For everyone at Playhouse Merced, the annual Season Preview on May 29 appeared to be a reaffirmation of the importance of local theater as a cornerstone of this community, and a nod to those supporters who faced turmoil and doubt, but in no way were ever going to let it all go away.
Last season’s canceled productions, budgetary deficits, and administrative paralysis had suggested a company in its death throes. However, a resounding triumph on stage last Friday night effectively cleared the air, dispelling months of institutional gloom like a brisk, chimney-sweep wind over London rooftops.
There was nervous excitement in the air, like any good show before the curtain rises, a mixture of significance and anticipation. There was the entertainment aspect, yes, but also a larger statement to be made, and it all had to land well before a local audience.
RC Essig, the interim executive director, played it cool and humble as the master of ceremonies, poking fun at himself as well as the situations on stage that seemingly mirrored the efforts of Playhouse itself to exist, entertain, and thrive. Essig, a native Mercedian, has truly lived the full spectrum of the local experience, and it showed.
Board members gathered together on stage for a whimsical skit, joining the delightfully unpretentious affair with just the right dose of theatrical sweetness to help the medicine go down.
Then came the display of raw talent that is so characteristic of Season Previews which offer stripped down scenes of the upcoming featured shows. It was like a great, collective exhale that filled the theater when one local talent after another took turns in the spotlight: Rachel Battisti, Michael Chambers, GB Blackmon, Dennis Brown, Chrissi Ford, Tyler Smith, and many more, as well as dozens of thespian cubs, wide-eyed and motivated by both their peers and a live audience at last.
There were also surprise, playful appearances by Playhouse All-Stars, Rob and Joe Hypes, who are both returning to direct shows in the months to come.
For a season preview—a format notoriously prone to spontaneity and unplanned turbulence—the evening was remarkably cohesive.
And Essig capped the evening off with the statement we all know very well, but so anxiously wanted to hear again.
“This is sacred ground,” he declared from the stage to the approving audience. “Playhouse Merced belongs to everyone. This is your community theater.”
Playhouse Merced’s 33rd Season
• Come From Away, Aug. 14-29
Directed by Robert Hypes
• Hedwig and The Angry Inch,
Sept. 18-27. Directed by RC Essig
• Night Of The Living Dead, Oct. 16-25
Directed by Paul Wegner
• The Addams Family, (Youth)
Nov. 12-15
• Mary Poppins, Dec. 4-20
Directed by Elizabeth Harmelin
• Misery, Jan. 8-17
Directed by RC Essig
• How To Train Your Dragon, (Youth)
Jan. 29-31
• Mean Girls, Feb. 5-21
Directed by Rachel Battisti
• Dear Evan Hansen, March 12-28
Directed by Avriel Ramos
• The Hunchback of Notre Dame
April 8-25
• A Raisin In The Sun, May 14-23
Directed by Dennis Brown
• Oklahoma! May 28-30
Directed by Marit Medefind
• Oklahoma!, (Youth)
May 28-30
• Finding Nemo Jr. (Youth)
July 15-25, 2026