Theater Matters with Jarice Hanson: Breathing fresh life into ‘old chestnuts’: Classics made new (but not too new)

Theater Matters with Jarice Hanson: Breathing fresh life into ‘old chestnuts’: Classics made new (but not too new)

By Jarice Hanson For the Valley Advocate One of the most common terms in theater parlance is the “old chestnut.” This is a type of show that has been around a long time and often has themes, music, or values that are guaranteed to encourage potential audiences to plunk their money down on a ticket and see something they already know they will like. Every theater company considers adding at least one old chestnut to their season, and usually a di…