Thunder River Theatre Company (TRTC) had a jampacked and well-received summer season of peripheral programming events. They now approach the debut of their 2025-2026 mainstage season, which aligns with the TRTC’s 30th anniversary. The community theater nonprofit will harken back to its earliest days by opening with “True West,” Aug. 29 through Sept. 14, which was the first show TRTC ever did when the curtains first rose.
This American classic, written by Sam Shepard, tells the story of two brothers at odds with one another over a film project. The play explores themes like the double nature of humanity, the fallibility of the “American Dream,” mixing business with pleasure and how family continually influences a person’s destiny.
“TRTC is going into its 30th season, which is huge considering theaters in general have not been faring well since the pandemic,” said Artistic Director Missy Moore. “One thing I wanted to harken to, especially with our season opener, was the roots of the theater when Lon [Winston] first opened the doors.” Moore will be directing this season opener.
Starring in the show is an all-star cast of TRTC veterans. Brian Landis Folkins will star as Lee and Jack Trembath will portray his younger brother, Austin. Libby Rife will be appearing as the boys’ mother and William “Bill” LeDent will portray Saul.
The remaining shows of the mainstage season include Kyle John Schmidt’s “The Secretary,” running Oct. 3 through 19. Directed by Brittany Crooke, this offbeat comedy centers around the topic of gun violence in America. Following will be Patrick Meyers’ “K2” — premiering Feb. 13, 2026, and running through March 1, 2026. This play, also directed by Moore, is a survival thriller about two climbers stuck on the K2, the second-highest mountain on Earth, quickly approaching an impossible decision.
The season will close with Sarah Ruhl’s “For Peter Pan on her 70th Birthday” May 1 through 17, 2026, directed by Renee Prince. This story follows siblings actively dealing with their father’s passing away in a hospital room. As this occurs, the four siblings recount memories of their childhood, ranging from political arguments to their transitions to adulthood.
Moore said TRTC is a huge fan of Ruhl’s plays, having produced other works by her like “Eurydice,” “Dead Man’s Cell Phone” and “The Clean House.” Ruhl’s work has a long-standing history with TRTC due to the deeply human nature of her works. Moore said each show is subjective, and while folks may love one and not another, so long as audiences leave the theater with a new conversation, the story has done its job.
“I started the selection process [for this season] with the idea of what it would be like to step into the unknown,” Moore explained. “I consider that to be a very broad brush stroke for my choosing of this season, and it was a secondary element in the process. My driving factor was highlighting the 30th season.”
She continued, “I asked myself, ‘How can I highlight a theater that’s been around for 30 years?’ [TRTC] has produced anything from relatively brand-new, contemporary plays to what I call ‘American classics.’ Stories like ‘True West’ and ‘K2’ are approaching 50 years old and are part of the American canon. With ‘The Secretary,’ we are only the sixth theater in the nation to produce it.”
With each show, TRTC is hosting a “Sips & Scripts” event, featuring the cast and crew fleshing out the scripts in real time as an audience of friends and donors observe while enjoying complimentary refreshments. TRTC will also be reviving its cabaret series, in addition to other programming, which will be announced at a later date.
Season tickets and passes are now live and available on TRTC’s website. To purchase tickets, make a donation or get updates on other exciting programming, visit www.thunderrivertheatre.com