Welcome to the Verna Leith Sawmill Theatre!
General Theater Information: Seats are $15 each with evening performances typically beginning at 8 pm and matinees beginning at 2 p.m., but see the show schedule below for details for each performance. 
Tickets are available by ordering online, by calling (814) 927-6655, or by email. Emailed reservations are not guaranteed until you receive a confirmation by return email or by phone.
Click here to view events available on Eventbrite and reserve online. There is a $2.85 per ticket online Eventbrite processing fee.
Verna Leith Sawmill Theatre at 170 Sawmill Lane, Cooksburg, PA 16217
Contact the Cook Forest Sawmill Center for the Arts at 814-927-6655 or info@sawmill.org
Van Dyke and Company with the Mahoning Valley Ballet
Spring Dance Showcase 2024
May 9 - 10, 2024 at 7 pm
May 11, 2024 at 2 pm
Tickets: $15.00
Van Dyke and Company with The Mahoning Valley Ballet present "Spring Dance Showcase 2024" featuring American Choreographers, Composers, and Artists.
Clarion Community Theater
The Odd Couple
Female Version
June 12 - 15, 2024 at 8 pm
Tickets: $15.00
Unger and Madison are at it again! Florence Unger and Olive Madison, that is, in Neil Simon's hilarious contemporary comic classic: the female version of The Odd Couple. Instead of the poker party that begins the original version, Ms. Madison has invited the girls over for an evening of Trivial Pursuit. The Pidgeon sisters have been replaced by the two Constanzuela brothers. But the hilarity remains the same.
Punxsutawney Theatre Arts Guild
Drinking Habits 2
Caught in the Act
July 4 - 6, 2024 at 8 pm
A Farce by Tom Smith
Tickets: $15.00
The sisters of Perpetual Sewing miss the excitement of the old days when they were saving convents and reuniting long-lost families. So when they learn that the orphanage where Paul and Kate Grew up is in peril, they can’t wait to come to the rescue. Everyone pitches in to mount a play to raise money, but it’s no easy feat when Kate’s expecting any day, Sally’s hiding from stage-fright-stricken Paul after another flight from the alter, Mother Superior’s acting is unexpected narcoleptic, and the sisters’ aware-winning wine keeps getting switched with the grape juice. The merry mix-ups multiply in this warm and winsome sequel to last summer’s ridiculous romp, Drinking Habits.
Knox Community Theater
My Phone Valentine
July 11 - 13, 2024 at 8 pm
Tickets: $15.00
Psychologist Dr. Henry Valentine is unexplainably late for an open house demonstration of his innovative group therapy ideas. Anna-Lee Silverstein, a temp stepping in due to Dr. Valentine’s secretary’s maternity leave, has never met the doctor. Learning this, a would-be patient, Elliot Noodleman, decides to impersonate the psychologist. As other potential patients arrive, Elliot creates his own “innovative” ideas for emotional therapy. Add in Lydia Bedford, a woman suffering from sinistrophobia (the fear of objects to her left); a community theatre director, Armand Charbonneau, who fears mimes (and feels compelled to constantly “direct” the sessions); Becky Webster, a mild-mannered librarian who has a mysterious disorder (where she can only communicate through puns when nervous); and Mona McVee, who suffers from xanthophobia (a fear of all things yellow), and you’ve got the makings for a hilarious therapy session. When a masked intruder invades looking to repair his relationship, the antics move to another level! Not until the real Dr. Valentine arrives do we realize that maybe the phony Valentine knew more than anticipated.
Brookville Community Theater
Bye Bye Birdie
July 26 - 27, 2024 at 8 pm
July 28, 2024 at 2 pm
August 2 - 3, 2024 at 8 pm
August 4, 2024 at 2 pm
Tickets: $15.00
Bye Bye Birdie was first produced on Broadway in 1962, and was later adapted for film. In 1995, the remake, a made for television special followed the play storyline more closely, than the original film.
Bye Bye Birdie revolves around Rock & Roll Superstar Conrad Birdie and his agent, Albert Peterson, who has gone into debt promoting him. All of Alberts hard work is finally going to pay off when Birdie is drafted into the Army. To make matters worse, Rosie, Albert’s long time secretary and love interest, quits. She’s waited eight years for Albert to quit the music business and become a “settled down English teacher.” Rosie comes up with a plan to pay off Albert’s debts by staging a publicity stunt prior to Birdie leaving for the Army. On the Ed Sullivan Show, one lucky girl will be given a “Last Kiss” by Conrad Birdie before he goes off to the Army. Welcome to Sweet Apple, Ohio, home of Kim MacAffee, the lucky girl, her family, and friends, and a cast of towns people you will not soon forget, not to mention Albert’s long suffering and insufferable mother, Mae. Together they make a cast of characters that will warm your heart, make you laugh, and want to dance along.
Great Gift or Memorial for a Loved One
The Verna Leith Sawmill Theatre is offering the purchase of name plates to be attached to either a seat ($250) or to a plaque ($100) hung on the wall of theater. All contributions are tax deductible. Please call us for more information.
Sawmill Theatre History
In 1981, the Sawmill Theatre was opened in the museum section of the old Sawmill, using church pews and camp chairs for seating. Soon the need for a larger theater was evident. In 1984, the Verna Leith Sawmill Theatre was constructed with monies from the Appalachian Regional Commission and Pennsylvania State Appropriations. First of it's kind in the Eastern U.S., the theater's unique hexagon shape and harmonious blend with the natural settings earned designer William Snyder the 1984 design award from the Arts Architectural Commission of Pennsylvania. Details such as professional lighting, side decks, ticket office, and interior restrooms were added in 1988. Theater patrons find themselves seated on newly refurbished seats from the Silver Fox Playhouse in Foxburg. Offering mystery, comedy, and major Broadway musicals, Northwestern Pennsylvania theater groups perform from late May through mid-September.