Ivoryton Playhouse Unwraps One-of-a-Kind Holiday Variety Show

Playhouse Holiday Jamboree: Heartfelt, Homegrown, and Pure Entertainment

Ivoryton Playhouse is kicking off the holiday season in true hometown style as the Playhouse Holiday Jamboree opens this week! This all-new, joy-packed celebration was conceived, written, and co-directed by Ivoryton Playhouse staff members Ben Hope and Katie Barton. Part Prairie Home Companion, part Grand Ole Opry, this world-premiere production blends festive music, winter folk tales, toe-tapping tunes, and good old-fashioned entertainment into a charming, festive gift to the Shoreline.

This variety-style show brims with local pride, featuring custom jingles written especially for local sponsors and supporters. Each sponsor’s spot introduces a themed segment of the evening, giving the show a wonderfully familiar “only-in-Ivoryton” feel. 

“We wanted to celebrate the season while also celebrating our community”, says co-writer and co-director Katie Barton. “These jingles let us highlight the local businesses and supporters who helped make our annual fundraiser happen this year, and weaving them into a show built right here at home makes the whole thing feel very personal. It’s the exact blend of holiday and hometown spirit we were hoping for.”

At the heart of the Jamboree is a remarkable cast of multi-instrumentalists, singers, and storytellers, each introducing themselves with their own featured song before leading audiences through four festive segments, from winter folklore to down-home holiday traditions, with a heartfelt spiritual finale. With live underscoring, rich harmonies, lighthearted anecdotes, and moments of true holiday warmth, the show offers something for everyone and is intended for all ages.

Barton and Hope, the husband-and-wife creative team, built the Jamboree as a love letter to those timeless Christmas specials and variety shows that wrap humor, music, and tradition into one festive package. The result is a nostalgic, homegrown holiday experience that feels both brand-new and as cozy as an old favorite.

The Playhouse Holiday Jamboree starts previews on Thursday, November 20^th, opens on November 21^st, and runs through December 21. Tickets are available online or by calling the Ivoryton Playhouse box office.

Pictured (left to right by fireplace): Sam Sherwood*, Margaret Dudasik*, Larry Tobias*, Morgan Morse*, Macy Robinson*, Elizabeth Nestlerode*. 

*Appearing courtesy of Actors’ Equity Association.

Performances (November 20^th – December 21^st)

• Wed 2:00 PM (except opening week)

• Thu 2:00 PM & 7:30 PM

• Fri 7:30 PM

• Sat 2:00 PM & 7:30 PM (No matinee opening week)

• Sun 2:00 PM

No performances November 26^th to 28^th

Ivoryton Playhouse is located at 103 Main Street in Ivoryton, CT. 

Tickets are available at ivorytonplayhouse.org or by calling the box office at (860) 767-7318

Run time approx. 2 hours, including a 15-minute intermission.