Cape Ann Shakespeare Troupe (CAST) kicks off its 2026-27 season with Laugh Out Loud. Shakespeare’s quote “Prepare for mirth, for mirth becomes a feast.” aptly describes this feast of modern one-act comedies: Base Model Man and Who Ate the Cheetos? by Kevin Perrin of the Gloucester Writers Center, and Black Comedy by Peter Shaffer.

Base Model Man, directed by Alexis Armstrong, imagines a dealership where a woman shops for the perfect man with available upgrades such as “willing to share housework” and “actually listens”. Directed by Billy Lewand, Who Ate the Cheetos? is an eight minute comedy in which a simple family mystery erupts into a full-blown courtroom style confrontation a la A Few Good Men. In the classic farce Black Comedy, directed by Mark Efinger, a young artist and his fiancée secretly furnish their apartment with a neighbor’s expensive antiques before meeting her intimidating military father. When the electricity fails and unexpected guests arrive – a suspicious neighbor, a nervous spinster, a talkative electrician, and an old girlfriend—the comic chaos escalates.

Performing from November 5th-8th and 12th-15th, all performances are at The Natti-Willsky Performance Center: Home of Gloucester Stage Company, 267 East Main Street, Gloucester. Showtimes are Thursdays-Saturdays at 7:30pm and Sundays at 3:00pm. Tickets can be purchased online or by calling the box office at 978-281-4433.