Performance Network Theatre Announces 2005-06 Season
Performance Network's 2005-06 Season pairs favorite Network performers with tour-de-force roles. The season includes the Christmas Comedy "Jacob Marley's Christmas Carol" by Tom Mula, "A Doll's House" by Henrik Ibsen and the Michigan Premiere of Athol Fugard's newest play, Exits and Entrances."
Ann Arbor, MI (PRWEB) August 5, 2005 -- Performance Network, Ann Arbor's only resident professional theatre company will feature six shows from September 2005 through August of 2006.
Hot off the heels of the season that won the Network Best Overall Season/Artistic Direction" from the Oakland Press and garnered more award nominations than any other theatre in the state, Performance Network gears up for another stellar season of premieres, classics and comedies. This year, the star performer is key" says Artistic Director Carla Milarch weve managed to find the absolutely perfect roles for some of our favorite performers including Robert Grossman, who will return from New York City to do a role, Malcolm Tulip who will star in a one-man show that is so hot right now we cant announce it and even myself in a role Ive wanted to play all my life!"
In addition, I am happy to be able to add a Christmas show this year that celebrates the season, while never losing the unique Network flair." Milarch adds, The holiday season is a time when families want to celebrate together and now you can do that at the Network - and our under 16 ticket price of $10 makes it affordable!" "Jacob Marley's Christmas Carol" is recommended for children 10 and over.
But above all, the Networks season will feature the best playwriting to be found from across the country and beyond. From World Premieres of Michigan playwrights, to a brand-new play by famed South African playwright Athol Fugard, to a Norwegian classic that revolutionized the theatre world – this seasons plays are the cream of the crop. Ann Arbor audiences expect nothing less from the Network" Milarch concludes and with the gems we have in store, we promise they wont be disappointed."
Performance Networks professional season lineup will include:
- "Ice Glen", by Joan Ackermann – Co-World premiere
Directed by Carla Milarch ("The Sins of Sor Juana", "She Loves Me")
Previews Sept 15-22,
Opening night September 23, through October 30
In this touching period comedy, a beautiful poetess dwells in idyllic obscurity on a Berkshire estate with a band of unlikely cohorts, including an Irish cook, a lovesick gardener and an unlikely playmate. When neighbor Edith Wharton passes Sarahs poems on to a Boston publishing firm, editor Peter Woodburn comes calling. Sparks fly when this unlikely pair faces off and all get caught in the crossfire. Written by the author of the critically praised movie "Off The Map", this remarkable story of romance and poetry will leave you hungry for more.
"Ice Glen" features Loren Bass ("The Sins of Sor Juana"), Kathy Kauffmann ("Tongue of a Bird", "Man of La Mancha", "Special Relativity"), Robin Lewis-Bedz ("Tongue of a Bird"), Will Young ("The Threepenny Opera"), Sue Berg ("Copenhagen") and Chris Korte ("Kimberly Akimbo").
"Ice Glen" is a National New Play Network rolling world premiere, Playwright Joan Ackermann is co-founder and Artistic Director of Mixed Company Theatre in Massachusetts. Her plays have been produced in many regional theaters, including the Purple Rose.
- "Jacob Marley's Christmas Carol", by Tom Mula, Michigan Premiere
Directed by Tony Caselli ("Take Me Out", "Summer and Smoke")
Previews November 10-17,
Opening night November 18, through December 24
Marley is dead...that's an established fact. But what ever happened to Ebenezer Scrooge's mean, sour, pruney old business partner after that? In this hilarious holiday comedy, Marley finds himself facing the Record Keeper in the afterlife and is offered one chance to save himself from a wretched eternity. He has twenty-four hours to transform Scrooges miserly heart. With the help of his mischievous celestial guide Bogle, Marley plots to convert his old partner. A delightful journey of redemption, this uproarious Carol is sure to become a Christmas classic.
"Jacob Marley's Christmas Carol" played for two seasons at Chicago's Goodman Theatre. The show was nominated for four Joseph Jefferson Awards, and received an After Dark Award and the Goodman School of Drama's Cunningham Prize for Playwriting.
