Milledgeville Players bringing ‘The Sound of Music’ to the stage

Published 7:27 am Sunday, June 22, 2025

(Editor’s note: All showings of “The Sound of Music” sold out as of Saturday morning.)

The Chapel of All Faiths will be alive with “The Sound of Music” next week.

The Milledgeville Players are bringing the classic Rodgers and Hammerstein musical to the Grove Events Center stage Thursday through Sunday. The curtain goes up at 7 p.m. Thursday and Friday with Saturday and Sunday showings set for 2 p.m.

Set in Europe, “The Sound of Music” follows Maria, a young woman wavering on her decision to become a nun. As a way for her to work through her dilemma, the reverend mother at Maria’s abbey assigns her as a governess to a family of seven children and a widower, Austro-Hungarian Navy submarine Captain Georg von Trapp. The captain runs his household as tight as a ship, which Maria does not approve of. She introduces the children to music through favorites like “Do-Re-Mi” and “My Favorite Things” — heard in both the 1965 film starring Julie Andrews as well as the upcoming local production — and Captain von Trapp eventually comes over to her way of thinking. Not only that, but the captain and Maria also fall in love. An unwelcome summons for Captain von Trapp to join Hitler’s German Navy places a hurdle in the family’s path, one they must work to overcome together.

“We wanted to do a show that was charming, heartwarming, and family-friendly,” director Jennifer Watkins said. “We also knew we wanted a cast with both children and adult actors, so ‘The Sound of Music’ fit that bill. I think it’s such a good reminder of what a vibrant, talented community we live in. It’s really inspiring to see people who maybe haven’t done theatre since college or high school come back to the stage. It’s a really great cross section of our community.”

The cast ranges in age from 6 years old up into the 70s. Auditions were held in April with a wave of kids trying out for the younger parts.

“We were actually blown away by the amount of youth talent in the community,” said Watkins. “We had so many kids that we actually doubled the casting for the children.”

The young performers are getting two shows apiece to share their singing and acting chops with the community.

The pivotal role of Maria belongs to Amanda Stover, a Putnam County theatre and music teacher.

“She’s been involved with the Milledgeville Singers Guild for a number of years and has a beautiful soprano trained voice,” Watkins said. “She’s just phenomenal.”