ARIZONA THEATRE COMPANY UNWRAPS A VERY SPECIAL
50TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON
Ambitious season includes a world premiere, two recent Broadway hits, a pair of musicals and an award winner
Arizona Theatre Company's 50th anniversary season promises to be its most ambitious ever with a six-show mainstage lineup of the finest contemporary and classic American theatre. The lineup ranges from the just-closed acclaimed Broadway hits King Charles III and An Act of God, by 13-time Emmy-winning writer and producer of The Daily Show With John Stewart; to the Johnny Cash musical Ring of Fire and an epic revival of the beloved musical about family, faith and tradition, Fiddler on The Roof.
Also on tap are the world premiere of the ATC-commissioned mystery Holmes and Watson from the screenwriter of the recent film Mr. Holmes, and the acclaimed world premiere production of ATC's 2016 National Latino Playwriting Award winner, The River Bride.
"Next season will be a year-long celebration of a half-century of unforgettable theatre in Arizona," said Artistic Director David Ira Goldstein in announcing the 2016-2017 season. "It will be an opportunity for the thousands of professional artists and staff, and the audiences of millions who have joined with us over that time, to take a deep bow. In putting together this Golden Anniversary season, we have tried to assemble an exceptionally ambitious season that reflects many of the strands of our diverse, wide-ranging and exciting history."
Goldstein added that "our mission over those 50 years has been to be a meeting place for many communities, many kinds of theatrical experiences and a theatre that tackles a singularly varied range of styles and themes with the highest professional standards. The productions in our 2016-2017 season will be peopled with a mix of old friends and thrilling new voices onstage and in the wings. The season includes a world premiere from a playwright who has spoken to us many times before, we will joyously tackle one of the greatest of American musicals, it includes both a recent drama and a recent comedy straight from Broadway, it features the world premiere production of a past winner of our National Latino Playwriting Contest."
Season-ticket packages are now available beginning at $120. Current subscribers renewing by March 31 can hold on to their current seats by calling the ATC Box Office in Tucson at (520) 622-2823 or in Phoenix at (602) 256-6995.
The 2016-17 Arizona Theatre Company season includes:
• King Charles III
By Mike Bartlett. Tucson: Sept. 10-25. Phoenix: Oct. 6-23.
The Queen is Dead. After a lifetime of waiting, Prince Charles ascends the throne with Camilia by his side. As William, Kate and Harry look on, Prince Charles prepares for the future of power that lies before him…but how will he rule?
This thrilling new Broadway and West End hit draws on the style and structure of a Shakespearean history play, but with modern verve, a comic subplot, and even the occasional appearance of a significant ghost. This provocative new drama of political intrigue explores the people underneath the crowns, the unwritten rules of democracy and the conscience of its most famous family.
Winner of the 2015 Olivier Award for Best New Play and hailed as the 2015's No. 1 Play of the Year by The New York Times, Time Magazine, Entertainment Weekly and the Associated Press.
• An Act of God
By David Javerbaum. Tucson: Oct. 22-Nov. 12. Phoenix: Nov. 17-Dec. 4.
After conquering Broadway, God has come to Arizona for the very first time! Described by The New York Times as "deliriously funny!", this sinfully hilarious and critically acclaimed new play brings us God and His devoted angels to answer some of the deepest questions that have plagued mankind since Creation and to give us a new Ten Commandments.
He's finally arrived to set the record straight… and boy is He not holding back! Written by the 13-time Emmy Award winning writer of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, this sweetly outrageous and gently irreverent new comedy is sure to be a heavenly highlight of the season.
• Fiddler on the Roof
Music by Jerry Bock; Lyrics by Sheldon Harnick; Book by Joseph Stein; Tucson: Dec. 3-30. Phoenix: Jan. 12-29.
