Ann Arbor's Penny Seats Theatre breaks in new home with '60s-set jukebox musical

This story is part of a series about arts and culture in Washtenaw County. It is made possible by the Ann Arbor Art Center, the Ann Arbor Summer Festival, Destination Ann Arbor, Larry and Lucie Nisson, and the University Musical Society.

From Aug. 8-24, Ann Arbor's Penny Seats Theatre Company will kick off its 2024-2025 season with "Beehive," a musical by Larry Gallagher that pays tribute to female vocalists and musicians of the 1960s. "Beehive" will also be Penny Seats' first performance at Cahoots, a co-working space in downtown Ann Arbor that has partnered with Penny Seats for a year-long residency.
 
Lauren London, Penny Seats' executive director, calls "Beehive" "a journey through the 1960s [that] follows six women who are looking back … and thinking about the progress of that decade," particularly with respect to women's rights and shifting roles in society.
 
"You go from the more restrictive, more traditional role of the female of the late 1950s into a much more free-thinking, independent … personality of a woman living in the late '60s," London says.
 
She says the show "has the added benefit of being a jukebox musical" that features the music of artists like Aretha Franklin, Tina Turner, and Janis Joplin.

Lauren LondonJayla Fletcher, Leah Gittlen, Kristin McSweeney Kelly, Sara Long, and Shardai Davis at the first rehearsal for "Beehive."
London says audiences will have "a really good time just listening to this amazing music and watching women support each other and tell stories … that are reminiscent of life throughout that decade."
 
"I love a good female empowerment story. I'm always here for that," London says.
 
As a community, she adds, Ann Arbor has long demonstrated a commitment "to equal rights and civil rights for all."

"We want to take the opportunity to remind folks of that continuing commitment," London says.
 
In "every generation, at every age," she says, "there are challenges to those rights."

"It's important to remind people that those commitments remain and that Ann Arbor — and we as a company — are passionate about them," she says.
 
London calls the partnership between Penny Seats and Cahoots a "match made in heaven."
 
Prior to this residency, Penny Seats had been operating out of Ann Arbor's Stone Chalet, which London describes as "an absolutely beautiful venue." When that lease agreement came to an end, she says Penny Seats staff were on the lookout for a more "centrally located" venue, which they found in Cahoots, located at 206 E. Huron in Ann Arbor.
 
"Being in a walkable area in downtown Ann Arbor allows us to be part of the excitement of downtown [and] to be an attraction that adds to the vibrancy of downtown Ann Arbor," London says.

CahootsAn event in Cahoots' event center.
She says the location "allows people to plan an evening out that could involve going out to a nice restaurant and then walking over to our venue to see a fantastic show." She adds that "it's important to be part of a community of businesses like that, and to be part of the hum of downtown Ann Arbor."
 
If the season goes well, London says, she's interested in discussing an extension of the arrangement with Cahoots.
 
"Of course, that's a decision that we will reach jointly … as contracting partners, and we will just see how it goes this year," she says.
 
This year also marks the first that Julia Garlotte, who has worked with Penny Seats for six years, will serve as the company's new artistic director.
 
London says that means this "is a year of firsts" for the company, and "that has been very exciting."

Tickets to "Beehive" are available here.

Natalia Holtzman is a freelance writer based in Ann Arbor. Her work has appeared in publications such as the Minneapolis Star Tribune, the Los Angeles Review of Books, Literary Hub, The Millions, and others.

"Beehive" rehearsal photo by Lauren London. Cahoots venue photo courtesy of Cahoots.