Photo contributed Charlie Brown (Grant Foster) and Lucy (Chelsea Burnette) rehearse for the upcoming show You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, which opens July 11 at the Bonnie Kate Theater. The family-friendly musical will be the first event at the Bonnie Kate Theater in Elizabethton as it reopens after being closed for more than a year for renovations. Tickets are now on sale at bonniekatetheater.org/events.

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Who doesn’t love Charlie Brown?
… and Snoopy?
… and all of their crazy friends, from Lucy to Linus, Schroeder to Sally?

Well, if you’re like most people, you’re going to love You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, a family-friendly musical that is coming to Elizabethton’s historic Bonnie Kate Theater starting on Friday, July 11, with performances on July 11 and 12 at 7:30 p.m. and July 13 at 2:30 p.m.; also July 17, 18 and 19 at 7:30 p.m.; and July 20 at 2:30 p.m.

The Bonnie Kate, which has been closed for more than a year while undergoing renovations, is ready to reopen its doors to the public, and as show director Renee Christian says, it will be “with a bang!”

“We want to put our best foot forward,” Christian said, “and we believe this show is the perfect way to do that.”

The Bonnie Kate Theater stage will come to life with Charlie Brown and the entire Peanuts gang as they “explore life’s great questions as they play baseball, struggle with homework, sing songs and swoon over their crushes.” Bossy Lucy is hopelessly in love with piano prodigy Schroeder, who doesn’t give her the time of day; perfectionist Sally is still mocking blanket-toting Linus; Snoopy is in the doghouse; and “blockhead” himself, Charlie Brown, is in rare form.

Lead characters for the play include Grant Foster as Charlie Brown. Foster was on the Bonnie Kate stage last year as John the Baptist/Judas in Godspell. His “other stage” is Bunker Hill Christian Church, where he serves as lead minister.

Chelsea Burnette, cast as Lucy, is making her way back to the community theater stage after several years of focusing on her career in early childhood education.

John Schmidt will take on the role of Linus and says he is honored to be part of the “incredible cast.” He has a BFA in performing arts with a minor in dance from Savannah College of Art and Design. His previous roles include Johnathan in Arsenic and Old Lace, The Cat in the Hat in Seussical, Frank-N-Furter in The Rocky Horror Picture Show, and Lamar in Godspell.

Tabatha Oliver, who will portray Sally, says she is excited to be back at the Bonnie Kate Theater. She has been performing at local theaters throughout the region since 2015 in the roles of Amazing Mayzie in Seussical, Sister Mary Martin of Tours in Sister Act, Hannah in Newsies, as well as Janet and Columbia in The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

Will Dugger will make his acting debut as Schroeder but is no stranger to the Bonnie Kate Theater; his first job was there when it was still a movie theater.

Dugger’s fiancée, Maggie Carpenter, will also make her acting debut at the Bonnie Kate as Snoopy and says she “could not be more excited to be involved with this amazing show and cast.”

Rounding out the cast are ensemble members Audrey Nakoff, Megan Price, Reagan Price, P.J. Evans, Sydney Price and Cassidy Estep.

Director Renee Christian is no stranger to the Bonnie Kate Theater, as she serves on the Friends of the Bonnie Kate Board of Directors and is the artistic director of the Bonnie Kate Community Theater. She has directed two Bonnie Kate shows, including Seussical and The Phantom Tollbooth, and has performed in Arsenic and Old Lace, Spoon River Anthology and Four Old Broads.

She will be assisted by music director Brett McCluskey, vocal director and choreographer Jayme Caraway, and a host of others.

Tickets for You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown are now on sale and available at bonniekatetheater.org/events. The historic Bonnie Kate Theater is located at 115 South Sycamore Street in Elizabethton, Tennessee.