L'Chaim! Our Golden Anniversary season will feature an epic production of a beloved theatrical tradition and one of greatest musicals in history. This richly heartwarming story of fathers and daughters, husbands and wives, and the timeless traditions that define and test faith and family will be the largest production on our stage in over 30 years. Featuring such classic songs as "To Life", "If I Were a Rich Man", "Sunrise, Sunset" and "Matchmaker, Matchmaker", this production raises its cup to love, to life, to community and to faith in all its joy and its trials. Winner of nine Tony Awards including Best Musical, Score and Book.
• The River Bride
By Marisela Treviño Orta.
Winner of ATC's National Latino Playwriting Award. Tucson: Jan. 14-Feb. 4, 2017. Phoenix: Feb. 2-26.
Once upon a time, in a fishing village along the Amazon, there lived two sisters struggling to find their happily-ever-after. Helena is dreading her sister Belmira's wedding.
The groom, Duarte, should have been hers! And she knows that her sister only wants to escape their sleepy Brazilian town for an exciting new life in the city.
But three days before the wedding, fishermen pull a mysterious stranger out of the river – a man with no past who offers both sisters an alluring, possibly dangerous future. Brazilian folklore and lyric storytelling blend into a heartrending tale of true love, regret, transformation and the struggle to stay true to your family while staying true to yourself. "A work of great beauty, at once transcendent and triumphant" – Ashland Daily Tidings
Arizona Theatre Company presents the acclaimed world premiere production by the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.
• Ring of Fire: The Music of Johnny Cash
Created by Richard Maltby, Jr., conceived by William Meade. Tucson: March 4-25. Phoenix: March 30-April 16.
From the iconic songbook of Johnny Cash comes this unique musical about love and faith, struggle and success, rowdiness and redemption, and home and family. Called "a show ablaze with fire and unmitigated fun" by the Chicago Sun Times, the show's 38 classic hits -- including "I Walk The Line," "A Boy Named Sue," "Folsom Prison Blues," and the title tune -- performed by a multi-talented cast of ten, paint a musical portrait of The Man in Black that is a foot-stompin', crowd-pleasin' salute to a uniquely American legend! Johnny Cash's remarkable life story is told through his music, climaxing in a concert that will both move and exhilarate!
• Holmes and Watson
By Jeffrey Hatcher. A thrilling new World Premiere Sherlock Holmes Mystery. Tucson: April 15-May 6. Phoenix: May 11-28.
Following Holmes' "death" at Reichenbach Falls, Dr. Watson is called upon to disprove the many frauds, fakes and charlatans who have popped-up claiming to be Holmes all over the world. Then…a newspaper clipping arrives. A remote mental asylum on an island off the coast of Scotland reports that three men have recently been admitted, each claiming to be the late detective.
Each matches Holmes' physical description. But one of them is quoted saying something only the real Holmes could possibly know. Watson travels to the asylum to confront the three patients, convinced that one of them must be the real Sherlock Holmes. Commissioned by ATC especially for our 50th anniversary, Holmes and Watson is a devilishly clever and thrilling new mystery from the celebrated writer of the recent film Mr. Holmes and many past ATC hits including Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Ten Chimneys, and Ella.
For more information about Arizona Theatre Company, visit www.arizonatheatre.org.
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About Arizona Theatre Company:
Arizona Theatre Company (ATC) is the preeminent fully professional theatre in the state of Arizona committed to inspiring, engaging, and entertaining - one moment, one production, and one audience at a time. Boasting the largest seasonal subscriber base in the performing arts in Arizona, ATC is the only resident company in the U.S. that is fully based in two cities providing its wide array of programming and community outreach across the region. Now in its 49th season, more than 130,000 people a year attend our performances at the historic Temple of Music and Art in Tucson, and the elegant Herberger Theater Center in downtown Phoenix. Each season of home-grown productions reflects the rich variety of world drama—from classics to contemporary plays, from musicals to new works—along with a wide array of community outreach programs, educational opportunities, access initiatives and new play programs. Designated The State Theatre of Arizona, ATC is led by Artistic Director David Ira Goldstein, and a dedicated Board of Trustees.
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