Towngate Theatre presents "Wiley and the Hairy Man"

“Wiley and the Hairy Man” comes to the Towngate stage as part of the children’s theater season.

Shows take place 7pm January 26; 3pm January 27, 28, February 3 and 4, 2024

Tickets are $15 ($13 OI members) for adults and $10 for children 13 & under.

Purchase tickets online or call 304-242-7700.

Sponsored by the Helen J. Prince Foundation.

About the Play

Set deep within the mysterious Tombigbee Swamp, “Wiley and the Hairy Man” centers around a young fatherless boy, his conjure-woman mother, his faithful dog, and the Hairy Man who haunts Wiley’s days and dreams. Through rhythm and rhyme, a chorus creates the mystery of the swamp. The magic of this play is not fairy dust, it is soil—the magic of survival, the magic of the earth and the mud of the swamp. In an exciting duel of wits, Wiley learns to rely upon his own resources and conquers two villains: the Hairy Man and his own fear.

2023-24 Children’s Theater Season at Towngate

“Wizard of Oz” Ballet
7pm October 14 & 21
3pm & 7pm October 15 & 22

“Babes in Toyland”
7pm December 8; 3pm December 9 & 10

“The Nutcracker”
3pm & 7pm December 17; 7pm December 18, 19, 20 & 21

“Wiley and the Hairy Man”
7pm January 26; 3pm January 27, 28, February 3 and 4

Experience the Magic of Children’s Theater…

Want to boost literacy? Teach your child to imagine the unimaginable? Cultivate curiosity? Go to the theater, and bring your kids.

Plays ignite the imagination and bring stories to life. Words and characters jump from the page to the stage, thus connecting children to the importance of reading. They learn valuable lessons, too. Theater teaches skills such as empathy, critical thinking and teamwork. Kids watch the actors working together onstage. They see that REAL people are behind entertainment and realize performers are not just images on TV or computer screens. Live action happens right before their eyes. There’s no app for that! All their senses are engaged “in the moment.”  Nothing can be paused or muted.  Some may even discover the actor, director or writer within themselves. Most of all, you get to spend quality time as a family. Theater is a social experience meant to be shared with one another. So, gather the kids, go to Towngate and experience the magic of theater together.

Keeping the Community in Community Theater in Wheeling. . .

Located in Wheeling’s historic Centre Market District, Towngate is a cornerstone of creative life in Wheeling and serves as an entertainment destination for residents of the Ohio Valley and beyond. People of all ages and backgrounds gather here to create and experience art onstage. Most of all, Towngate celebrates the essential power of theater to illuminate our common humanity. The community enjoys and participates in hundreds of live performances, classes and workshops year-round.