Arthur, Ill. (WCIA)
Musicals based on Amish Lifestyle coming to Arthur, Illinois in July
Amish Country of Illinois will soon be known for more than just broomcorn and buggies! After a three-year hiatus, and a venue change, Cass Concepts Productions, is bringing musicals to Penn Station, in Arthur, Illinois.
From one-off events to scaling musical and mystery plays, Cass Concepts Productions, owned and operated by central Illinois native, Cassie Yoder, has produced and promoted hundreds of shows, functions and events since 2015. These shows originally operated out of Green Mill Village Theatre at the Best Western Plus Green Mill Village Hotel and Suites Convention Center in Arcola, Illinois, until the COVID pandemic struck.
“Timing is everything. Now that tourism and travel have returned post-covid, there’s been a lot of planning to bring this unique theatre experience back to the area in July,” stated Yoder.
Thousands of patrons, from a total of 27 different states traveled to the area to watch “Half-Stitched the Musical”, “Adam & Even Go to Marriage Counseling”, “Slay it again, Sam”, “The Colossal Christmas Caper”, “Murder at Bunny & Clyde’s”, “A Toast of Champaign”, “A Touch of Class: Patsy Cline Tribute”, “State of Grace”, “Murder on the Disoriented Express”, and “An Amish Country Christmas” from 2015-2019.
Marketing, tourism and entertainment is nothng new to Yoder. Since 2005, Yoder has owned and operated Cass Concepts, a full-service creative agency and marketing firm located in historic downtown Decatur, Illinois. Her firm services businesses, entrepreneurs, events and corporate functions throughout central Illinois. Many of the businesses are are within the tourism industry. “Marketing within the tourism and entertainment industry in Central Illinois has proven there was a need and demand for professional, family-friendly theatre, that had music and storylines as unique as the Illinois prairie,” Yoder stated.
With her strong friendships and connections from the original Blue Gate Musicals partnership out of Shipshewana, Indiana and Nashville, Tennessee, Yoder reunited with writer and composer Wally Nason. Together, they believed that the theatre was worth bringing back to central Illinois. Nason, of Franklin, Tennessee pitched two story musical for the Arthur area and Yoder loved the connection and tie-in to area businesses and attractions.
Nason writes and composes musicals that are loved and have a proven track record in Blue Gate Theatre (Shipshewana, IN), Ohio Star Theater (Sugarcreek, OH) Bird-in-Hand Stage (Lancaster, PA),” said Yoder. “We attract tour buses and families always looking for something fun and wholesome to do together. And this is the answer.”
With an exciting new venue change-Penn Station-located at 120 E. Progress Street, in the heart of Amish Country of Illinois, in downtown Arthur, Yoder continued, “Area businesses and restaurants will welcome the tourism and local traffic that come to the theatre shows. The shows are so heartwarming- Wally Nason is a creative genius and brings to life the music and story through education, emotion and wit about the simplicities of the rural upbringing and surrounding Amish lifestyle.”
The first show, The Legend of Noah Zark: a 2 by 2 Mystery Musical runs July 22-October 28, 2023. Tickets are on sale now at www.CassConceptsProductions.com
About The Legend of Noah Zark: a 2 by 2 Mystery Musical:
The biggest mystery has struck Amish Country of Illinois! Noah Zark (his parents were funny) was a farmer… had always been a farmer… and loved being a farmer. But then God told him to open an antique store. He didn’t know anything about running a business, and his financial situation reflected that. And he certainly never thought he would be the number one suspect in the local crime of the century. When two one-of-a kind flamingo salt and pepper shakers are stolen, it would only make sense that Noah would be the one to snatch them. He could sell them and pay off all his debt. The local townspeople think he’s crazy, the local police think he’s a thief, and his family is concerned about their financial future. What is the master plan in all this?
From the writer & composer of “The Confession Musical ” & “Half-Stitched: The Musical” -Comes Noah and the quirky group of local folk who frequent his store in this 90-minute mystery musical filled with twists and turns and tales and tunes! You’re going to love The Legend of Noah Zark!