Becoming Dr. Ruth to Open at the Weathervane

WHITEFIELD, NH—New Hampshire’s award-winning Weathervane Theatre is pleased to present a limited engagement of Becoming Dr. Ruth July 6 – 12 as part of its 60th season. The inspiring true story of Dr. Ruth Westheimer plays in alternating repertory.

 

Written by Mark St. Germain, Becoming Dr. Ruth is the triumphant true story of Dr. Ruth Westheimer. With her hit radio call-in show, Dr. Ruth Westheimer revolutionized the way we talk about sex and relationships. In this humorous and heartfelt new play, she welcomes you into her home and invites you to “Get Some” as she shares her unlikely and incredible journey to becoming Dr. Ruth. With her trademark cheerfulness, candidness, and wit, Dr. Ruth recounts her beginnings as a child escaping Nazi Germany on the Kindertransport to an Israeli sniper to a single mother in America to America’s favorite sex therapist.

 

Dr. Ruth was not only America’s favorite sex therapist but also internationally acclaimed for breaking down taboos with her forthright, nonjudgmental, and good-humored discussions about human intimacy, making her a role model to many, including Becoming Dr. Ruth star, Jen Shepard.

 

“I’ve always admired Dr. Ruth,” said Shepard. “She was honest, fierce, compassionate, and quite funny. She stood up for human rights for all. She never stopped trying to make the world a better place. She was the first woman to have a radio show and, eventually, a TV show that talked about sex.  She dispelled the idea of “normal”; there is no such thing as normal. There’s what you like and what feels good.”

 

Shepard reprises her role as Dr. Ruth, whom she first played at Maine’s Penobscot Theatre Company to audience acclaim. The newly appointed Producing Artistic Director of Penobscot Theatre Company, Shepard, is also the co-owner of ImprovAcadia, a professional improv comedy troupe. A graduate of the University of Iowa and an improv alumnus of iO and The Annoyance Theatre in Chicago, she also worked for The Second City on Norwegian Cruise Lines.

 

Becoming Dr. Ruth is directed by Weathervane Theatre’s Producing Artistic Director, Ethan Paulini, and features design by Jeremy Baldauf (lighting design), Gabbie Flores (properties design), Jason Luck (scenic charge), Alexander Pikiben (sound design), and Rien Schlecht (set and costume design). Additional creative team: Reed Davis (production stage manager), TessaMarie Beard, Sam Powers, and Rien Schlecht (assistant stage management), Vero Villalobos (technical director), and AP Pikiben (production manager). 

 

Becoming Dr. Ruth is sponsored by White Mountains International and runs July 6 – 12. The show runs 90 minutes without an intermission. Tickets are on sale at weathervanenh.org or 603-837-9322. Special events include an opening night reception following the July 6th performance, where patrons can mix and mingle with the cast and creative team at this intimate, ticketed event. Reception includes a complimentary glass of champagne and drink specials. After the 2 PM performance on Saturday, July 12, a free Q&A session will be held with Shepard and Paulini. Before each performance, a pre-show cocktail hour will be held, featuring live music by Larrance Fingerhut.

 

Weathervane’s 60th season runs now through October 12, 2025. Additional Season 60 titles include THE SHARK IS BROKEN, GREASE, WAITRESS, ONE MAN, TWO GUVNORS, HONKY TONK ANGELS, DIRTY BLONDE, THE TEMPEST, and THE PRODUCERS: A MEL BROOKS MUSICAL. Season 60 tickets start at $29.

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ABOUT THE WEATHERVANE

The Weathervane Theatre was founded in 1965 by Gibbs Murray and the late Tom Haas and is under the leadership of Producing Artistic Director Ethan Paulini. It has presented high-quality professional productions of plays and musicals for over half a century. One of the few remaining alternating rep companies in the United States, the Weathervane is recognized as a historical institution nationwide, boasting among its alums 2021 Tony nominee Elizabeth Stanley, Tally Sessions, four-time Tony nominee Judy Kuhn, and recent Tony Award Winners Sam Pinkleton and Ari’el Stachel.  

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