PRESS RELEASE - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DATE: April 12, 2010
CONTACT: Dan Berube, berube@merrimackrep.org
PR CONTACT PHONE: 978.654.7595
BOX OFFICE: 978.654.4MRT (4678)
MERRIMACK REP ANNOUNCES ECLECTIC 2010-2011 SEASON OF
VIBRANT CONTEMPORARY THEATRE
Two East Coast Premieres, Three Regional Premieres and One World Premiere Highlight Theatre’s 32nd Season
Lowell, MA – Merrimack Repertory Theatre Artistic Director Charles Towers announced today the productions that will make up the company’s 32nd Season of producing professional theatre for audiences in the Merrimack Valley and Southern New Hampshire. After successfully expanding to seven productions this season, Merrimack Rep’s 2010-2011 Season once again features seven productions of contemporary works running from September through May, including one world premiere, two East Coast premieres and three regional premieres. Subscriptions for the 2010-2011 season are on sale now through the box office at 978.654.4MRT and online at MerrimackRep.org.
Opening the 2010-2011 Season, from the creators of Merrimack Rep hits The Complete History of America (abridged) and The Bible: The Complete Word of God (abridged), is the East Coast premiere of the newest production by the Reduced Shakespeare Company®, The Complete World of Sports (abridged). Written by and featuring Reed Martin and Austin Tichenor, this championship comedy sprints through the world of sports at record-breaking speed. Also making its East Coast premiere is Four Places by Joel Drake Johnson, a compassionate and profound family drama about an American family at a crossroads. Next is the family friendly holiday treat Beasley’s Christmas Party, adapted by C.W. Munger from the short story by Pulitzer Prize-winner Booth Tarkington. Tryst, a riveting romantic Edwardian thriller by Karoline Leach, opens the new year. Building on its relationship with Bob Clyman (Secret Order, Tranced), Merrimack Rep will produce the world premiere of The Exceptionals, a smart and compelling exploration of parenthood in the new millennium. Hysterically funny and amazingly poignant, Two Jews Walk Into A War… by Seth Rozin follows. A Picasso by Jeffrey Hatcher, a cat-and-mouse game full of sly humor, sexual tension and suspense, concludes the season.
Artistic Director Charles Towers, now entering his tenth season at Merrimack Rep, says “Great theatre can defy even a recession. We've had a wonderful season this year and we're planning another one for 2010-2011. As always – vibrant contemporary theatre for a vibrant contemporary audience. A mix of dramas and comedies that add to our collective understanding of who we are and how we relate to each other. These are terrific plays. Just as importantly, we're lining up MRT's terrific family of artists to create the productions that these plays engender. The play may be the thing, but what a theatre company does with that play matters just as much. At MRT, you see national theatre artists, right here in Lowell.”
MERRIMACK REPERTORY THEATRE 2010-2011 SEASON
THE REDUCED SHAKESPEARE COMPANY® in
THE COMPLETE WORLD OF SPORTS (abridged)
by Reed Martin and Austin Tichenor
September 9 – October 3, 2010
East Coast Premiere – From the creators of Merrimack Rep hits The Complete History of America (abridged) and The Bible: The Complete Word of God (abridged). The “bad boys of abridgement” sprint through the world of sports at record-breaking speed in this brand-new championship comedy. From the earliest cavemen playing “Neanderthal in the Middle” to your own kid’s soccer practice, it’ll be a marathon of madness and mayhem as the entire history of world sports explodes in a tour de farce of physical theatre.
“Very funny, energetic, and unpredictable!” – San Francisco Bay Guardian
FOUR PLACES
by Joel Drake Johnson
October 14 – November 7, 2010
East Coast Premiere – This honest, compassionate and profound drama evokes the most familiar and heartfelt aspects of family relations. Two middle-aged siblings take their mother out to lunch where the conversation turns from routine banter to life-changing revelation. The indelible characters are both marvelously funny and devastatingly human as they lead one another to a place where forgiveness and understanding are tested, but love is still possible.
“A work that really gets under the skin and stays there.” – Variety
BEASLEY’S CHRISTMAS PARTY
adapted by C.W. Munger, from the story by Booth Tarkington
November 26 – December 19, 2010
Regional Premiere – From the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Magnificent Ambersons comes this story of a curious journalist and his extremely eccentric next door neighbor who is planning a most unusual Christmas party. Magically and imaginatively delivered, it is a distinctly American and spiritually uplifting holiday story for the whole family filled with humor, heart and hope.
