SHARON – Swingtime Canteen will go out with a bang after the Fourth of July, with the Sharon Playhouse’s patriotic season opener set to close Sunday, July 5. With a handful of shows remaining, the all-female cast reflected on the importance of centering women in a WWII story, their favorite moments in the production, and their go-to local haunts while staying in the Northwest Corner.
Sitting on the vibrant stage bedecked with stars, stripes and life-sized WWII-era posters, the cast took turns talking about the relevance of the show as the country prepares to celebrate its 250th anniversary.
“What’s so cool about Swingtime Canteen is the way it features women,” said Claire Marie Spencer, who plays Topeka Abotelli, the Rosie the Riveter-inspired character. “I think that the show does an incredible job of featuring the enormous shift in history that happened during WWII when, in a lot of ways, women came to the forefront in a beautiful team effort.”
The show’s fading Hollywood starlet and band leader Marian Ames, played by Margaret Dudasik, brings a group of instrument-playing women to London, providing her with a meaningful second act as a performer for American troops stationed abroad.“
It was a period of time when probably everyone you knew was serving,” Dudasik said. “A husband, a high school sweetheart, a neighbor. It really shows that you never know what someone’s going through or dealing with.”
Michelle Lemon, who returns to Sharon after years of performing and choreographing at the Playhouse, enjoys significant stage time as she jams on the saxophone, guitar, banjo and piano throughout the show. But for her, it’s a moment of collaboration with the audience – one of many – that causes her to choke up during every performance.
“We invite the audience to sing with us, and to see people sing the lyrics back…I kind of have to disassociate because it’s so beautiful.”
Spencer echoed the sentiment, saying it’s a song called “Pack Up Your Troubles” that brings her to tears each night.
“The idea of 18-year-old boys singing such a happy, upbeat song in the midst of such evil and darkness is powerful,” she said, alluding to a parallel between the song’s history and how it was performed by the women during the show amidst a dark moment.
Still, the show is chock-full of lighter moments and familiar tunes. Lauren Seery, who plays Lt. Jeannie Pielmeier and serves as an integral member of the band, enjoys the first moment when the cast breaks the fourth wall with style – and sweets.
“There’s a break in the middle of the song ‘Hollywood Canteen’ where the band gets to jam out over some really fun changes, and Lucy, Michelle and Margaret’s characters go into the audience and serve real donuts and coffee to the audience as if they were the troops,” Seery said.
The show features 30 different songs from the 1930s and 1940s in a fast-paced, upbeat production that brings audience interaction into the spotlight.
Originally hailing from six different states across the country, the cast currently resides in Manhattan or Brooklyn but has found a handful of local favorite spots during the show’s run.
The cast said they’ve gone as a group to Grassland Dessert Cafe in Lakeville for ice cream more than once. Lucy Rhoades – who shines this year as Katie Gammersflugel after her breakout Sharon Playhouse debut as Dyannne in Million Dollar Quartet last summer – said her first job in New York City was working at an Irving Farm so she stops in for coffee in Millerton often. Others have enjoyed antiquing in the area, stopping at On the Run for a breakfast sandwich, and hiking in Kent State Park and enjoying views of the 250-foot waterfall.
Tickets for Swingtime Canteen are still available at sharonplayhouse.org, including a special holiday afternoon performance at 4 p.m. on the Fourth of July.
The all-female cast of Swingtime Canteen shares a behind-the-scenes moment before taking the stage.Madi Long
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Karina Powers teaches the Dances of Chihuahua workshop class in the Stissing Center’s Banning Hall. She led a group of five children and their supporters, teaching them about the region of Chihuahua and walking them through a cultural dance.
Powers is a professional dancer and singer who received her master’s degree in Mexican Folklore Dance from Escuela de la Danza in Baja, California, Mexico. She is an active member of the Millbrook community where she teaches classes that educate people on Mexican culture and performing arts.
The workshop was held at the Stissing Center for Arts and Culture’s Banning Hall, where larger performances are held for members of the community. Powers began by showing families photographs of her history as a dancer and singer, as well as the traditional clothing worn by dancers in Chihuahua.
Powers said that as an artist you can learn to feel the energy from other people by seeing the emotions through their movement.
“I think it’s best for the people to get educated about folklorical dance from Mexico. It’s very important to me, because I do it with passion, with a lot of respect, and it’s what I want to show to them,” Powers said.
Beginner dancers learn some new moves during the Dances of Chihuahua event.Photo by Lucia Iandolo
As the workshop continued, families gathered on the stage as Powers walked through the steps while incorporating how they are historically important to the region of Mexico. The children and their parents were able to learn the dance while being immersed in the culture of Chihuahua.
Powers taught the families about folklorico shoes, the specific footwear that dancers wear for Mexican folk dancing. She explained that the footwear and clothing are important for dancers to safely perform fast-paced movement on wooden floors, and she allowed a child to wear one of the skirts during the workshop.
The “Dances of Chihuahua” event was held as part of the Stissing Center’s Summer Children’s Series, which is a program that includes diverse programming for kids. They have workshops, presentations, plays and educational events open to all children in the community and made possible by the Center’s donors.
Jose Vazquez Nava is an Event Production Intern at the Stissing Center. He said this event is important for community members in the Hudson Valley because it appeals to a culture that is not regularly showcased and involves children in more diverse programming.
“I think having these programs are so important, not only for children, but we could probably encourage kids who want to pursue dancing or a career in media arts,” Vazquez Nava said. “Centers like ours bridge that gap between a kid learning math or learning a new culture or art, which is very important.”
Powers showed the children and their families a choreographed routine with music while teaching them certain traditions that dancers follow. She explained that dance is not only physical, but emotional. She emphasized dancers making noises and screaming during their performances to get the audience’s attention and treat the performance like a celebration.
The Stissing Center for Arts and Culture’s Summer Children’s Series runs until Aug. 22, 2026. Each Saturday they hold free or “pay what you can” events sponsored by the Bank of Millbrook and Sugar Hill Farm. The events feature live music, storytelling and interactive workshops.
Powers said it is important to honor and respect this form of dance as it takes years to learn not only the artform, but the history behind it.
“Mexico is art, Mexico is history, Mexico is culture, and the way some people show it is not right,” Powers said. “For me, it’s very important to be educated because we have to take this with honor and respect.”
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