Our 548th Production
Directed by Chris Wunder
September: 12th, 13th, 14th, 19th, 20th, 21st, 26th, 27th, 28th, 2025
Friday and Saturday at 8:00 p.m., Sunday at 2:00 p.m.
The tragicomedy relates the story of the three Magrath sisters, Meg, Babe, and Lenny, who reunite at Old Granddaddy’s home in Hazelhurst, Mississippi, after Babe shoots her abusive husband. The sisters were raised in a dysfunctional family with a penchant for ugly predicaments. Each has endured her share of hardship and misery. Past resentments bubble to the surface as the sisters are forced to deal with assorted relatives and past relationships while coping with Babe’s latest incident. Each sister is forced to face the consequences of the “crimes of the heart” she has committed.
Warning: Contains adult themes and adult language, it is not suitable for young children. Viewer discretion is advised.
Meet the Cast
Eric Rupp as Doc Porter
Eric is excited to be returning to Old Academy for his ninth (he thinks) full production. Eric has performed in numerous shows in the Philadelphia area, including most recently appearing in The Philadelphia Story (Mike) at Playcrafters of Skippack, Roz and Ray (Ray) at Players Club of Swarthmore, and Noises Off (Selsdon) at Eastern University School of Theatre. Eric received his BFA in Acting from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. Eric is thankful to finally get to work with Chris, whose directing he has long admired, and the rest of this amazing cast.
Jennifer Sivers-Roberts as Lenny Magrath
Jennifer is happily making her return to the OAP stage after playing Abigail in Fast Girls and Myrtle in Morning’s at Seven. Acting since the age of six, she has appeared in numerous productions in five states. Favorite roles include Birdie in Shooting Stars and Myra in A Bad Year for Tomatoes. In Xenia, Ohio she was honored to serve as the Artistic Director for the Xenia Area Community Theater (X*ACT). Jennifer would like to thank her husband Michael for his support and her son, Bashir for always willing to journey to imaginary worlds with her.
Kyle Mitchell as Barnette Lloyd
Kyle is thrilled to be returning to the Old Academy Stage! Long time patrons may remember him from previous Old Academy Players productions such as Company (Peter) and The Book Club Play (Will). He has also been active performing with Pretzel Theater Company, and most recently appeared in Narberth Community Theater’s production of Into the Woods (Cinderella’s Prince/Wolf). He is incredibly grateful for the opportunity to work alongside this talented cast and creative team, and would like to thank all the people in his life that continue to support and encourage him to take chances and to spend time and energy on the things that make him happy. He didn’t find his love of performing until adulthood, and hopes that this reminds others that it’s never too late in life to start doing something that brings you joy. He hopes you enjoy the show!
Laura Young as Meg Magrath
Laura is excited to return to Old Academy Players in Crimes of the Heart! She hopes to make her Aunt Mary proud with her version of Meg. Some of her favorite past roles have included Florence in Odd Couple (Female Version), Glinda in Wizard of Oz, Angie in Breaking Legs, Sammy Jo in Southern Fried Funeral, Judy Bloomless in Fort Dicks, The Musical, Voice 4 in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, and the Angel City Four Soprano in City of Angels. When not on stage she can typically be found going on adventures with her husband James, reading, playing with her cat, or gardening. She dedicates this show to Jeffrey’s memory, you are dearly missed. And as always, she thanks James for being her person and supporting her love of theater!
Samantha Simpson as Chick Boyle
Samantha is always happy to return to Old Academy Players! At OAP she has been seen in Melancholy Play (Tilly), Eurydice (Eurydice), The Unexpected Guest (Laura), and Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley (Lizzy) to name a few. Favorite roles at other theatres include Tracy in The Philadelphia Story at Playcrafters of Skippack, Stella in A Streetcar Named Desire at The Grand Theatre, and Elvira (u/s) in Blithe Spirit at the Walnut Street Theatre. Samantha received her MA in Theatre from Villanova University and moonlights as a 12th-grade English teacher. Love to the Geese and the Weirdos.
Serena Pearl as Babe Botrelle
Serena is thrilled to be making her Old Academy Players and overall community theatre debut. Serena is a political science major with a theatre minor at Drexel University and was recently in Drexel’s production of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. She is so thankful to her friends and family who have encouraged her to overcome discouragement and continue theatre.
Christopher Wunder (Director)
Chris is happy to be back directing at OAP once again. Last season Chris directed The Weir and produced The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time for Old Academy. Chris has done many things in the theater world including being an actor, stage manager, lighting operator and producer. Some shows to his credit include Gypsy, Fiddler on the Roof, Hotel d’Amour, Carnival, The Mousetrap, Fools, The Lonesome West, Here on the Flight Path, Bad Seed, Move Over Mrs. Markham, Doubt, Alone at the Beach, Rabbit Hole, The Seafarer and Outside Mullingar just to name a few. He would like to thank you all for coming out and supporting community theater and he hopes you enjoy the show.
Annie Hnatko (Producer)
Annie is excited to assist on Crimes of the Heart. She studied Music Education at West Chester University and Opera Performance at the Academy of Vocal Arts. She has been active in the performing arts for over 30 years with 13 years at Old Academy Players. Annie is looking forward to our 2025–2026 and the chance to return to the stage.
Josh Tull (Producer)
Josh is excited to be returning to Old Academy Players and helping to produce Crimes of the Heart. Other recent credits include directing The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Mean Girls and Next to Normal. Previously, Josh could be seen in OAP’s production’s of The Broken Hollow Banshee, Company and The Fantasticks. Josh holds an M.Ed. in Secondary Education as well as an M.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies for Stage Direction and Vocal Performance.
Steve Hnatko (Producer)
Steve is pleased as punch to once again produce at Old Academy. Some previous productions include Disenchanted!, Company, Ordinary Days, You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown, and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Steve also made his on-stage debut in the OA 2024 Summer One Act Bonanza. He would like to thank his wife and his theater family for all their support.
Alyssia Sims (Stage Manager)
Alyssia is delighted to return to Old Academy Players as Stage Manager. Past OAP credits include Next to Normal (Stage Manager), The Book Club Play (Lily), Disenchanted (Sleeping Beauty), and Alabama Story (Co-Producer). Other performance highlights include Sister Act and Bare: A Pop Opera. Alyssia holds a B.A. in Music Performance from Lincoln University and an M.A. in Musical Theater Studies from Temple University, with additional training from the American College in Dublin. Many thanks to her family and friends for their continued support.