“A tale of good-hearted Christmas cheer.” – nytheatre.com
TRYST
by Karoline Leach
January 6 – January 30, 2011
A riveting romantic thriller set in Edwardian London about a handsome con-man who marries simple, well-off women only to leave them inexplicably poor and husbandless the day after their honeymoons. Then one day his charms meet their match. Emotional and breathtaking, Tryst is a provocative and suspenseful drama of love and betrayal.
“An extraordinary night of heart-gripping theater…sexually charged, intellectually complicated and emotionally thrilling.” – Houston Press
THE EXCEPTIONALS
by Bob Clyman
February 10 – March 6, 2011
World Premiere – The newest play from the author of Secret Order and Tranced. In this intriguing story with smart humor, two mothers from very different backgrounds must make some tough decisions regarding their uniquely gifted children in a situation that examines parenthood through a prism of conflicting definitions. How far will they go to ensure their children have every possible opportunity to be truly exceptional?
TWO JEWS WALK INTO A WAR…
by Seth Rozin
March 17 – April 10, 2011
Regional Premiere – Hysterically funny and amazingly poignant. Inspired by the true story of the last two surviving Jews in all of Afghanistan, the only thing seeming to bind this small Jewish community together is that they both hate each other’s guts. In a dilapidated old synagogue in Kabul, this odd couple’s bold solution for rebuilding their community not only brings them closer to the essence of their faith but, quite possibly, each other.
“A rollicking farce. A terribly funny fable.” – Sun Sentinel
A PICASSO
by Jeffery Hatcher
April 21 – May 15, 2011
Regional Premiere - This cat-and-mouse game is full of sly humor, sexual tension and suspense. In an underground vault in war-torn Paris, a more singular conflict takes place between an enigmatic female officer from the Ministry of Culture and the world famous painter, Pablo Picasso. With his work and possibly his life at stake, Picasso’s negotiations are marked by mutual manipulation, unexpected revelations and a surprising final intrigue.
“Artful, remarkable and genuinely dramatic, with impressive sensitivity and wit.” – New York Daily News
Merrimack Repertory Theatre’s 2010-2011 season is sponsored by Lowell Cooperative Bank. Merrimack Repertory Theatre is funded in part by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency. All titles, dates and prices subject to change.
SUBSCRIPTIONS: Don’t miss a single show! On sale now, MRT offers subscription packages to fit every lifestyle and budget. With season subscription packages ranging from $46-$273, all subscriptions offer deep discounts off the single ticket prices as well as exclusive subscriber-only benefits, including free parking, restaurant and theatre discounts, lost ticket insurance and free, unlimited ticket exchanges. Individual ticket sales for the 2010-2011 Season begin August 9, 2010. For season or subscription information, call 978.654.4MRT (4678), or visit www.merrimackrep.org.
AUDITIONS: Open Auditions for members of Actors’ Equity Association will be held on May 4-5, 2010 at Merrimack Rep’s administrative offices. For more information on auditions, please contact Peter Crewe, Company Manager at 978.654.7563.
For more information, bios, interviews, or photos, please contact Dan Berube at 978.654.7595 or berube@merrimackrep.org.
For MRT show times, tickets, season information, directions, or to request a brochure, please visit www.merrimackrep.org or call the Box Office at 978.654.4MRT (4678).
The nationally-acclaimed and award-winning Merrimack Repertory Theatre is located in beautiful historic downtown Lowell at Liberty Hall, the Company’s 308-seat theatre, 50 E. Merrimack Street, Lowell, MA 01852 (adjacent to Lowell Memorial Auditorium). Each season, Merrimack Rep presents an eclectic mix of contemporary productions, engaging the best available actors, designers and directors in the country. Founded in 1979, MRT’s mission is “To advance the cause of human understanding by creating theatrical productions at the highest level of artistic excellence and making them affordable to the broadest possible community.” Its unique artistic vision is shaped by a passion for excellence and a profound commitment to its community. MRT strives to enhance the community’s life while contributing to its economic strength, measuring success by the depth of the Company’s artistic and social contribution to the region.
Merrimack Repertory Theatre's 2010-2011 Season
Reduced Shakespeare Company® in The Complete World of Sports (abridged) by Reed Martin and Austin Tichenor, September 9 – October 3, 2010; Four Places by Joel Drake Johnson, October 14 – November 7, 2010; Beasley’s Christmas Party adapted by C.W. Munger, from the story by Booth Tarkington, November 26 – December 19, 2010; Tryst by Karoline Leach, January 6 – January 30, 2011; The Exceptionals by Bob Clyman, February 10 – March 6, 2011; Two Jews Walk Into A War… by Seth Rozin, March 17 – April 10, 2011; A Picasso by Jeffery Hatcher, April 21 – May 15, 2011.
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