TheatreSquared announces a "captivating, energizing, and timeless" Season 19
NORTHWEST ARKANSAS —March 3, 2024— TheatreSquared (T2) Artistic Director Robert Ford and Executive Director Shannon A. Jones today announced the company’s 2024-2025 season. Season packages are on sale today at theatre2.org/subscribe, with six-play packages starting at $180, and four-play packages starting at $106.
“T2 is your theatre, and these are your plays,” said Ford at the theatre’s season unveiling event, attended by more than 200 of the company’s supporters. “When our team sifts through well over a hundred plays and musicals each year, we’re looking for just the right combination of stories—those that bring distinct voices, unexpected places, characters that’ll touch our hearts. Throughout the process, to paraphrase Willie Nelson, ‘you are always on our mind.’”
“The entire team has been hard at work to craft a truly delightful, thought-provoking season for your enjoyment,” added Jones. “With the introduction of some new national partners, TheatreSquared’s reach expands further than ever.”
The season kicks off with a towering American classic, Lorraine Hansberry’s “A Raisin in the Sun,” directed by Dexter J. Singleton. Among innumerable distinctions, this play received a Lucille Lortel Award, multiple Tony Awards, including Best Play and Best Revival, and a 1959 New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award for Best Play of the Year.
Hansberry's 1950s masterpiece unfolds on Chicago’s South Side, where three generations of the Younger family clash over how best to spend a windfall life insurance policy. On the lucrative business partnership Walter Lee is passionate about? Or medical school tuition for Beneatha? Or the new house in the suburbs that Ruth and Mama dream of, a direct challenge to racial segregation? With poignant depth, Hansberry's brilliant work still resonates as a searing testament of hope and inspiration.
“A Raisin in the Sun” will run from August 21 through September 15, 2024.
Next up: “twenty50” by Tony Meneses, a gripping, futuristic thriller about a prosperous Southwestern rancher named Andres Salazar, who’s in a brutally challenging race for Congress in the year 2050. When his own sense of humanity runs smack up against his stated political platform, the stakes couldn’t be higher: is compromising his sense of identity worth the potential benefits? And what’s to be done with this mysterious stranger who’s suddenly stumbled onto his ranch? TheatreSquared’s relationship with playwright Meneses blossomed during the 2022 Arkansas New Play Festival, when his play “Ashes from a Great Fire” was workshopped. We’re thrilled to have him back with this acutely topical drama.
See “twenty50” at TheatreSquared from October 2 through November 3, 2024.
The holiday season will bring a show that’s become a Northwest Arkansas tradition, Amy Herzberg and Robert Ford’s adaptation of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol.”
Three spirits come to visit the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge and take him on a fantastic journey through past, present, and future. But will it be enough to save him?
The Christmas spirit will be back on the West Theatre stage from November 20 through December 24, 2024.
TheatreSquared will ring in the new year with a New York Times Critics’ Pick that was an immediate sensation when it debuted off-Broadway in 2023, Eboni Booth’s “Primary Trust.”
“Perfect-anything rarely exists, but ‘Primary Trust’ is pretty darn near to a perfect play,” says The Daily Beast.
Mild-mannered Kenneth is a 36-year-old, set-in-his-ways, bookstore worker, who spends most evenings sipping Mai Tais with his best friend at the local tiki bar. When he’s suddenly laid off, his world turns upside down—in more ways than one. Booth's surprising, touching comedy explores new beginnings, old friends, and the power of seeing the world through fresh eyes.
“Primary Trust” will run from January 22 through February 23, 2025.
Shakespeare fans, get ready: TheatreSquared is teaming up with the National Asian American Theatre Company (NAATCO) and Play On Shakespeare to produce this charming, modern verse translation of the Bard’s brilliant comedy, "Twelfth Night" from Alison Carey.
“We’re thrilled to announce that TheatreSquared’s widespread reach continues to expand with exciting new partnerships with Play On Shakespeare and the award-winning National Asian American Theatre Company (NAATCO),” says Jones. “We join the NAATCO National Partnership Project (NNPP) along with their current partners, Long Wharf Theatre in Connecticut and Soho Rep in NYC, and kick off our journey together by presenting the first Shakespeare production we’ve mounted in ten years -- and this time with an all-Asian American cast. It’s been an incredible honor to join forces with these organizations to bring Shakespeare into the fold once more at T2. Play On Shakespeare's dedication to preserving the integrity of the original text while simultaneously enhancing understanding for audiences around the world make this modern translation version of the script a particularly fun endeavor. The meaningful contributions of these two organizations to the theatre world resonate deeply with our values as an organization, and we can’t wait to share this breathtaking production with our community.”
Experience this delightful contemporary-language version of Shakespeare’s mash-up of mistaken identity, drunken pranks, and passionate pursuits. Separated by a shipwreck, Viola and her twin brother embark on a journey of disguise and deception, leading to a tangled web of unrequited love. With lively music, captivating swordplay, and a fresh perspective, TheatreSquared's reimagining of this "most wonderful" romantic comedy promises an unforgettable live theater experience, in a telling that loses none of the original’s timeless poetry.
See this Shakespeare treat on stage at T2 from March 5 through March 30, 2025.
Spring brings the world premiere of T2 Artistic Director Robert Ford’s new play “In the Grove of Forgetting.”
