Classics dominate the 2023 season at The Wimberley Players

Theatre classics dominate the 2023 season at The Wimberley Players. Selected by the theater’s artistic team by a months-long process of script selection, reading and voting, the plays are chosen not only on their artistic merits, but by their ability to be produced on the Wimberley Players stage.

On Feb. 24, “The Importance of Being Earnest,” a comedy by Oscar Wilde, opens on the Players stage. The absurdity of Victorian norms is exposed when two gentlemen lead double lives for the sake of living and loving their way. Their comic ruse provokes hilarious difficulties for themselves and their ladies, deftly delivered with Wilde’s classic wit and charm.

“Sense & Sensibility,” a comedy by Kate Hamil from the Jane Austen novel of the same name opens April 28. The Dashwood sisters face a bleak future when their father dies, and the estate goes to their brother. The characters, relationships and emotional truths of Jane Austen’s classic novel are brought to life in a brilliantly funny, fast-paced play.

“And Then There Were None,” by Agatha Christie, opens June 30. A classic whodunnit, 10 strangers are invited to a remote mansion, not knowing the identity of their host. When the first guest is murdered, they grasp that they have been tricked by a maniac with revenge on his mind.

“A Streetcar Named Desire,” by Tennessee Williams, opens Sept 1. Following a series of losses, Blanche DuBois, a faded Southern belle, is forced to move into a shabby New Orleans apartment with her younger sister and brother-in-law. Explosive, passionate and heartrending, Williams’ play is American theatre at its best.

“Nuncrackers,” by Dan Goggins, opens Nov. 17, just in time for the holiday season. Familiar “Nunsense” characters celebrate Christmas as only they can, in the basement of Mount St. Helens Convent. Tasked with producing a community access channel show, they patch together a hilarious parcel of wacky carols, a dubious performance of the Nutcracker, and a Secret Santa drawing that audiences won’t soon forget.

Season subscriptions for the 2023 season are now available for $110 by going online to wimberleyplayers. org or by calling the theatre at 512-847-0575.

Since 1979, The Wimberley Players has been a big-city asset in a small town. Studies show that it pulls 73% of its audience from outside Wimberley’s environs, and even more significantly, draws 59% of that number from outside Hays County.

Besides launching five full productions a year, the theatre engages adults and children in workshops, partners with other organizations for events, screens indoor and outdoor films, and teaches theatre skills to volunteers.