Southwest Florida Theatre Company presents ‘The Bridges of Madison County’ Feb. 25 – March 7

January 19, 2026

Feb. 25 – March 7 | Music & Arts Community Center

The Southwest Florida Theatre Company presents The Bridges of Madison County from Feb. 25 through March 7 at the Music & Arts Community Center (MACC) in Fort Myers.

Based on the best-selling novel and Oscar-winning film adaptation, The Bridges of Madison County was developed by Tony Award winner Jason Robert Brown (The Last Five Years, Parade, Songs for a New World) and Pulitzer Prize winner Marsha Norman.

Winner of the 2014 Tony Award for “Best Score and Orchestrations,” this sweeping musical romance features a soaring score and deeply moving story about the roads we travel and the bridges we dare to cross. 

The story unfolds in 1965 in rural Iowa, where Francesca Johnson – a beautiful Italian woman who married an American soldier so she could flee war-ravaged Italy – is looking forward to a rare four days alone on their farm as her husband and sons head to the State Fair. But her quiet life is upended when Robert Kincaid, a photographer for National Geographic, pulls into her driveway seeking directions.

Starring Branch Fields as Robert Kincaid, last seen with the Southwest Florida Theatre Company as King Arthur in Camelot, and Michel Vasquez as Francesca Johnson, who appeared as Maria in the 2025 Gulf Coast Symphony production of West Side Story. The cast also features Bret Poulter, Paulette Oliva, Peter McClung, Lorelai Vega, Alexander LaPlante, and Nicole Tori. 

For showtimes and to purchase tickets for The Bridges of Madison County, call 239-277-1700 or visit MACCtickets.org. The Music & Arts Community Center is located off Daniels Parkway at 13411 Shire Lane, on the campus of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Fort Myers. 

MICHEL VASQUEZ (Francesca Johnson) | Michel Vasquez is thrilled to be returning for this thrilling production after appearing as Maria in Gulf Coast Symphony’s West Side Story in 2025. Michel has traveled the world as Rosalia / Maria u/s on the international tour of West Side Story, and her regional credits include Guenevere u/s in Camelot, Priscilla Presley in Heartbreak Hotel, Sillabub in Cats, Teresita / Maria u/s in West Side Story, Mamma Mia!, Cinderella in Into the Woods, Aquata in The Little Mermaid, and Favorite Son. Her TV guest star appearances include The Late Late Show Dublin, Nashville Holiday Music Special, and Christmas at Belmont. Michel graduated with a BFA in Musical Theatre from Belmont University.

BRANCH FIELDS (Robert Kincaid) | Branch Fields, described by Opera America as “a bass of resonant richness,” is a versatile performer engaged throughout North America and beyond in opera, musical theater, and concert. In Southwest Florida, he most recently appeared with the SWFL Theatre Company as King Arthur in Camelot (2025). Branch’s Broadway debut was in South Pacific, as ensemble and standby for Emile de Becque in the 2008 Lincoln Center Theater production. His credits include Sir Lancelot for Opera Montana, Robert in The Bridges of Madison County, Leporello in Don Giovanni, and several roles with Opera in Williamsburg. Branch has sung with Santa Fe Opera, New York City Opera, Ogunquit Playhouse, St. Pete Opera, Sarasota Opera, Utah Festival Opera, and many others throughout the U.S. and Canada. His most recent album, Be Thou My Vision, can be heard on all major streaming platforms.

BRET POULTER (Bud Johnson) – Bret Poulter moved to Naples in 2016 and has been actively involved in the Southwest Florida theatre community as both performer and arts educator ever since. Locally, Bret has worked with The Naples Players and TheatreZone. Some of Bret’s favorite roles have included Bert in Mary Poppins, Billy in Chicago, Bazzard in The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Reverend Shaw Moore in Footloose, and, most recently, Mr Laurence in Little Women. 

PAULETTE OLIVA (Marge) – Paulette Oliva makes her Southwest Florida Theatre Company debut! Paulette’s off Broadway credits include Barbicide and Fire – the Play; regional credits include Sister Act (Slow Burn Theatre, Ft. Lauderdale); The Bridges of Madison County (Shenandoah Summer Music Theater); Brightstar, (Actors’ Playhouse, Coral Gables); Morning After Grace (Florida Rep); Once (TheatreZone, Naples); Little Women (Players Circle); and with The Naples Players, Gypsy (Mama Rose); Sweeney Todd (Mrs. Lovett); Beauty and the Beast (Mrs. Potts); Master Class (Maria Callas); When We Were Young and Unafraid (Agnes); and Calendar Girls (Annie). 

PETER MCCLUNG (Charlie) – Peter McClung makes his Southwest Florida Theatre Company debut! Recently seen on stage at TheatreZone in Naples as Max Goldman in Grumpy Old Men, Peter’s off Broadway credits include Baby, and regional theatre credits include Fulton Theatre, John Engeman Theatre, and Shenandoah Summer Music Theatre, performing in The Bridges of Madison County, Sweeney Todd, 42nd Street, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Music Man, Man of La Mancha, South Pacific, Little Shop of Horrors, Gypsy, and Jekyll and Hyde, among others. Peter has toured with the (in)famous political satire group – “Capitol Steps.”

LORELAI VEGA (Carolyn Johnson) – Lorelai Vega grew up in the Southwest Florida theatre community, and though she recently relocated to New York, she is honored to be back in Southwest Florida as part of The Bridges of Madison County. Lorelai’s previous credits include Peggy Sawyer in 42nd Street, Luisa in The Fantasticks, and Francine in Jersey Boys. 

ALEXANDER LAPLANTE (Michael Johnson) – Alexander LaPlante is thrilled to be making his on-stage debut at the Music & Arts Community Center. Now an L.A.-based actor, Alexander’s previous credits include Jerry Lee Lewis in Million Dollar Quartet (The Rubicon Theater; Los Angeles), L.M. in Pump Boys and Dinettes (The Depot Theater; New York); Sister Mary Leo in Nunsense: Amen (Winter Park Playhouse; Orlando), Eric the Great in Allie Kazan and the Magic Mansion (Orlando Family Stage; World Premiere); and Fredrick Frankenstein in Young Frankenstein (Athens Theater; Orlando).

NICOLE TORI (Marian / Chiara / Fair Singer) – Nicole Tori is honored to be making her Southwest Florida Theatre Company debut in this stunning show! Her credits include the first Asian tour of The Sound of Music (Frau Schmidt) six countries; The Wizard of Oz (Wicked Witch of the West/Miss Gulch) Westchester Broadway Theatre; Sweeney Todd (Quintet) Portland Center Stage; Fiddler on the Roof; and The Sound of Music (Sister Sophia) at Fox Theatre Atlanta, Wolf Trap, and Straz Center. Nicole enthusiastically began her career performing opera in NYC before joyfully settling into musical theatre. She currently sings with Opera Naples, the Naples Philharmonic Chorus, and is the Founding Artistic Director of Choir Illume based in Beacon, NY.