Best gifts go both ways

Jamie Ulmer • December 16, 2025

The best gifts involve both giving and receiving. The last several weeks at Theatre Lawrence prove that point.


Actors, musicians, stage crews, front-of-house volunteers, and more have given their valuable time this month to deliver performances of the crowd-pleasing, nostalgia-filled musical White Christmas. For those involved in the show, this often means missing holiday parties of their own, waiting until the last minute to do their shopping, and enduring long days and late nights.


They have been rewarded by Lawrence and the surrounding area with the gift of a run that will have played to 99% capacity over three weeks. For volunteer performers who share their talents with the community simply because they love it, such an enthusiastic response from audiences is the most meaningful reward. The fact that not just friends and family, but the entire community, chose to make time in their busy holiday schedules to support them and Theatre Lawrence means so much to so many.


This is just one of the many ways we share the gift and impact of the arts back and forth with you, our community. From youth classes at the theatre, to visiting classrooms with Suitcase Stories, to performing at area retirement homes with the re-energized Vintage Players, Theatre Lawrence continues to deliver bright paper packages tied up with strings of favorite things. In return, the community gives us its own gifts by auditioning, volunteering behind the scenes, buying tickets, enrolling in classes, and making donations.



When a community and its theatre make each other better, that is one of the true gifts of a thriving arts organization.

Theatre Lawrence News & Announcements

Stylized “Guys & Dolls” logo in orange, red, and white with dice on a black background
May 11, 2026
CAST LIST: GUYS & DOLLS, SR. We would like to extend a huge thank you to every single person who auditioned for Guys & Dolls Sr. The talent, enthusiasm, humor, and heart in the room made this an incredibly difficult and exciting casting process, and we can’t wait to continue this journey with you! Because of the overwhelming amount of talent , remaining speaking roles will be assigned after our first read-through rehearsal on Tuesday, May 12 at 6:30 PM. This truly is going to be a celebration of ensemble, community, and the joy of performance at every stage of life. Thanks to EVERYONE!!! See ALL y'all tomorrow, 6:30 Theatre Lawrence, Downstairs Rehearsal Room. PRINCIPAL CAST Sky Masterson: JEFF LADY Sarah Brown: TERRY THOELKE Nathan Detroit: WALTER OLKER Miss Adelaide: CYNDI ROOD Nicely-Nicely Johnson: STEVE FENDT Benny Southstreet: JARYL PERKINS Rusty Charlie: CHRIS DRAHOZAL Additional cast members: BARBARA BRYDENTHAL BETH CHAMBERS BETH RUNDQUIST BETSI ANDERSON BRENDA WILCH BROOKS APPELBAUM CAROL DOBBINS CAROLYN WULFKUHLE CHERYL WAGNER CHUCK MOSLEY CINDY HILLS DAVE MOSHER DEB MADDEN DEE AGUILAR JEFF MUELLER JERRY GUFFEY JILL CANNON JILL DICKERSON JO ANDERSEN KAREN DEVICTOR LINDA CANNON MARGARET KELLEY MATT PRICE NANCY GIBBENS PAM BLOME PAM MOONEY PAUL BAEUCHLE RETA CALDWELL SUSAN RALSTON TERRI JOHNSON TOM DAVIS
Dark purple promo poster with dancer silhouette and text: “Now accepting applications” for the Striving Artist Project
April 29, 2026
Project honoring legacy of Louise ImMasche
April 27, 2026
Theatre Lawrence is currently accepting applications for select creative positions in the 2026-2027 season. To apply please send an email to julmer@theatrelawrence.com stating what show and position you are interested in being considered for, along with a resume. For consideration please apply by May 8. Open positions are: PIRATES! THE PENZANCE MUSICAL (Sept. 11-13, 17-20, 2026): Director, Music Director, Choreographer LIZZIE (Oct. 22-24, 2026): Director, Music Director December Musical (Dec. 4-6, 10-13, 17-20, 2026): Director, Music Director, Choreographer. Show will be announced May 25, contact us for more information. ON GOLDEN POND (Jan. 29-31, Feb. 4-7, 2027): Director Learn more about our entire 50th Anniversary Season at: https://www.theatrelawrence.com/26-27-season
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