THE MUSICALS
There are 9 musicals in the Church Basement Ladies series. The original musicals all premiere in Minnesota, and then are licensed to theaters and theater companies across the continent. Since 2005 the “Church Basement Ladies” have been seen by over 4 million people in 48 states and in Canada.
Click on the links below to learn more about each show.
For licensing information, contact Troupe America, Inc. Curt Wollan, Executive Producer.
Learn more about the ladies of the basement and the creative team that helped bring them to the stage.
CHURCH BASEMENT LADIES
The first Church Basement Ladies musical opened in September 2005 at the Plymouth Playhouse in Plymouth, MN. The show ran for 2 1/2 years, and went on to enjoy several highly successful national tours. CBL1 has been licensed at theaters across the country and in Canada.
A SECOND HELPING
After the success of the first Church Basement Ladies musical, A SECOND HELPING (The Church Basement Ladies Sequel), opened in March 2008 at the Plymouth Playhouse and ran for 18 months. Once again, audiences flocked to see their favorite ladies of the basement.
AWAY IN THE BASEMENT
Church Basement Ladies #3, a highly anticipated Christmas show, opened in November 2009 at the Plymouth Playhouse in Plymouth, MN. The show was so popular, the original run of AWAY IN THE BASEMENT featured two casts performing 13 shows a week!
A MIGHTY FORTRESS
The 4th musical in the CBL series, A MIGHTY FORTRESS (Is Our Basement), opened in August 2011 and ran for 14 months at the Plymouth Playhouse. The show picked up where the Christmas show left off, continuing the story of these beloved characters.
THE LAST POTLUCK SUPPER
After four successful musicals, many thought the series would come to an end with CBL#5, and the team went so far as to title the show THE LAST (POTLUCK) SUPPER. The show opened in August 2013 and ran for 10 months and, as it turns out, would NOT be the last CBL musical!
RISE UP, O MEN
After a two year hiatus, the CBL audience wanted more… The creative team decided to shake things up with the addition of two more men to the cast! #6 in the series, RISE UP, O MEN opened in August 2016 and ran for 15 months. Turns out, there was more story to tell!
YOU SMELL BARN
The CBL musicals are inspired by the lives and work of Janet (Letnes) Martin and Suzann Nelson, authors of the bestselling book GROWING UP LUTHERAN. So, when they wrote a new book, YOU SMELL BARN, it was time to write another musical. #7 in the series opened in September 2018 at the Ames Center in Burnsville, MN.
HARK! THE BASEMENT LADIES SING
In November 2019 the Church Basement Ladies opened a brand new Christmas show, HARK! THE BASEMENT LADIES SING. #8 in the series, the show ran thru January of 2020 and turned out to the be last we would see of the ladies for awhile, because we all know what happened in March of 2020….
PLOWIN' THRU
Originally scheduled to open in 2020, CBL#9, PLOWIN’ THRU, finally opened in September 2022 at the Ames Center in Burnsville, MN. The show featured a reunion of the original cast from the first five musicals, and was created in loving memory of Suzann Nelson who passed away in 2021. Will there be a CBL #10? Stay tuned.
Click the CBL Character Timeline to see the shows listed in chronological order, according to the world of the kitchen.