Easthampton Theater Company

06/18/2026

That's a wrap for Easthampton Theater Company's production of Applause! Thanks to our theater patrons - who sold out two of our 5 performance run, as well as our hard-working cast, crew and production team.

06/17/2026

Free Summer Theater Programs for Teens!

Two weeks in Easthampton, two weeks in Springfield (evenings) and Summer day camp scholarships at Williston in Easthampton! Go to easthamptontheater.com for more info. Space is limited!

Easthampton Theater Company is a production group created by Easthampton and nearby residents to bring quality community and regional theater productions to the City. Its founding board and members are dedicated to establishing community-based live theater productions as a premier venue and destinat...

06/06/2026

First look at Applause in dress rehearsals! Opens this Sunday June 7 - this matinee performans is only a handful of seats from sell-out. The run continues next week Thursday through Sunday! Tickets at easthamptontheater.com

06/06/2026

Opening night (well, afternoon) is tomorrow! So let's meet one more actor, this time Marge Patefield, who plays THE Margo Channing.

Q: How is this character like you? Different?
A: Is Margo like me? In some ways, her determination, dedication to her art, and work ethic. But she does like her alcohol and I prefer coffee milkshakes!

Q: What’s the biggest challenge about taking on this role and why?
A: The role is challenging, and she's a complicated lady so you have to find a balance between her star attitude and her vulnerability. She's a drinker, she's stubborn, and she's clawed her way to the top but she's vulnerable which I hope the audience sees in my portrayal.

Q: How did you get started in theater?
A: My daughter was in theatre, began with Annie and eventually moved on professionally. I sat through many rehearsals with her, and folks used to tell me that I should be on stage! I had no interest, it absolutely terrified me! Now it's 30 years later, go figure!

Q: Besides this one, what’s your favorite stage show or role?
A: There have been many favorite roles I've had the luck and honor to play; Mame, Mama Rose, Reno Sweeney, and Tonia in "Front Street," which is an original work by a local Connecticut playwright. This is one of her works that is now done professionally.

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Easthampton Theater Company's production of Applause opens June 7th. Come see one of our five amazing shows! Tickets are selling fast, grab yours now!

https://facebook.com/events/s/etc-presents-applause/1293837429313572/

06/05/2026

Only two days left until opening! You know what that means? It's time to meet two more actors! This time, let's talk with Victoria DeCosmo, who plays THE Eve Harrington, and Joe Lessard, who plays Buzz Richards!

Victoria, you're up first!

Q: Without giving anything away, what’s your favorite line of dialogue?
A: "Nothing will ever grow here again."

Q: How is this character like you? Different?
A: Eve sees how she can be helpful to others and that's something I relate to a lot as a stage manager and Mental Health Counselor. If I have a job to do, I usually have it done thoroughly, creatively, and on time. We also both love applause! Eve, however, basks in being the center of attention; while I like playing a character, I do often prefer to be behind the scenes. Eve also seems to think much much less about how what she says and does impacts others' feelings.

Q: If you could play any other character in this show, who would it be?
A: I like so many of them but I love a sarcastic, solid friend, who tells it like it is, like Dwayne.

Q: What do you do when you’re not doing theatre?
A: I work at a mental health counselor full-time and part-time as a kids party Entertainer, making balloon animals, painting faces, etc; I do most things I can related to theatre including stage managing, props, puppet making, scenic painting, and costuming.

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And now Joe!

Q: What do you love about this character?
A: Buzz lacks confidence, and is sometimes clueless and spineless, pretty much the exact opposite of who I really am.

Q: Without giving anything away, what’s your favorite line of dialogue?
A: "Bass Fiddle!"

Q: How did you get started in theater?
A: Theater was something I always wanted to do (as an adult, but not as a youth). One day, in my early forties, I took the plunge (more like a cannonball in the deep end of the pool) and never looked back.

Q: What’s the last thing you do before you step out on stage / the curtain goes up?
A: Take a deep breath, and remind myself to cherish and live in this moment.

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Easthampton Theater Company's production of Applause opens June 7th. Come see one of our five amazing shows! Tickets are selling fast, grab yours now!

https://facebook.com/events/s/etc-presents-applause/1293837429313572/

06/04/2026

Applause in the Gazette! We open Sunday, June 7th and run Thurs-Sun the following weekend. Fasten your seatbelts!

