Hartford Stage Announces 2008-2009 Season
45th Season Features Mix of Classic Favorites and Current Works with Shakespeare Comedy, Tony-winning Farce, Pulitzer Prize Finalist Play, World Premiere Event, Adaptation of Beloved Novel, and Gospel-infused Drama
SummerStage '08 Presents the Ladies of Summer: Elaine Stritch At Liberty, Ella, and Carrie Fisher's Wishful Drinking
Holiday Tradition A Christmas Carol Joyously Returns
June 24, 2008/Hartford, CT ...Classics, award winners, and newer works will entertain and enlighten audiences next season at Hartford Stage. The Tony Award-winning theatre under the leadership of Artistic Director Michael Wilson and Managing Director Michael Stotts, today announced the ten plays selected for the theatre's 45th Sapphire Anniversary season. The six-play MainStage season will open with the return of the most-produced playwright in Hartford Stage history - William Shakespeare - with his delightful comic romp A Midsummer Night's Dream. Next up is the world premiere of Daniel Beaty's astonishing Resurrection, which traces the lives of six interconnected black men on the same evening. 2009 brings Wethersfield, CT native Christopher Shinn's smash Off-Broadway play, the Pulitzer Prize Finalist Dying City to Hartford. Next is a new stage adaptation of Harper Lee's beloved novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, followed by the Tony-winning comedy triumph, Noises Off, directed by Malcolm Morrison, former Dean of the Hartt School at the University of Hartford . Closing the season will be the hauntingly beautiful gospel drama, Gee's Bend. The 2008-2009 subscription season runs August 28, 2008 to June 28, 2009.
In addition to the MainStage season subscription series, Hartford Stage welcomes The Ladies of Summer, an exciting SummerStage lineup of crowd-pleasing hits that includes a limited six-night run of the legendary Elaine Stritch in her Broadway hit At Liberty. The music of Ella Fitzgerald returns to Hartford in Ella, starring the phenomenal Tina Fabrique (Crowns). Actress and author Carrie Fisher closes the SummerStage season in her hysterical show-biz tell-all, Wishful Drinking. The holiday season brings Hartford Stage's 11th annual production of a Connecticut's favorite yuletide tradition, the hugely popular A Christmas Carol - A Ghost Story of Christmas, again featuring spectacular flying effects.
Artistic Director Michael Wilson states, "We'll be kicking off our forty-fifth season with the theatre's most-produced playwright, Shakespeare, and the magical comedy A Midsummer Night's Dream. It is a fitting season opener and each of our plays this season deal, in some way, with dreams-dreams of love, justice, and peace, dreams big and small, dreams that frustrate, dreams that embolden, dreams that surprise and delight. From fresh interpretations of the classic works A Midsummer Night's Dream and To Kill a Mockingbird, to exiting new plays from Daniel Beaty, Chris Shinn and Elyzabeth Gregory Wilder, to the antic comedy of Noises Off, our 2008-09 season is a feast of vital and entertaining plays, imaginative stagecraft and powerful themes that has, for forty five years, drawn people from all over American to Hartford."
Special Event! Limited Six-night Engagement
Elaine Stritch At Liberty
Winner • 2002 Tony Award
Written and Performed by Elaine Stritch
June 24 - 29, 2008
Having stolen so many moments on stage that she could be convicted of grand larceny, this tough but charming "Broadway Baby" with the still-shapely legs and deep whiskey voice isn't quitting anytime soon. She became the toast of Broadway for her award winning turns in Bus Stop, Pal Joey, Company and Showboat. At Liberty chronicles her notorious private life. - add to that a fair share of Hollywood gossip all joyously packaged with show-stopping songs and you have Elaine Stritch At Liberty. Truly one of a kind!
The 2008 SummerStage season
Tina Fabrique in
Ella
Book by Jeffrey Hatcher
Conceived by Rob Ruggiero and Dyke Garrison
Directed by Rob Ruggiero
July 8 - 27, 2008 (Press opening July 9)
A musical portrait of The First Lady of Song! Tina Fabrique (Crowns) portrays the legendary Ella Fitzgerald in this toe-tapping night of theatre featuring such classics as That Old Black Magic, A Tiskit, A Tasket and They Can't Take That Away From Me.
Produced in collaboration with the Connecticut Theatre Festival, Dean Adams, Producing Artistic Director. Made possible with the generous assistance of the Louise Willson Trust.
Wishful Drinking
Written and Performed by Carrie Fisher
Directed by Tony Taccone
August 6 - 17, 2008 (Press opening August 6)
Carrie Fisher is coming to Hartford to dish the dirt about, well, Carrie Fisher. From celebrity parents (Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher) to her iconic screen role of Princess Leia in Star Wars, from her tempestuous marriage to Paul Simon to her own battles with addiction and depression, she's holding nothing back. Especially the laughs!
MainStage 2008
A Midsummer Night's Dream
By William Shakespeare
Directed by Lisa Peterson
August 28 - September 28, 2008 (Press opening: September 3 )
Hold on to your heart... Cupid is armed and dangerous! Hermia loves Lysander and Helena loves Demetrius-but Demetrius is to marry Hermia. The lovers take refuge in the woods with the feuding fairies, a bumbling acting troupe and the mischievous Puck, armed with a love juice capable of making anyone fall for the first person they set eyes upon-no matter how unsuitable. Shakespeare returns to Hartford Stage with a magical new production staged by Lisa Peterson (Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner).
