Passion, pride, local spirit, audience love, and voluntarism are among reasons to love community theater. And in Queens, the high quality is another main draw.
Now that summer is over, borough residents are ready to stay inside for drama, comedy, music, and overflowing creativity. Here’s a guide to upcoming shows.
Douglaston Community Theatre presents Making God Laugh from Friday, Nov. 3, to Sunday, Nov. 19. This heartwarming comedy develops over four scenes, each one 10 years apart. The audience watches a family with two parents and three children as they age.
Tickets are $22, but students and seniors can attend for $20. All seven presentations are at Zion Church Parish Hall at 243-20 Church St.
The Secret Academy offers Heathers The Musical from Thursday, Nov. 9, to Sunday, Nov. 19. Veronica Sawyer is a brainy, beautiful teenage misfit who hustles her way into the most powerful and ruthless clique in her Ohio high school. After demonstrating her forgery skills, she becomes an honorary member of a clique (The Heathers) that rules the school with sour attitudes and croquet sticks.
Ticket prices run from $15 to $30, and all 10 shows are at The Secret Theatre at 38-02 61st St. in Woodside.
The Jamaica Center for Arts & Learning hosts a fascinating adaptation of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao on Thursday, Nov. 9, at 7 pm. This Pulitzer Prize-winning Junot Díaz novel comes to life on stage. Attendees will get a fun lesson in Dominican-American history with a healthy dose of magical realism and romance.
Admission is free, and JCAL is at 161-04 Jamaica Ave.
Top image: Making God Laugh; bottom image: Heathers The Musical