New Rep announces its inaugural season in the Arsenal Center for the Arts
April 18, 2005
Contact: Cory Elizabeth Nelson, corynelson@newrep.org
New Repertory Theatre has arrived at a momentous occasion: the announcement of its inaugural season in the Arsenal Center for the Arts in Watertown. To celebrate, New Rep has lined up a season that ranges from Shakespeare to last season’s hottest Broadway hits.
“This is a defining moment for New Rep,” states Rick Lombardo, Producing Artistic Director. “Many people have wondered if moving into our new, larger home will somehow change New Rep’s aesthetic. This is why I have chosen next season to celebrate what New Rep has always done best: produce smart, edgy plays that challenge the audience, present area premieres of important new work, and stage musical productions that consistently push the envelope.”
Romeo and Juliet
by William Shakespeare
Directed by Rick Lombardo
September 18 - October 9, 2005
The season opens with William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Rick Lombardo will direct a sprawling production that uses every inch of the theatre, celebrating New Rep’s arrival in its new home. This passionate and sexy production will explore the layers of human emotion - love, hate, loyalty, vengeance - of Shakespeare’s classic love story.
True West
by Sam Shepard
October 30 - November 20, 2005
The second production will be True West, Sam Shepard’s funniest play and one of his defining classics. Austin, an Ivy League-educated writer, returns to his childhood home outside Los Angeles, intent on selling his screenplay to a Hollywood producer. His older brother Lee, a crude, ribald petty thief, turns up unexpectedly, also trying to sell a script: his authentic and “true” American Western. Along the way, Shepard takes gleeful potshots at Hollywood, the myth of the cowboy and the American frontier, and other escape fantasies that define the American imagination.
Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol
December 10 - 24, 2005
December will feature a special, two-week run of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, produced in partnership with the Arsenal Center for the Arts and Watertown Children’s Theatre. Rick Lombardo’s adaptation will be a lavish and spectacular rendering of Dickens’s holiday classic, complete with music, dancing, and all the splendor of a Victorian Christmas.
Note: Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol is not part of a subscription package.
Frozen
by Bryony Lavery
January 22 - February 12, 2006
Next up in January will be Bryony Lavery’s Frozen, a play that poignantly interweaves the narratives of three characters connected by the tragic death of a child. At the center of the story is ten-year-old Rhona, who goes missing one evening on a walk in an English suburb. Rhona’s mother Nancy withdraws from the world, unable to cope with the emotions surrounding her daughter’s disappearance. Soon Nancy encounters Agnetha, an American assembling interviews for her dissertation: “Serial Killing - A Forgivable Act?” Agnetha’s research leads her to the prison where Ralph is detained, a man still chillingly detached despite the magnitude of his crimes. Hailed as a play of extraordinary emotion and sensitivity, Frozen explores the limits of human regret and forgiveness.
Bill W. and Dr. Bob
by Stephen Bergman and Janet Surrey
Directed by Rick Lombardo
March 5 - 25,2006
In spring, 2006, New Rep will produce the powerful drama Bill W. and Dr. Bob, by local playwrights Stephen Bergman and Janet Surrey, also directed by Rick Lombardo. Set in 1930s America, the play chronicles the beginnings of Alcoholics Anonymous through the story of its two founders: stockbroker Bill Wilson and surgeon Dr. Bob Smith. This amazing and often humorous play also tells the story of the two friends’ wives, Lois and Anne, founders of Al Anon.
Ragtime
Book by Terrence McNally
Lyrics by Lynn Ahrens
Music by Stephen Flaherty
Directed by Rick Lombardo
April 30 - May 21, 2006
Concluding the season will be Ragtime, an epic and soaring musical, winner of multiple Tony Awards and based on E.L. Doctorow’s classic novel. Ragtime intertwines the stories of three families living in turn-of-the-century America. The serene, unchanging existence of one wealthy couple is shaken, when they encounter the spirited African American musician Coalhouse Walker and his lover Sarah, who dream of a better life for their son. Meanwhile, the Russian immigrant Tateh and his daughter arrive on the teeming streets of New York City, determined to build a fortune and put the tragedy of their former lives behind them. Along the way, each family encounters historical figures, ranging from Harry Houdini to Henry Ford.
Subscription information
Subscriptions for New Rep’s 2005-2006 are on sale now. Information on different membership packages can be obtained by contacting New Rep’s box office at 617.332.1646 or via e-mail at info@newrep.org. Please note that Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol is not included in any subscription package.
New Repertory Theatre presents provocative and intelligent works of both established and emerging playwrights in an intimate setting that involves and engages the audience. New Rep has earned a reputation for dynamic productions that honor the writers and feature talented professional actors from the New England theatre community as well as guest artists from around the U.S. New Rep has received Elliot Norton and IRNE Awards for outstanding acting, scenic design, direction, and production.
Programming at New Repertory Theatre is supported in part by a grant from the Massachusetts Cultural Council. Additional programming support provided by Bank of America.