People traveling the back roads of Calais may not expect to come across a venue for highbrow theater.
But in fact, Unadilla Theater is celebrating its 30th year by opening a second performance space amidst its flower gardens and mountain vistas.
And these are not your typical summer plays: Unadilla specializes in presenting the classics. This season, theatergoers can choose from works by Gilbert and Sullivan, Irish playwright Sean O’Casey, and even an opera from Mozart.
The new theater space will be unveiled Thursday evening with a production of George Bernard Shaw’s Heartbreak House.
Unadilla Theater is run by 89-year-old Bill Blachly and his partner, Ann O’Brien.
Blachly says the actors enjoy the "repertory" aspect of Unadilla, which rotates play presentations during its summer season.
And he says despite the rural location, audiences enjoy seeing plays that are rarely produced in Vermont.
VPR's Neal Charnoff sat down for a conversation with Bill Blachly in the new theater space.
