Local Young Director Keeps Busy

Once upon a time, the Once Upon A Time Players was comprised of very young people from Northampton Township who were assembled and directed by a very young person with very large ambitions. 

The group was the inspiration of 14-year-old Brendan Stackhouse, from Richboro, who produced his shows initially in the . 

At first, shows were offered to friends and family for donations to cover costume and simple set costs.

Gradually, members of his performing group became older and more experienced. Their shows grew in complexity and in size. Always they were musicals, with the early shows written by Stackhouse, such as "Aladdin," designed for young people from ages 6 through 14, lasting only about 30 minutes.

Now, Stackhouse, a sophomore at Wagner College on Staten Island majoring in directing and theatre business, has directed about 50 shows, including full-length musicals presented at Washington Crossing Open Air Theatre, New Jersey, the past two summers. He’ll be directing "All Shook Up" at school in the spring.

Not one to miss a directing opportunity, Stackhouse is using his college semester break this year to gather together many of his past talented performers to perform musical songs from their generation and later ones in Broadway Past and Present.   

A full buffet Italian dinner and dessert buffet will be served as the older, very experienced singers perform at 7p.m. Saturday, Jan. 7 at the Central Bucks Senior Center, 700 Shady Retreat Rd., Doylestown.

Raffle baskets and Broadway ticket raffles will be conducted, as well.

Tickets, which include the full buffet dinner, ordered in advance are $20; at the door, they are $25.

Preparing for a musical review would be enough for most people, but there is always a new challenge for Stackhouse.

At 10 a.m., the same day, in the same location, Once Upon A Time Players will offer A Cinderella Breakfast for little ones with their parents and/or grandparents. This will be a musical re-telling of the classic story of Cinderella, after which children may meet and participate in activities with their favorite fairy tale characters.

Tickets for the Cinderella Breakfast are $15 for children, $20 for adults.

Reservations, strongly encouraged for either event, may be made by emailing onceuponatimeplayers@gmail.com or calling (267) 574-1875.

Once Upon A time Players casts include Elizabeth Miller, Rachel Haber, Amy Bishop Valerie Glerum (Holland), Chris Cherin, Ally Dossick, Joe Stackhouse, Ryan Carlin and Molly Barson (Richboro), Brian Dratch and Chelsea Robinson (Newtown), Michael Bullard (Sarnac Laek) Kevin Christian, and Rebecca Hoare (Churchville), Chiara Trentalange (Southampton) Mike Wisnosky, Megan Fulmer, and Ben Cramer (Morrisville), John Alati (Rochester, NY), and Justin Scalzo, Robert Haltiwanger and Paige Howell, (NYC).