Friday, October 16, 2026
Sanford H. Calhoun High School’s On Tour Company will open its 2026-27 season with William Shakespeare’s comedy “Love’s Labour’s Lost,” directed by James Crichton, with performances beginning Oct. 16.
The production puts a 1990s twist on Shakespeare’s classic, transporting the story to a prestigious boys’ boarding school in western Massachusetts. Inspired by films such as “Dead Poets Society” and “Clueless,” the adaptation reimagines the Kingdom of Navarre as Navarre Academy, with the female characters attending the nearby St. Genevieve’s Académie de France.
The story follows Ferdinand, the King of Navarre, and his three companions, Berowne, Longaville and Dumaine, who pledge to avoid women for three years while dedicating themselves to studying and fasting. Their plans quickly unravel when the Princess of France arrives with her three ladies-in-waiting, Rosaline, Maria and Katherine.
As the four young men fall in love, a series of comedic mishaps unfolds, including misplaced letters, disguises and mistaken identities. The play explores themes of love, desire, reputation and relationships between men and women.
The updated production incorporates popular music and cultural references from the mid-1990s, with characters reimagined as students and staff members at the two schools.
The cast features Dylan Glaser as Ferdinand, Gavin Zenie as Berowne, Brooke Thatcher as the Princess of France, Madison Petry as Rosaline, Jake Schwartz as Dumaine, Liam Nawrocki as Longaville, Carina Onesto as Katherine, Sulakhni Brar as Maria, Jayden Reyes as Don Adriano de Armado, Harry Jerozal as Costard and Tess Curcio as Holofernes. An ensemble of returning and new On Tour Company members rounds out the cast.
The production team includes Nick Giordano, technical director and set and lighting designer; Lydia Gladstone, costume designer; and Tony Melfa, sound designer. Student production team members include assistant directors Madison Petry and Brooke Thatcher, stage managers Morgan Milovich and Elizabeth Ramos, and choreographers Adeline Chaffey and Laura Glazer.
Founded in 1973 by James Drake and Dale Parkinson, the On Tour Company has been part of Calhoun’s theater program for more than 50 years. Previous instructors include Dianne Meistrell, John Fredrickson and Sal Salerno, who led the company for more than four decades. Crichton currently directs the program.
The company’s 2026-27 season will also feature Kaufman and Hart’s “You Can’t Take It With You,” Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Cinderella” and Dramafest, an evening of student-written, directed and produced works.
Performances of “Love’s Labour’s Lost” are scheduled for Oct. 16, 17, 23 and 24 at 7 p.m., with an understudy performance Oct. 22 at 4 p.m. All shows will take place in the Sal Salerno Little Theater at Calhoun High School, 1786 State St., Merrick.
Tickets are $10 for adults and $8 for students and seniors. Reservations can be made by calling the box office at (516) 992-1377 or through ticket request links on the company’s Instagram account, @theontourcompany.
For more information, visit www.chsontourco.org.
