Dakota Stage and Shade Tree Players

Away In The Basement
2026-12-13 14:00 - 16:30 (America/Chicago) | Dakota Stage, 412 E Main Ave, Bismarck, ND, 58501, United States
In the heart of the church basement, the ladies are working — and laughing — their way through another round of potlucks, casseroles, and small-town chaos! With sharp wit, warm hearts, and a deep well of memories, this hilarious slice of community life serves up friendship, faith, and laughter in equal portions. From secret recipes to whispered confessions between folding chairs, Away in the Basement celebrates the unsung heroines who keep the casseroles warm and the spirit vibrant. A comforting and hilarious tribute to tradition, togetherness, and the quirks of church life.

The Woman in Black
2027-01-28 19:30 - 22:00, 2027-01-29 19:30 - 22:00, 2027-01-30 19:30 - 22:00, 2027-02-04 19:30 - 22:00, 2027-02-05 19:30 - 22:00, 2027-02-06 19:30 - 22:00, 2027-02-07 14:00 - 16:30
The framework of this spine tingler is unusual: a lawyer hires an actor to tutor him in recounting to family and friends a story that has long troubled him concerning events that transpired when he attended the funeral of an elderly recluse. There he caught sight of the woman in black, the mere mention of whom terrifies the locals, for she is a specter who haunts the neighborhood where her illegitimate child was accidentally killed. Anyone who sees her dies! The lawyer has invited some friends to watch as he and the actor recreate the events of that dark and stormy night. A classic of the genre.

The Book of Will
2027-03-18 19:30 - 22:00, 2027-03-19 19:30 - 22:00, 2027-03-20 19:30 - 22:00, 2027-03-21 14:00 - 16:30, 2027-03-25 19:30 - 22:00, 2027-03-26 19:30 - 22:00, 2027-03-27 19:30 - 22:00
Without William Shakespeare, we wouldn’t have literary masterpieces like Romeo and Juliet. But without Henry Condell and John Heminges, we would have lost half of Shakespeare’s plays forever! After the death of their friend and mentor, the two actors are determined to compile the First Folio and preserve the words that shaped their lives. They might just have to borrow, beg and band together to etch the Bard’s name in history. Amidst the noise and color of Elizabethan London, The Book of Will finds an unforgettable true story of love, loss and laughter and sheds new light on a man you may think you know.

Fuddy Meers
2027-05-06 19:30 - 22:00, 2027-05-07 19:30 - 22:00, 2027-05-08 19:30 - 22:00, 2027-05-13 19:30 - 22:00, 2027-05-14 19:30 - 22:00, 2027-05-15 19:30 - 22:00, 2027-05-16 14:00 - 16:30
Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright and Kimberly Akimbo author David Lindsay-Abaire introduces Claire, who has a rare form of amnesia that erases her memory whenever she goes to sleep. This morning (like all mornings) she wakes up a blank slate. Her chipper husband comes in with coffee, explains her condition, hands her a book filled with all sorts of essential information, and he disappears into the shower. Then a limping, lisping, half blind, half deaf man in a ski mask pops out from under her bed and claims to be her brother – there to save her from her awful husband. Claire’s book of info is quickly discarded, and she’s hustled off to the country house of her mother, a recent stroke victim whose speech has been reduced to utter gibberish. A dimwitted thug, another kidnapped person, a foul-mouthed hand puppet and a perpetually stoned teenager round out the cast in this twist and turn funhouse plot – all bringing Claire closer to revealing her past life and everything she thought she’d forgotten.
