed afterward to speak with the cast and crew.
“He and his partner were so lovely to us,” Milone said. “He had wonderful feedback about our show, so that was a huge highlight for us.”
ActorsNET also has produced original works and premieres. The theater presented all three of Lauren Gunderson’s “Christmas at Pemberley” plays and was granted permission to produce the third installment after having already staged the first two.
Another memorable production came when Joe Doyle was commissioned by Morrisville to write an original musical for the borough’s anniversary and the unveiling of the Robert Morris statue. “The Man Who Bought a County” was performed outdoors by ActorsNET as part of the celebration.
For Milone, reaching 30 years is ultimately about preserving what the Doyles started while looking ahead.
“I think ActorsNET’s strength is that we put on very high-quality productions, but have the casual and inclusive sort of environment that makes everybody in the community feel like family,” she said.
For tickets and more information about ActorsNET’s 30th season, visit actorsnetbucks.org and become part of the celebration.