World Premiere!
Resurrection
Written by Daniel Beaty
Music by Daniel Bernard Roumain
Directed by Oz Scott
October 16 - November 16, 2008 (Press opening: October 22)
Produced in collaboration with Arena Stage
From the explosive imagination of award-winning writer/performer Daniel Beaty (Emergence-SEE) comes the story of six interconnected black men who all experience an unexpected phenomenon on the same evening, changing their lives forever. An unforgettable look at identity, relationships and our shared human experience in a timely story of possibility and hope. Don't miss this chance to be exhilarated by an exciting new voice in the American theatre.
Special 11th Annual Holiday Production
Connecticut's #1 Holiday Spectacular!
A Christmas Carol - A Ghost Story of Christmas
By Charles Dickens
Adapted & Directed by Michael Wilson
November 28 - December 28, 2008 (Press opening: TBA)
Since its arrival in 1998, Hartford Stage's A Christmas Carol - A Ghost Story of Christmas has delighted nearly a quarter-million children ages 8 to 108, establishing it as Connecticut's #1 holiday show. This Victorian holiday classic continues to provide heartwarming family memories and spooky frights over 160 years after Charles Dickens introduced Ebenezer Scrooge, Tiny Tim, Bob Cratchit and the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future. Snow falls, carols are sung and flying ghosts once again take to the air, soaring through a London sky, teaching stingy Scrooge a valuable lesson and reminding us all of the true spirit of the holiday season.
MainStage 2009
Dying City
By Christopher Shinn
January 8 - February 8, 2009 (Press opening: January 14)
Peter shows up unannounced at the apartment of Kelly, his twin brother Craig's wife, meeting for the first time since Craig was killed in Iraq. A quiet, penetrating tale of loss and grief set in the shadow of post-9/11 New York, Dying City was named one of the Ten Best Plays of 2007 by The New York Times and was a finalist for the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
To Kill a Mockingbird
Based on the novel by Harper Lee
February 19 - March 22, 2009 (Press opening: February 25)
The stage adaptation of one of the best loved American novels and films, To Kill a Mockingbird is a tender portrait of a southern town, brimming with powerful lessons of tolerance, justice and quiet heroism. Scout and Jem are growing up in the Deep South during the 1930s depression. Their idyllic childhood is jolted with the realization that prejudice and bigotry rule in their small town when their father, a lawyer of principle and integrity, is asked to defend a young black man falsely accused of raping a white woman.
Tony Award Winner!
Noises Off
By Michael Frayn
Directed by Malcolm Morrison
April 16 - May 17, 2009 (Press opening: April 22)
Doors slam, identities are confused and chaos reigns in this hilarious farce that follows a motley and disorganized theatre company as they rehearse, perform and, well, just try to make it through Nothing On. This Tony Award-winning comedy will keep you laughing uproariously as the never-ending mishaps continue to snowball out of control.
Gee's Bend
By Elyzabeth Gregory Wilder
May 28 - June 28, 2009 (Press opening: June 3)
Meet the women of Gee's Bend, Alabama, who sing hauntingly beautiful gospel melodies as they create magnificent handmade quilts. The story of Gee's Bend already has touched millions of people who witnessed their stunning quilt work through a national exhibition tour, on PBS's NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, and in Newsweek, House and Garden and Oprah Winfrey's O Magazine. If you enjoyed Crowns, you'll love Gee's Bend!
Six-play MainStage subscriptions range from $128 to $348 and are on sale now by calling the box office at 860-527-5151. Smaller play packages and flexible subscriptions are also available. Single tickets are available to subscribers now and go on sale to non-subscribers August 1. Performances are Sunday through Thursday at 7:30 p.m.; Friday and Saturday at 8:00 p.m.; matinees on Sundays select Wednesdays and Saturdays at 2:00 p.m.
Individual tickets for SummerStage performances of Ella and Wishful Drinking range from $26 to $55; tickets for Elaine Stritch At Liberty are $40 to $75; tickets to all SummerStage shows are on sale now. A Christmas Carol tickets range from $27 to $66, with a $10 discount for children 12 and under. The productions offer special discounts for season subscribers. A limited number of $10 "Ten Spot" tickets are also available for all performances (except Elaine Stritch At Liberty), making Hartford Stage among the most affordable entertainment options in Connecticut. Discounts are available for groups of 10 or more by calling 860-520-7244. To purchase tickets, call the box office at 860-527-5151 or visit hartfordstage.org for more specific information. Press openings are subject to change. Please confirm with the Public Relations office at 860-520-7247 prior to opening.
Hartford Stage has wheelchair accessible seating, assistive listening devices, open captioned performances, and other amenities. For more information, please call the box office. Hartford Stage is located at 50 Church Street in downtown Hartford with parking located in the MAT Garage, directly adjacent to the theatre. The theatre is easily accessible from I-84 and I-91.