In his comic trilogy The Norman Conquests, Alan Ayckbourn contains his cast of six characters in one English country house over a summer weekend.
Starting with previews tonight and Friday night at the Barrette Center for the Arts in White River Junction, Vt., Northern Stage will join two other theater companies in sharing the life and loves of assistant librarian Norman at venues across southern Vermont.
With Peter Hackett directing, Northern Stage will produce part one, Living Together, through May 8.
The same six-member cast will then take on the second installment, Table Manners, between June 16 and July 2 at the Dorset Theatre Festival.
And from July 21 to 30, the Weston Playhouse will produce the conclusion, Round and Round the Garden.
“It’s rarely performed, all three, certainly not in three different places,” Northern Stage Artistic Director Carol Dunne said. “You could say it’s ambitious. Crazy, you can say, also. It’s very complicated, taking on a project like this: three directors, three artistic directors, three very different companies.
“But really, the most difficult work figuring out how to do the collaboration has been done. Now it’s more like an exciting joy ride.”
Speaking of rides, theatergoers who want to see all three shows won’t need to drive to the venues unless they want to stay overnight: Throughout the series, shuttle vans will run ticket holders to and from each theater.
For example, during Living Together, a van will pick up theatergoers in Dorset, near Manchester in southwestern Vermont, and then in Weston, home of the Vermont Country Store in southernmost Windsor County. The theaters will be offering discount incentives to subscribers who reserve seats on the vans and want to dine at local restaurants.
“It’s a good experience for the strong supporters and patrons of our theaters to meet each other, for the audiences to connect in new ways,” said Dina Janis, artistic director of the Dorset Theatre Festival. “We’ve also been looking for a way to collaborate and build an audience for the arts in the region and the state, what you see play out in the Berkshires so well.”
Weston Playhouse Artistic Director Steve Stettler said that he and Janis had been discussing ways to collaborate, before settling on The Norman Conquests as the vehicle and then approaching Dunne almost a year before Northern Stage moved into the Barrette Center.
“There were advantages in that it’s six characters on a single set, so it’s not hugely expensive to stage,” Stettler said.
A mutual enthusiasm for Ayckbourn’s comedies of manners also helps.
“He is a brilliant observer of the ridiculously funny in our everyday lives,” Dunne said. “He always finds a trick or a turn that he bases his comedy on. There’s always a twist. He’s masterful at making the twist.”
For tickets ($30 for the previews, $20 for the April 26 show, $30 to $55 for all other performances) and more information, visit northernstage.org or call 802-296-7000. To learn more about the sequels, and about shuttle transportation and options for accommodations and dining in and around Weston and Dorset, visit westonplayhouse.org and dorsettheatrefestival.org.