When Manuel “Manny” Morales was 12 years old, a production of “Applause” at Easthampton High School left a lasting impression. Two decades later, he is directing his own version of the musical on an Easthampton stage. As a potential budget override threatens to eliminate theater programs fro...

06/04/2026

Four days left until the opening of our production of Applause! Come meet two more of our actors: Cassie Wood-Triplett, who plays Karen Richards, and Norm Metz, who plays Bill Sampson.

Let's start with Cassie!

Q: Besides yourself, which actor in this production is going to blow people away?
A: My show husband, Joe, who plays Buzz, just lights up every room he's in. This is a great part for him and we're having a blast!

Q: What do you love about this character?
A: She means so well!! She really tries to do what's right for everyone. It doesn't always work out for her but I really think everything she does she is attempting to do what is best.

Q: If you could play any other character in this show, who would it be?
A: Duane is so sassy, he's got all the best lines. Gabe does an amazing job with him and I love how much fun he has with all of those sauce lines!

Q: What do you do when you’re not doing theatre?
A: I am the mom of 2 beautiful kids - Fionn(5) and Beatrice(1.5). That's the best job I'll ever have! But I'm also a project manager at Farm Credit East, leading technology projects and chairing a few commitees. And when I'm not doing all that, you can find my at my husband's coffee shop, Tunic Coffee in Northampton!

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And Norm, what about you?

Q: What sort of person is going to love/relate to your character?
A: Anyone who is a theater buff! All the goings on behind the curtain!

Q: Without giving anything away, what’s your favorite line of dialogue?
A: “Your subconscious is showing!”

Q: If you could play any other character in this show, who would it be?
A: Margo! She’s got some great lines!

Q: Besides this one, what’s your favorite stage show?
A: There’s so many. Mostly Sondheim. “Company," "Merrily We Roll Along,” and "Sunday in the Park With George.“

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Easthampton Theater Company's production of Applause opens June 7th. Come see one of our five amazing shows! Tickets are selling fast, grab yours now!
https://facebook.com/events/s/etc-presents-applause/1293837429313572/

06/02/2026

We're 5 days out from the opening of Applause! Would you like to meet the directors? Of course you would! Here are Manny Morales, our director, and Evan Kos, our music director!

Let's start with Manny!

Q: What do you hope audiences will get out of this show?
A: The arts in public schools matter. For context, in 2005, Easthampton High School’s Drama Club staged Applause. Sitting in the audience that night was a child version of me, unknowingly witnessing the beginning of a lifelong journey in theater. Now, in 2026, we are bringing Applause back to Easthampton through Easthampton Theater Company. This production stands as both a tribute to the importance of arts education in public schools and a heartfelt “thank you” to the Easthampton Drama Club for creating a space where creativity, passion, and future artists could grow.

Q: Besides this one, what’s your favorite stage show?
A: I am currently obsessed with Hadestown, specifically the solo Eurydice sings during the “Wait For Me - Reprise” number. It plays on loop in my car on my commute to work.
🎶 I’m coming wait for me! 🎶

Q: What’s the last thing you do before you step out on stage / the curtain goes up?
A: I have a photo of my sister, Kim, on stage as part of the 2005 Easthampton High School cast. She is the true connecting thread for this entire project, and just before each run of the show begins, I look at that photo and remind myself why we do this. As the song sings, “what is it that we’re living for?”
Yes, we do it for the applause. But we also do it for moments like this.

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Next, music director Evan Kos!

Q: What do you hope audiences will get out of this show?
A: I hope that you will leave the theater humming a tune and that live music will lift your spirits :)

Q: What do you do when you’re not doing theatre?
A: When I'm not doing theatre, I'm teaching music lessons and writing arrangements that I post on YouTube.

Q: Besides this one, what’s your favorite stage show?
A: Hadestown!

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Easthampton Theater Company's production of Applause opens June 7th. Come see one of our five amazing shows! Tickets are selling fast, grab yours now!

https://facebook.com/events/s/etc-presents-applause/1293837429313572/