Central Bucks Theater News

Central Bucks West Harlequin Club memorializes The Greatest Generation in a new compilation show of the same name which explores the 1930s and 40s in story, song and dance - October 17th, 19th and 20th

The CB West Harlequin Club Theatre 2024/2025 main stage season kicks off on October 17th, 19th and 20th with an eponymous tribute to the Greatest Generation. This showcase explores family and work lives in two one act plays and the music and culture that defined the generation. Starting in 1931, with The Happy Journey to Trenton and Camden by Thornton Wilder, the cast delves into family dynamics experiencing a very new thing-the family road trip. And what would a trip back to the 1930s and 1940s be without a soundtrack? A music and dance review will transport audiences with timeless hits from Irving Berlin through America’s wartime sweethearts, The Andrew Sisters. And finally, exploring the Greatest Generation couldn’t be complete without delving into the war effort. In a new play, Badger by Don Zolidis, we look behind the scenes at the Badger Ordnance Works and meet the women who join the workforce for the first time to support their men fighting the war to stop fascism.

"With the help of authentic set pieces, costumes of the era and great raw material, these Harlequin Club Gen Z actors, singers and dancers have learned a lot about about this time period and the people that lived it. They are excited to share their stories and take us all on a trip back in time.” said Harlequin Club director Claudine Piechotta. “The Greatest Generation met the moment of their time with courage and curiosity, and their creativity still informs our modern idea of what it is to be an American.”

Tickets are on sale now by visiting at https://our.show/harlequingeneration or visiting the Central Bucks website www.cbsd.org/harlequinclub

· Performances: 7 PM on October 17th and 19th and 2 PM on October 20th

· Tickets will be available at the door but purchasing tickets in advance is strongly encouraged

About the CB West Harlequin Club

The Harlequin Club is Central Bucks West High School's fully extracurricular drama club. Fall productions may include a full-length play, one-act plays and/or a smaller ensemble musical. In the spring they produce a larger full ensemble musical, typically with a pit orchestra. In addition, they present a student-directed one-act showcase and a student-directed cabaret as well as other participating in community appearances and festivals throughout the year. The Harlequin Club Troupe 2115 is an active member of the International Thespian Society.

In 2022, the Harlequin Club won the Philadelphia Independence Award for best High School Musical in the Philadelphia region for their production of Amélie. Also in 2022 and again in 2023, Harlequin Club students received the nomination to represent the Philadelphia region in the prestigious Jimmy Awards for High School Musical Theatre. In 2024 Ms. Piechotta was nominated as best Theatre Educator of the year.

Many students in The Harlequin Club's original cast production of A Christmas Carol last fall written by Ms. Piechotta also received recognition for their character work in the new play, and the club's spring musical Mean Girls received an award for Best Musical Production this past spring at the Bucks County Playhouse Student Theater Festival.

2024/25 Mainstage Season:

The Greatest Generation – October 17th, 19th and 20th.

Alice by Heart – November 21st – 24th

Rodgers and Hammerstein's – Cinderella - May 2nd-4th.