It’s summer, 1938, and Ilona, a concert pianist known for her sharp wit as much as her musical passion, refuses to be ruled by fear, even as fellow Jewish artists and academics flee Hungary. Surely Budapest is safe from the growing Nazi fervor—isn’t it? Filled with intrigue, music, and wry humor, this world premiere is a taut emotional thriller, as a woman caught in one of history’s darkest moments fights to find a way forward.
Ford’s newest play will run from April 16 through May 11, 2025 at T2.
T2’s Arkansas New Play Festival, now in its 17th year, has garnered national attention as a productive incubator for exciting new work—and Northwest Arkansas audiences are in the front row for shows that just might be Broadway’s next big hit. In addition to sitting in for the performances, you’re invited to watch intimate conversations between the playwrights, directors, and cast and share your own thoughts with the author and creative team—and help shape new works from the ground up.
Performances will be held from May 16 through May 25, 2025, at TheatreSquared, The Momentary in Bentonville and at the Medium in Springdale.
TheatreSquared is closing out Season 19 with the riotous adventure, “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder” by Robert L. Freedman (book and lyrics) and Steven Lutvak (music and lyrics), and based on a novel by Roy Horniman.
Co-directed by T2’s Amy Herzberg and James Taylor Odom, this laugh-out-loud comedy follows Monty Navarro, a humble commoner who discovers he's eighth in line for an earldom in the D'Ysquith family. With murder, mayhem, and romance on his mind, Monty plots a wicked scheme to knock off his relatives. Featuring unforgettable music, endless laughs, and a standout performance by one actor playing all eight doomed heirs, this comedic romp guarantees an evening of uproarious fun.
With ten Tony nominations and four wins, including for Best Musical, Book, Direction and Costumes, this show also earned seven Drama Desk Awards (including Best Musical), four Outer Critics Circle Awards (including Best Musical) and one Drama League Award (Best Musical).
“A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder” will run from June 4 through June 29, 2025.
“Each of these productions promises to ignite conversations, challenge perceptions, and leave a lasting impact on our audience,” said Jones. “We can’t wait to embark on this journey of innovation and exploration with you this season.”
Subscription packages for TheatreSquared are on sale now, giving season ticket buyers the first opportunity to book seats before single tickets go on sale in summer 2024. Subscription options include six-play packages starting at $180, with four-play flex packages starting at $106. Series options include Tuesday through Saturday evenings at 7:30 pm, as well as Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2:00 pm. Limited tickets are also available to T2’s Preview Nights as well as the Opening Night Series on the first Friday of each production, which includes a catered reception and a champagne toast.
This year, you have the option to create a unique season of theater with a “Choose Your Own” package! Packages include 6, 8, or 10 ticket vouchers. You’ll have the flexibility to mix and match your tickets in any combination. Want two tickets to four plays? Great. Want one ticket to eight plays? That works too. Subscribe today and you can pick your performances at any time—plus, exchange tickets easily for free if your schedule changes.
Add-on options available exclusively for T2 subscribers include reserved parking on all show dates at the Spring Street Parking Deck.
Other benefits for season ticket holders include savings of up to 20% for each show, prime seating reserved before single tickets go on sale, and free unlimited exchanges. Subscribers enjoy same-day discounts of up to 20% at The Commons Bar/ Cafe, located at TheatreSquared.
Subscriptions are on sale now and can be reserved by calling TheatreSquared (479) 777-7477 or by visiting theatre2.org/subscribe.
About Play On Shakespeare
Play On Shakespeare is a non-profit company promoting and creating contemporary modern translations of Shakespeare’s plays. Since its inception in 2015, Play On Shakespeare has commissioned dozens of contemporary playwrights and translators to translate 39 Shakespeare plays into modern English, with a majority of the commissions being helmed by BIPOC and womxn playwrights. Far from a paraphrasing exercise, each playwright was tasked with matching Shakespeare’s linguistic rigor as they approached the text, preserving rhyme, rhythm, metaphor, meter, imagery, symbolism, rhetoric, and the structure that make Shakespeare’s plays engaging and accessible to today’s audience. Play On Shakespeare partners with artists and organizations across the globe to deliver and advocate for these translations through theatrical productions, podcasts, and publications.
For more information, visit playonshakespeare.org.
Play On Shakespeare is made possible through generous support of the Hitz Foundation.
About TheatreSquared
TheatreSquared’s signature offering of bold new plays in an intimate setting has driven its growth to become the state’s largest theater, offering more than 350 performances annually. Its pioneering work has been recognized with the 2022 Obie Award as well as critical acclaim from The New York Times (“Best Theater of 2020” list), The New Yorker, and The Wall Street Journal. The playwright-led company is one of mid-America’s leading laboratories for new work, having launched more than 60 new plays. Notable collaborators have included Candrice Jones, Bryna Turner, The Kilbanes, Sarah Gancher, José Cruz Gonzales, Mary Kathryn Nagle, Qui Nguyen, Mona Mansour, Amy Evans, and many others. TheatreSquared’s home—winner of the 2021 International Architecture Award—is a cultural landmark. Offering far-reaching access and education programs and an open-all-day gathering space, The Commons Bar/Café, TheatreSquared remains rooted in its founding vision, that “theater—done well and with passion—can transform lives and communities.”
For further information or press tickets, contact TheatreSquared at (479) 445-6333 or visit theatre2.org.
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