Stage 212, a community theater group in LaSalle, is gearing up for a year of great shows, and audiences will notice the extensive auditorium upgrades that have been completed.

“We just finished a big renovation in the auditorium,” said Larry Kelsey, a Stage 212 marketing team member. “We renovated the auditorium from top to bottom with brand new seats and improvements in sound quality. The seats are wider and farther apart, so people will have a more comfortable experience sitting and watching. It’s great to sit in the auditorium now. It’s been quite the undertaking.”

Kelsey said it’s been nearly 30 years since that room has seen any type of upgrade, and the team at Stage 212 believes these upgrades will enhance guests’ experience throughout the upcoming season.

In addition to these upgrades, guests can expect the same high-level entertainment they’ve come to love, with several shows planned for the year.

The Play That Goes Wrong will run from April 17-26. It’s set in the 1920’s as the cast tries to solve a murder, but when things keep falling apart, they are left to roll with it in what becomes a hilarious comedy and escape from real life.

“It’s become a cultural phenomenon,” Kelsey said. “It’s about an amateur theater group that basically anything that can go wrong will go wrong. It’s such a wonderful mess of everything that goes wrong. A lot of people are doing it all over the country.”

The Drowsy Chaperone runs from July 10-26. This show is about a devoted musical theater fan who brings to life his favorite 1920s show as he plays it on his record player. It follows the upcoming wedding of a Broadway star with several twists and turns.

“It’s a unique show,” Kelsey said. “It’s a musical-within-a-musical. It starts with a single person on the stage who prefers 1920’s music. There’s commentary, but it’s a full-blown musical going on at the same time.”

The Shark is Broken runs from November 13-22. It is set during the filming of Jaws in 1974, when the mechanical shark breaks down. It follows actors Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss, and Roy Schneider as they’re confined to their boat.

“The show is a look behind the scenes from the making of Jaws,” Kelsey said. “These guys are sharing they had a lot of problems with the mechanical shark in the making of the movie, so this is what goes on between these three guys while they’re waiting on stuff to be fixed. It’s a very funny show, but it does have some language in it.”

In addition to these three shows, there will also be one off-season show and one children’s show. There are also several camps and workshops open to both children and adults.

While Kelsey is looking forward to seeing all the shows this year, he’s especially excited about The Play That Goes Wrong because it’s a celebration of community theater.

“All of us that have spent any time in community theater know things go wrong,” Kelsey said. “There’s nothing you can do about it except roll with it. This show is just everything.”

For tickets or more information on the camps and workshops, visit www.stage212.org.

“I’m proud of Stage 212,” Kelsey said. “We do wonderful theater work, and it’s all volunteer. These people are sacrificing their time because they love doing this, and it’s wonderful being surrounded by that. It is shown in every show we do. It’s a great group of people to be involved with.”