- "Moonglow", by Kim Carney – World Premiere, a co-production with Boarshead Theater
Directed by Jim Posante ("Take Me Out", "The Home Team")
Previews January 26-February 2,
Opening night February 3, through March 5
Kim Carney is a playwright whose star is on the rise. In this comic-drama, she blends her trademark humor with exquisite pathos in the story of a woman moving her mother into an assisted living facility. A tough-as-nails spitfire determined not to go quietly, she causes a ruckus, finds a jitterbugging partner and teaches her daughter a valuable lesson before the play is through. A beautifully crafted story, full of humor and love, that will leave you wanting to hug your family just a little bit tighter.
Kim is an award-winning playwright whose work has appeared throughout Michigan, New York and California. Her most recent plays, "The Home Team" and "Maggie Rose", were recently produced at Performance Network. Other Michigan productions include several productions at Jeff Daniels' Purple Rose Theatre.
About the Co-Production: One of Performance Networks touchstones is collaboration. In our first co-production, we will collaborate with Lansings Boarshead Theater. After we close we will ship the cast, set, props and costumes to Boarshead where it will run for an additional three weeks.
- "A Doll's House" by Henrik Ibsen (adaptation by James McFarlane)
Directed by David Wolber ("The Stillness Between Breaths", "Necessary Targets", "The White Rose")
Previews March 16-23,
Opening night March 24, through April 23
Nora Helmer lives in a protected world with her husband and children, a world of safety, a world without shame. But when a skeleton from her past walks into that world and threatens its foundations, Nora makes a discovery that will tear her Dolls House apart. This legendary piece by the father of modern Drama" was one of the most controversial scripts of its day and offers a powerhouse role for an accomplished actress. Dont miss the Networks innovative approach to the play that rocked the foundations of world theatre!
Henrik Johan Ibsen was an extremely influential Norwegian playwright who was largely responsible for the rise of the modern realistic drama. His plays were considered scandalous in much of society at the time, when Victorian values of family life and propriety were still very much the norm and any challenge to them considered immoral and outrageous.
"A Doll's House" features: Artistic Director Carla Milarch ("Boston Marriage", "Spike Heels", "A Streetcar Named Desire", etc.), Phil Powers ("Bus Stop" at the Purple Rose), Sarab Kamoo ("The Sins of Sor Juana"), Aaron Moore ("Take Me Out") and John Seibert ("Summer and Smoke", "The Threepenny Opera").
- Exits and Entrances" by Athol Fugard – Midwest Premiere
Previews May 4-11,
Opening night May 12 through June 11
And one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages...
Set in a dressing room in South Africa in 1961, this is a new play by world-renowned playwright Athol Fugard. It tells the story of a youthful, optimistic playwright whose career is on the rise and a fading virtuoso whose dreams have all-but died. As they trade stories and enact roles, the torch of one generation is rekindled and passed on to the next. Featuring the triumphant return of Detroit theatre legend Robert Grossman this riveting play is a must-see for theatre lovers of all kinds.
Athol Fugard is generally considered the finest South African playwright. After his play "Blood Knot" (1961) was produced in England, the government withdrew his passport for four years. "A Lesson from Aloes" won the 1980 New York Drama Critics' Circle Award. "Master Harold . . . and the Boys" (1982) premiered at the Yale Repertory Theatre and then was taken to Broadway.
Exits and Entrances" features: Robert Grossman ("Man of La Mancha", "Copenhagen") and David Wolber ("Take Me Out", "The Home Team").
- TBA (A One Man Show starring Malcolm Tulip)
Dont you wish you knew what it was?
Previews July 20-27,
Opening night July 28
Runs through August 27
Performance Network is committed to giving its subscribers the absolutely hottest properties from Off-Broadway and beyond! This year we have promised Malcolm Tulip the chance to perform a hot new one-man show, and thats exactly what we intend to do! While we have not secured the rights to this play, one way or another, Ann Arbors favorite actor is sure to deliver a one-man tour-de-force. Watch for announcements of its title throughout the year.
Ticket information:
All productions have performances Thursdays through Saturdays at 8pm, Sundays at 2pm and 7pm (The preview Sunday and Final Sunday have no 7pm performance)
Preview Tickets: Th, Fri, Sun - $20, Sat - $27.50
Preview Discounts:
"Pay-What-You-Can" Preview the 1st Thursday preview - you set the ticket price!
1/2 price for students!
Age 30 and under - $5.00 off
Opening Fri - $34.50
Fri Regular - $29.50
Sat Regular - $34.50
Th, Sun Regular - $24.50
Everyday Discounts:
There is a $3.50 discount for seniors 60+
1/2 price Student RUSH tickets offered the day of the performance if available
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