Tickets are now on sale for Jackson County Community Theatre’s first mainstage show of the 2026-2027 season, “Harvey.”
The Pulitzer Prize-winning play is one of the longest-running comedies in Broadway history, about the amiable Elwood P. Dowd’s friendship with a tall white rabbit which only he can see. Harvey, written by Mary Chase, premiered on Broadway in November of 1944. The role of Elwood Dowd was at played by several actors, including a young Jimmy Stewart. “Harvey” was awarded the 1945 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. In 1950 a movie starring Jimmy Stewart endeared a wider audience.
Show dates for JCCT’s production are Sept. 11, 12, 13, 19, and 20, at 7:30 pm, and Sunday, Sept. 13 at 2:30 p.m.
When Elwood P. Dowd starts to introduce his imaginary friend, Harvey – a very tall rabbit – to guests at a society party, his sister Veta Louise, can no longer tolerate his eccentricities. She decides to have Elwood committed to Chumley’s Rest, a sanitarium, to spare her family from future embarrassment.
Problems arise, however, when Veta herself is mistakenly assumed to be on the verge of lunacy when she explains to doctors that years of living with Elwood’s hallucination have caused her to see Harvey as well! Veta is committed instead of Elwood, but when the truth comes out, the search is on for Elwood and his invisible companion. When he shows up looking for his lost friend, it seems that the mild-mannered Elwood’s delusion has had a strange influence on more than one of the doctors. Only then does Veta realize that maybe Harvey isn’t so bad after all.
In the JCCT production, Elwood P. Dowd, the charming but eccentric gentleman and best friend of Harvey, is played by Joel Myer. Olivia Nguyen takes on the role of Veta Louise Simmons, Elwood’s sister, who is trying desperately to launch her daughter Myrtle Mae (played by Taylee Thompson) into society.
Other cast members are Chris Savoy as Dr. Lyman Sanderson, Larissa Muncey as Nurse Ruth Kelly, Mark Nolting as Dr. William Chumley, Lisa Burrell as his wife Betty, Michael DeShong as Judge Gaffney, Blake Stewart as the sanitorium orderly Duane Wilson, and Elyse Ogden as Ethel Chauvenet. JCCT veteran Matt Nieman appears in a significant cameo role as E.J. Lofgren, the cab driver who delivers passengers to the sanitorium.
This will be JCCT’s third production of “Harvey.” Previous productions in 1979 and 2000 featured JCCT veteran Joe Persinger as Elwood P. Dowd. Another favorite of JCCT fans, Fred Lewis, played the part of the sanitorium orderly Duane in the 2000 production.
Tickets may be purchased online through the JCCT website, www.jcct.org . They are also available for in-person purchase at Artistic Impressions Framing in Seymour and Ewing Uniques in Brownstown.
Tickets may also be purchased by phone by calling 812-358-JCCT (5228). Ticket prices are $12 for seniors and students, and $15 for other adults.
For the Sunday, September 20 performance of Harvey, JCCT will offer Pay What You Will pricing.
Pay What You Will means exactly that: you choose the ticket price that works for you. If the regular ticket price is outside your budget, you may select a lower amount, including $0. If you are able and would like to support JCCT at a higher level, you may choose to pay more.
There is no application, no proof of financial need, and no explanation required. The goal is simply to remove cost as a barrier for anyone who would like to experience live theatre.
The September 20 performance will be the only Pay What You Will performance of Harvey. Tickets are still subject to seating availability, so advance reservations are encouraged.
