Guys on Ice
an ice-fishing musical

Book & Lyrics by Fred Alley
Music by James Kaplan
Conceived & Researched by Fred Alley & Frederick Heide

Directed by Melissa S. Craib Dombrowski
Music Direction by Dr. Joanna Sisk-Purvis

Show schedule

Saturday 14 December at 5 PM

Sunday 15 December at 2:30 PM

Thursday 19 December at 7:30 PM

Saturday 21 December at 5 PM

Sunday 22 December at 5 PM

All shows presented at

Mettlesome Theater

800 Taylor St
Suite 9-156, Durham

Cast

MarvinJos Purvis
LloydChris Kudlick
Ernie the MoocherEthan Westmoreland
Radio AnnouncerNick Malinowski

Design & Crew

Stage ManagerLisa Hess
Asst. Stage ManagerNikki Carrington
Set DesignMelissa Dombrowski
Lighting DesignCana Yao
Sound DesignJos Purvis
Costume DesignLisa Hess
Master CarpenterNathan Dickson
DramaturgPatrick Dombrowski
Dialect CoachNick Malinowski
PublicityGabi Tessier
You’ve seen them. Little wooden shanties sitting on lake ice. Puffs of smoke rising from chimney pipes. On a quiet day, maybe the static of a tinny radio filters through plywood walls, across the frozen tundra, back to shore. In a cold world, on a cold day, on a frozen lake, these little signs of life are all most people know of a secret culture that thrives right here amongst us. Well, wonder no more. Once again […] we bring you our somewhat twisted take on the secret world of ice fishermen. Guys on Ice spends a day in the life of Marvin and Lloyd — fishing buddies and home-grown philosophers. With musical numbers like, “The Wishing Hole,” “Ode to a Snowmobile Suit,” “Fish is the Miracle Food” and “The One That Got Away,” Guys on Ice works not only as a serious anthropological study but as a musical comedy as well.
— Author Fred Alley, from the program for the 1998 premier at AFT

This charming play tells the story of two ice fishing buddies from Northern Wisconsin who talk and sing about life, love, and the one that got away.  From their ice fishing shanty, long-time pals Lloyd and Marvin keep warm with a mutual appreciation for good bait, cold beer, and the Green Bay Packers. As Marvin anxiously awaits his opportunity to appear on a cable TV fishing show and share secrets of his life on da’ lake, Lloyds ponders a recent squabble with his wife concerning plans to spend their anniversary at Lambeau Field, and both pals scramble to protect their cold ones from fellow angler, Ernie the Moocher.