TheatreSquared unveils celebratory 2018/19 Season
Capstone season in founding venue blends “laughter, reinvention, joy”
Six-play packages now on sale, start at $97
NORTHWEST ARKANSAS — March 28, 2018 — TheatreSquared (T2) Artistic Director Robert Ford and Executive Director Martin Miller today announced the 2018/19 TheatreSquared Season, a yearlong lineup of acclaimed new plays celebrating redemption and reinvention to close out T2’s tenure in its founding venue, even as its new home takes shape across the street. Season packages are on sale today, with six-play packages starting at $97 by phone at 479-571-2785 or online at theatre2.org/subscribe.
“From the stirring first chords of Once to the dazzling finale of The Legend of Georgia McBride, this season is a celebration of transformation—full of human reinvention of every variety,” said Ford. “What better way to close our founding chapter in our current home?”
“For those who sign on to join us for it, we’re happy to offer a singular benefit,” said Miller. “Our 18/19 Season subscribers will get first priority to lock in their seats — permanently — in our new, world-class venue the following year. With a record number of sell-out shows this current year, we’ve also made the decision to add a Tuesday night series for the first time next year as an affordable weeknight option for new subscribers.”
The 2018/19 Season launches in August with the 2012 Tony® Award-winner for Best Musical, Once. On the streets of Dublin, an Irish musician and a Czech immigrant are drawn together by their love of music. Over the course of one fateful week, an unexpected friendship quickly evolves into a powerful and complicated love story. Featuring songs including the Oscar-winning “Falling Slowly,” and a Grammy-winning score performed by a talented ensemble of actor/musicians, Once is a singular live experience which will be memorably reimagined in TheatreSquared’s intimate setting. Based on the motion picture by John Carney, the musical features a book by Enda Walsh, with music and lyrics by Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová. Performances are August 22–September 23, 2018.
In October, TheatreSquared will stage Skeleton Crew, the blistering new comedy-drama from Dominique Morisseau, one of America’s most acclaimed contemporary playwrights (and co-producer of Showtime’s Shameless). In Detroit’s last exporting auto plant, sparks fly on the production line — and in the breakroom. As rumors surface about the factory’s closing, new power dynamics emerge. When the line between blue collar and white collar blurs, how far across are they willing to step? Performances are October 10–November 4, 2018.
For the holiday season, TheatreSquared will offer Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley by Margot Melcon and Lauren Gunderson. As family gathers at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Darcy to celebrate Christmas, Mary Bennet—the bookish middle sister—finally has her day. Set two years after the events of Pride and Prejudice, this winning sequel with period style and modern wit is sure to delight Jane Austen fans and newcomers alike. Performances are November 28–December 30, 2018.
After the New Year, T2 transitions to the 2016 New York Times Critics’ Pick, Every Brilliant Thing. This “gloriously funny and exceptionally warm” (Time Out London) new one-person play is a comedy unlike any other, as its performer rediscovers in the midst of devastation everything that’s brilliant in the world. To set the scene for this soul-warming story during the coldest month of the year, TheatreSquared will entirely transform its seating and stage arrangement for the first time in eight years. Every Brilliant Thing, an intimate, immersive, and life-affirming new work by Duncan Macmillan with Jonny Donahoe, is on stage January 16–February 10, 2019.
In March, TheatreSquared will stage the 2017 finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, The Wolves by Sarah DeLappe. From the safety of the suburbs, a girls soccer team navigates life's big questions and wages their own tiny battles—with all the "bark and bite" (Vulture.com) of a pack of adolescent warriors. What results is a “smart, hilarious, delightful meditation on society, sex and soccer” (The Village Voice) —a portrait of the pursuit of happiness for nine American teens who just want to score some goals. Performances are February 27–March 24, 2019.
TheatreSquared’s 2019 Arkansas New Play Festival will be performed for the first time in spring, replacing its typical summer berth. The state's flagship celebration of bold new plays will feature two weekends of performances at TheatreSquared and Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, paired with local craft beers and a host of exclusive behind-the-scenes events from March 28–April 9, 2019.
