By Randi Bjornstad

 Guys and Dolls the musical has been around since 1951, and its songs, story line, and well-defined characters have kept it busy at theaters all over the country ever since.

Now, in October 2025, it’s Cottage Theatre’s turn to bring it to the stage. Here’s the way they describe the plot:

Journey back to the vibrant world of 1950s New York with a Golden Age Broadway classic. This 1951 Tony award-winning musical follows the intertwining lives of ambitious gamblers, lovestruck showgirls, and pious missionaries. At the center of the action is a pair of crafty and endearing hustlers. Nathan Detroit and Sky Masterson will bet on just about anything, from a small-time strudel contest to a big-time gamble about love. Sky attempts to woo the strait-laced Sarah Brown, as the colorful characters around them navigate their own romantic entanglements. With toe-tapping songs like “Luck Be a Lady” and “Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ the Boat, Guys and Dolls will dazzle you with its high-stakes blend of humor and heart.
The cast
The Cottage Theatre cast features Seth Bailey as Nathan Detroit, with Tracy Brous as Miss Adelaide, Matthew Michaels as Sky Masterson, and Kenady Conforth as Sarah Brown, Bil Morrill as Arvide Abernathy and Quinn Branstetter as Nicely-Nicely Johnson.
Other cast members are Ava Coleman (Benny Southstreet), Chelsea Lovejoy (Rusty Charlie), Trinity Riddell (Harry the Horse), Tom Perkins (Big Jule), Matthew Boatman (Lt. Brannigan), Susan Goes ( General Cartwright and the Drunk), Rachael Odell (Agatha), Timothy Bouwhuis (Angie the Ox), Stefhani Anderson, Chelsea Lovejoy, Kaeleigh Cavaner, and Kaycee Taylor (crapshooters), and ensemble cast members Audriahna Jones, Crystal Kupsick, and Rachel Lewman.
The Band 
Conductor and reeds: Christopher Holt (conductor and reeds)
Reeds: Abigail Robertson
Flute: Cathy Patton
Trumpet: TJ Nees, Joey Ingman, Conor Egan
Trombone: Janna Holt, Alex Freauff
Keyboard: Ava Renich
Percussion: Donald Inglese
The production crew
Director: Janet Rust
Stage manager: Bil Morrill
Assistant stage manager: Chantal Hall
Music director: Chris Holt
Vocal director: Naomi Castro
Rehearsal accompanist: Ava Renich
Choreographers: Janet Rust, Darcy Rust
Dance captains: Stefhani Anderson, Kaeleigh Cavaner
Fight choreography: Tony Rust
Costume design: Shelby Chasen
Costume assistant: Rhonda Turnquist
Set design: Tony Rust
Lead scenic artists: Tony Rust, Janet Whitlow, Randi “Wren” Nunns, Nancy Geyer
Set construction and painting: Seth Bailey, Matt Boatman, Quinn Branstetter, Tracy Brous, Randall Brous, Kaeleigh Cavaner,  Kenady Conforth, David Dobson, Gavin Farris, Dylan Fix, Nancy Geyer, Susan Goes, Crystal Kupsick, Faith Kupsick, Rachel Lewman, Randi “Wren” Nunns, Tony Rust, Nicole Torres, Janet Whitlow
Props: Mark Allen
Lighting Design: Mollie Skye
Booth manager/lightboard operator: Jodi Arend
Spotlight operators: Ashley Lawn, Mari Taylor
Sound design: Jeffery Egbert
Sound operator: Dylan Taylor
Lobby display: Carmen Dowell
Photography: Matt Emrich
The performances
When: Evenings at 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 3-4, 9-11, 16-18, 23-25; matinees at 2:30 p.m. on Oct. 5, 12, 19, and 26
Where: Cottage Theatre, 700 Village Drive, Cottage Grove (east of the I-5 freeway off Exit 174)

Tickets: $15-$29; available online at cottagetheatre,org or from the box office at 541-942-8001 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday through Friday and one hour before performances

 

 

Photo: Actors in Cottage Theatre’s Guys and Dolls include, left to right, Bil Morrill, Matthew Michaels, Kenady Conforth, Tracy Brous, Seth Bailey, Quinn Branstetter, and Ava Coleman); photo by Susan Goes