U2 TRIBUTE

WIDE AWAKE

Friday, October 23, 2026
7 PM

Any U2 tribute can play "With or Without You." Wide Awake plays "An Cat Dubh."

That distinction matters. Built from the ground up by professional touring musicians who are every bit as obsessed with U2 as the fans who fill the venues, Wide Awake has set itself apart by going deeper into the catalog than almost anyone else dares. Yes, "Where the Streets Have No Name," "Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For," and "With or Without You" are all here, played with the faithfulness and live energy those songs demand. But it's the material that made longtime fans do a double take, songs like "Into the Heart," "Trip Through Your Wires," "Running to Stand Still," and "The Unforgettable Fire," that make a Wide Awake show feel genuinely special.

One audience member, an Irishman from Dublin who had seen every U2 tour since the Joshua Tree show in 1987, put it plainly after a recent performance: "Wide Awake's version of 'Wild Horses' was better than any time he had seen U2 play it." 

Wide Awake is one of the fastest growing U2 tributes in the country, performing 40 years of the most iconic rock catalog ever made, the big anthems, and the songs U2 rarely plays anymore.

For fans who have seen the real thing and for those who simply love great rock music performed with precision and passion, this is the show that delivers.

STAGED READING

THE DAY THE PRESIDENT CAME TO TOWN

Monday, November 9, 2026
7:00 PM

On November 9, 1789, George Washington stopped in Manchester. On November 9, 2026, he stops in again.

On a Monday in November 1789, President George Washington was heading home from his first tour of New England when his carriage stopped at the tavern run by Deodatus and Esther Woodbridge at Manchester Green. He noted the stop in his diary. Exactly 237 years later, on the same date and weekday, Cheney Hall brings that visit back to life.

The Day the President Came to Town, written by the late Walt Scadden, tells the story of Washington's chance visit to the Woodbridge Tavern and the magical meeting it sparks with young Electa Woodbridge. It is hometown history with a little wonder, presented as a simple staged reading on the Cheney Hall stage.

Walt was part of the Cheney Hall family for years: a subscriber, a regular at Evenings@7 (our playreading series), and an enthusiastic presence at many of our lectures and other events. When community members and Walt's family asked to present his play in his memory, only one place could host it. His family generously agreed to make the evening a benefit for Little Theatre of Manchester.

Directed by Dwayne Harris and performed by The Pine Street Players, the cast features Susan Barlow, Malcolm Barlow, Robert Shanbaum, Steven Penny, Sparky Lynn, Mike Selissen, Tom Matrick, and Bill Johnson, including several members of Walt's own family.

This is a live staged reading of an original play about Manchester history, and every $10 ticket supports the theater Walt loved.

Same town. Same date. 237 years later.

COUNTRY CHRISTMAS CONCERT

NASHVILLE CHRISTMAS

Saturday, December 19, 2026
7 PM

Christmas the Way It Was Meant to Sound

Nashville Christmas brings the warmth, the stories, and the songs of a classic country holiday to Cheney Hall for one festive night you won't want to miss.

There is a reason country music owns Christmas. No other genre captures the season quite the same way: the warmth of family, the ache of distance, the simple joy of a good melody on a cold December night. Nashville Christmas brings all of that to Cheney Hall, wrapping the holiday classics you already love in the rich, unhurried sound of the American South.

From the timeless carols that have anchored every Christmas you can remember to the boot-stomping originals that made country radio the soundtrack of the holidays, this is a show built around great songs performed with genuine heart. Pull up a table, pour a drink, and let the music do the rest.

"Lots of fun from beginning to end." — Orlando Sentinel