History

Since 1979, FCP has performed in many venues, from the American Legion Hall in Newark to Waubonsee Community College in Sugar Grove. Many of our musicals (1979 – 1997) were performed at the Yorkville Freshman Academy (when it was the High School). We went north to enjoy the air conditioning at Waubonsee Community College for several summer musicals. Then we came back to Yorkville and produced several shows in the Beecher Center.

The rapid growth in Yorkville and the cry for extra space for Parks and Recreation, as well as senior programs, forced us to relocate once again. We performed in the small theatre at Plano High School for several years and were fortunate to be able to use the brand-new auditorium for five events. The Yorkville Board of Education approved our use of Yorkville High School for our Fine Arts Academy in 2010, and we held the Academy there again in July of 2011. We were very excited to be back in Yorkville and enjoyed doing “Father of the Bride” at the high school as well.

Changes in facilities regulations and fees forced to move again.  We performed “A Night of Broadway” at the Community Christian Church north of Yorkville in January of 2012, where we also held our Theatre Arts Academy.  We brought back Dinner Theatre, with dinner at St. Joseph Cabinetry and the show at the church.

We moved our Academy to Yorkville Congregational Church for a couple of summers, and continued to do our Broadway Shows there until 2018.  For several years before the pandemic, we formed a partnership with the Community Education Department of Waubonsee Community College to produce our shows and Academy classes at their Sugar Grove campus.

