New Nantucket Performing Arts Center Announces Summer Lineup

The new Nantucket Performing Arts Center has announced that it will kick off its inaugural season this summer with two acclaimed plays by its resident professional theater company, the ACK Theatre Company.

The two productions - "What The Constitution Means To Me" by Heidi Schreck, and "Theatre People, Or The Angle Next Door" by Paul Slade Smith - will feature local and nationally recognized talent.

“NPAC is preparing to raise the curtain on a new era for the performing arts on Nantucket,” said executive director Drew Kowalkowski, who brings 15 years of experience in Broadway and nonprofit leadership, and serves as producer for the theater company. “ACK Theatre Company is the perfect way to launch this next chapter—serving our community with exceptional theatre and collaboration across the island’s vibrant arts scene.”

Beyond these theater productions, NPAC will produce and present a wide range of events throughout the summer and year-round, spanning the breadth of the performing arts and partnering with other Nantucket arts organizations. Previously announced events include screenings in partnership with the Nantucket Film Festival (June 26–29) and the Stand Up & Learn Kids’ Comedy Showcase (July 11). Additional programming will be announced throughout the summer.

Below is a preview of the two summer productions provided b Kowalkowski.

"What the Constitution Means to Me," July 3–17

By Heidi Schreck
Directed by Amanda Charlton
Starring Nina Hellman and Jeremy Shamos

Playwright Heidi Schreck's boundary-breaking play breathes new life into the U.S. Constitution and imagines how it will shape the next generation of Americans.

As a teenager, Schreck paid for college by winning constitutional debate competitions in American Legion halls across the country. In this powerful and deeply personal piece, she steps into the role of her 15-year-old self to reexamine the founding document—not as an abstract ideal, but as something that has shaped and sometimes failed the women in her family across four generations. Blending memoir, history, and civic dialogue, the play invites audiences to consider how the Constitution affects our lives—and what we want it to become. Originally performed by Schreck herself, the play became a Pulitzer Prize finalist and ran for over 200 performances on Broadway.

In NPAC's production, acclaimed actor Nina Hellman takes on the role of Heidi, bringing emotional depth and personal resonance to the piece. Hellman’s stage credits include "Greater Clements” at Lincoln Center Theater and an Obie Award-winning performance in “Trouble in Paradise,” as well as screen roles in “The Blacklist,” “Nurse Jackie,” and “Wet Hot American Summer.”

Hellman is joined by her husband, Tony-nominated actor Jeremy Shamos, seen in Broadway’s “Clybourne Park” and “Noises Off” and television’s “Better Call Saul,” “The Gilded Age,” and “Only Murders in the Building.” Hellman and Shamos have a home in ‘Sconset and have performed on Nantucket together in White Heron Theatre Company’s “Outside Mullingar” and “Private Lives.”

A third cast member, a local teenager, will play the role of the Debater, selected from recent youth auditions.

"This is a really important play for our generation, and I’m excited to bring it to my community on Nantucket," said Hellman.

Director Amanda Charlton brings experience from Williamstown Theatre Festival, Manhattan Theatre Club, and Atlantic Theater Company. “Now more than ever, we need to foster conversation and understanding," said Charlton. "Theater brings people together—and this play does that beautifully."

"Theatre People, Or The Angel Next Door," August 1-14

By Paul Slade Smith
Directed by Mark Shanahan

Set in a glamorous Newport mansion in 1948, this fast-paced screwball comedy blends romantic chaos and backstage antics with classic flair. Featuring a weekend of misadventures among two scheming playwrights, a pair of unruly actors, a novice novelist, and a no-nonsense housekeeper, “Theatre People” is a love letter to the glorious madness of the stage.

Playwright Paul Slade Smith offers a sharply funny and affectionate new work that celebrates the joys and absurdities of life in the theatre.

The cast—featuring actors with Broadway and Off-Broadway experience—will be announced in the coming weeks.

Directing is longtime Nantucket favorite Mark Shanahan, known for hits like “The 39 Steps,” “Private Lives,” and “Dial M for Murder,” along with his original scripts “A Nantucket Christmas Carol” and “See Monsters of the Deep.” His play “A Sherlock Carol” was a New York Times Critic’s Pick and has been performed in New York, London, and beyond.

"They sure don’t make them like ‘Theatre People’ anymore!" says Shanahan. "It’s fast, funny, and full of heart—just what summer on Nantucket calls for."

Purchase tickets or become a member at NantucketPerformingArts.org or by calling (508) 680-0003.