1st Season – 1979 “THE MUSIC MAN” directed by Lenora Wissmiller
2nd Season – 1980 “CALAMITY JANE” directed by Lenora Wissmiller
3rd Season – 1981 “MAME” directed by Lenora Wissmiller
4th Season – 1982 “HELLO, DOLLY!” directed by Lenora Wissmiller
“COME BLOW YOUR HORN” directed by Herbert C. Wallace III
“PIED PIPER” directed by Sherrie Wirtz & Jo Leidig
5th Season – 1983 “HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS…” directed by Lenora Wissmiller
“LOVE, SEX, and the IRS” directed by Herbert C. Wallace III
“HOW THE CHICKEN HAWK WON THE WEST” directed by Sherrie Wirtz & Jo Leidig
6th Season – 1984 “SOUTH PACIFIC” directed by Lenora Wissmiller
“IMPOSSIBLE YEARS” directed by Sherrie Wirtz
“THE HOBBITT” directed by Sherrie Wirtz & Jo Leidig
7th Season – 1985 “PAJAMA GAME” directed by Lenora Wissmiller
“RIGHT BED, WRONG HUSBAND” directed by Penny Baird
“2 x 5” directed by Barry Fohrman
8th Season – 1986 “OKLAHOMA” directed by Lenora Wissmiller
“THE GAZEBO” directed by Richard Smith
“MEMORIES IN REVUE” directed by Barry Fohrman
9th Season – 1987 “ANYTHING GOES” directed by Lenora Wissmiller
“SQUABBLES” directed by Richard Smith
“BRIGHT LIGHTS” directed by Barry Forhman
10th Season – 1988 “UNSINKABLE MOLLY BROWN” directed by Lenora Wissmiller
“NATALIE NEEDS A NIGHTIE” directed by Budd Bieber
“SING FOR YOUR SUPPER” directed by Ramona Plock
11th Season – 1989 “CAMELOT” directed by Lenora Wissmiller
“MURDER AT THE HOWARD JOHNSON” directed by Budd Bieber
“STARDUST” directed by Deborah Conner
12th Season – 1990 “MY FAIR LADY” directed by Lenora Wissmiller
“TOO SOON FOR DAISIES” directed by Sharilyn Bednarcik
“SWEETHEARTS” directed by Ramona Plock
13th Season – 1991 “BRIGADOON” directed by Barry Fohrman
“DO BLACK PATENT LEATHER SHOES REALLY REFLECT UP?” directed by Sherrie Wirtz
“SOCIAL SECURITY” directed by Budd Bieber
14th Season – 1992 “SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS” directed by Lenora Wissmiller
“BLITHE SPIRIT” directed by Dan Foss
“CHAPTER TWO” directed by Bud Bieber
15th Season – 1993 “SOUND OF MUSIC” directed by Scott Morris
“BATS” directed by James Stott
“I TAKE THIS MAN” directed by Budd Bieber
16th Season – 1994 “BAREFOOT IN THE PARK” directed by Marcia Swanson
“I’LL BE BACK BEFORE MIDNIGHT” directed by James Stott
17th Season – 1995 “ANNIE GET YOUR GUN” directed by Marcia Swanson & asst. director Lenora Wissmiller
“LEND ME A TENOR” directed by Dan Foss
“NUNSENSE” directed by Paula Svendsen
18th Season – 1996 “EVITA” directed by Lenora Wissmiller
asst. director Marcia Swanson
“DEATH BY CHOCOLATE” directed by Jon Grigalunas
“BEAU JEST” directed by Brian Harmes
19th Season – 1997 “THE MUSIC MAN” directed by Lenora Wissmiller & Marcia Swanson
“TAKE A NUMBER, DARLING” directed by Wendy Wyse
“THE FOREIGNER” directed by Brian Harmes
20th Season – 1998 “GUYS AND DOLLS” directed by Jon Grigalunas
“BABY” directed by Marcia Swanson & Nan Grommes
“CATCH ME IF YOU CAN” directed by Jim Stott
21st Season – 1999 “FIDDLER ON THE ROOF” directed by Marcia Swanson
“BIG BAND” directed by Rick Falato
22nd Season – 2000 “DO BLACK PATENT LEATHER SHOES REALLY REFLECT UP?” directed by Tim Mullen
“THE ODD COUPLE” directed by Marcia Swanson
“INVISIBLE MAN” directed by Jim Stott
23rd Season – 2001 “12 ANGRY JURORS” directed by Jeff Nix, Sr.
“RUMORS” directed by Jeff Nix, Sr. & Lenora Wissmiller
24th Season – 2002 “HONK!” directed by Jim Stott & Jeff Nix, Sr.
“STAR ON THE DOOR” directed by Jim Stott
“LOVE LETTERS” directed by Jeff Nix, Sr.
25th Season – 2003 “SOUTH PACIFIC” directed by Marcia Swanson
“ON GOLDEN POND” directed by Marcia Swanson & Jeff Nix, Sr.
“STEEL MAGNOLIAS” directed by Sherrie Wirtz & Marcia Swanson
26th Season – 2004 “MY FAIR LADY “ directed by Marcia Swanson
“MISTER ROBERTS” directed by Jim Stott
“THE GLASS MENAGERIE” directed by Colleen Konop
27th Season – 2005 “BUS STOP” directed by Marcia Swanson
“RADIO PLAYS “ directed by Jim Stott
28th Season – 2006 “HOLIDAY CLASSICS” directed by Jim Stott and Sherrie Wirtz
29th Season – 2007 “PLAZA SUITE” directed by Cori Veverka
“THE OLDE COOKIE SHOPPE” Melodrama directed by Rich Bryan
“THE FANTASTICKS” directed by Patrick Stinson
30th Season – 2008 “YOU CAN”T TAKE IT WITH YOU” directed by Dale Hawes
“THE MINER’S DAUGHTER” Melodrama directed by Jim Stott
“BEAUTY AND THE BEAST “ directed by Patrick Stinson
31st Season –
2009
“OF MICE AND MEN” directed by Jim Stott & Sherrie Wirtz
FINE ARTS ACADEMY “Bookworm Boogie” and
“FOOTLOOSE” directed by Sheila Thompson
“NUNSENSE” directed by Patrick Stinson
32nd Season – 2010 FINE ARTS ACADEMY “Dream Big “ and
“THE WIZARD OF OZ “ directed by Sheila hompson
“The PONY EXPRESSO” Melodrama directed by Jim Stott
“FATHER OF THE BRIDE” directed by Jen Whittington assisted by Marcia Swanson
33rd Season – 2011 FINE ARTS ACADEMY:
“CHANNEL SURFING “ and
“HAPPY DAYS the MUSICAL ” directed by MarkWayne
“WILEY AND THE HAIRY MAN ” Yorkville Hometown Days directed by Jennifer Whittington
34th Season – 2012 “A NIGHT OF BROADWAY” directed by Patrick Stinson
“LOVE LETTERS” directed by Marcia Swanson
FINE ARTS ACADEMY: “SEUSS-A-PALLOOZA “ and
“SEUSSICAL, JR “ directed by Mark Wayne
“SYLVIA” directed by Colleen Konop
35th Season – 2013 A NIGHT OF BROADWAY” directed by Marcia Swanson
“ON THE AIR”
directed by Jim Stott
FINE ARTS ACADEMY:  “MONSTERAMA
and
“LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS”
directed by Mark Wayne
“RAPUNZEL” Yorkville Hometown Days
directed by Matt Weaver
36th Season- 2014 “A NIGHT OF BROADWAY” directed by Marcia Swanson
THEATRE ARTS ACADEMY:“HAPPILY EVER AFTER” and
“ONCE UPON A MATTRESS” 
directed by Mark Wayne
“25th ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE” directed by Patrick Stinson
37th Season-2015 “A NIGHT OF BROADWAY” directed by Patrick Stinson
“45 SECONDS FROM BROADWAY” directed by Patrick Stinson
THEATRE ARTS ACADEMY:
“UNDER THE SEA” and
THE LITTLE MERMAID, JR. 
directed by Mark Wayne
“OLIVER” directed by Patrick Stinson
38th Season-2016 “A NIGHT OF BROADWAY” directed by Meg McGarry
“NEXT TO NORMAL” directed by Patrick Stinson
“GOD OF CARNAGE” directed by Matt Weaver
“YOU’RE A GOOD MAN CHARLIE BROWN directed by Patrick Stinson
THEATRE ARTS ACADEMY:
“SCENES THAT GO BUMP IN THE NIGHT” and
“THE ADDAMS FAMILY” 
directed by Mark Wayne
“SISTER ACT” directed by Anna Ahonen
39th Season-2017 “NIGHT OF BROADWAY” directed by Meg McGarry
“RUMORS” directed by Jen Whittington
THEATRE ARTS ACADEMY:  SUPERHEROES
“URINETOWN the MUSICAL” 
directed by Christopher Roe
40th Season-2018 “NIGHT OF BROADWAY” directed by Meg McGarry
“WHOSE WIVES ARE THEY ANYWAY?” directed by Jen Whittington
THEATRE ARTS ACADEMY: “BOUND FOR BROADWAY”
“SHREK the MUSICAL” directed by Christopher Roe
41st Season-2019 “NIGHT OF BROADWAY” directed by Meg McGarry
“OUR TOWN” directed by Jen Whittington
THEATRE ARTS ACADEMY:  “THE GREATEST SHOW”
“CHILDREN OF EDEN” 
directed by Meg McGarry
42nd Season – 2020 “NIGHT OF BROADWAY” directed by Eric Downs

Community Theatre in the Western Chicagoland Suburbs