Closing out Season 13—and its residency at Walton Arts Center’s Nadine Baum Studios—T2 will stage The Legend of Georgia McBride, by Matthew Lopez. This hilarious, heartwarming, unlikely new comedy comes to T2 fresh from an extended off-Broadway run. Casey is young, broke, and impersonating Elvis at a run-down bar in the Florida Panhandle. When the owner hires a drag show to attract more customers, he’s suddenly out of a job—or, is he? Filled with music, humor, and plenty of sequins, this joyful new play reminds us that the path to prosperity and fulfillment may sometimes take an unexpected star turn. Critics agree—Legend is “a stomp-your-feet, snap-your-fingers, singalong joy” (The Philadelphia Inquirer). Performances are May 1–May 26, 2019.
Subscription packages for TheatreSquared's 2018/19 Season are on sale now, giving subscribers the first opportunity to book seats before single tickets go on sale in summer 2018. Subscription options include six-play packages starting at $97, with four- and five- play flex packages starting at $69. Series options include Tuesday through Saturday evenings at 7:30pm, as well as Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2pm. Limited tickets are also available to T2’s Opening Night Series on the first Friday of each production, which includes a catered reception and a champagne toast, as well as the Preview Saver Series on the first Wednesday and Thursday of each production.
The 18/19 Season will also see the public launch of T2’s popular new young patrons program, NexT2. “In fall of 2017, we launched a ‘beta,’ closed-circle program with a group of young patrons—and it’s proven a fast hit,” said Miller. “NexT2 is our add-on program for young patrons over 21 who also enjoy social networking in person.” NexT2 members enjoy exclusive benefits such as complimentary beverages, behind-the-scenes experiences, and parties in the fall and spring. Membership is a $30 add-on for all young patron subscribers.
Additional add-on options available for T2 subscribers include discounted reserved parking at the Deck at the Dickson ($3.75/show) and Kids’ Club passes, allowing children (5+) to enjoy theatre classes at Nadine Baum Studios while their parents enjoy the show ($15 per child per performance).
All T2 subscriptions also include membership in National Stages, offering subscriber ticket pricing at 20 theatres ranging from the Public in New York, to the Arkansas Rep in Little Rock, to Steppenwolf in Chicago (see the full list at nationalstages.org). Benefits for season ticket holders also include savings of up to 15%, prime seating reserved before single tickets go on sale, free unlimited exchanges, and same-day discounts of up to 20% at T2 Restaurant Partners including Arsaga’s Depot, Bordinos, Cork and Keg, Fresco Restaurant, Rolando’s, Woodstone Pizza. Subscribers also receive special rates at the Dickson Street Inn and the Chancellor Hotel.
Subscriptions are on sale now at the Walton Arts Center Box Office, and can be reserved by calling 479-571-2785 or by visiting theatre2.org/subscribe.
T2 will also tour more than 70 Arkansas schools in the 2018/19 Season with Who Dunnit? Shakespeare!, an irreverent and informative exploration of the greatest mysteries and murders in Shakespeare's canon. Arkansas teachers who are interested to host this free performance at their junior high or high school should contact Morgan Hicks, director of education and program development, at 479-445-6333.
TheatreSquared is Northwest Arkansas’ professional regional theatre, offering an intimate live theatre experience for 45,000 patrons each year in its intimate space and in schools throughout the state. TheatreSquared was recognized by the American Theatre Wing, founder of the Tony Awards®, as one of the nation’s ten most promising emerging theatres. TheatreSquared has experienced remarkable growth in recent seasons, expanding its audience tenfold in the past five years. The theatre is currently in the final design phase for a new 50,000 square-foot facility to be completed in 2019. For further information or press tickets, contact TheatreSquared at 479-445-6333 or visit theatre2.org.
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Major funding for the TheatreSquared Season 13 is provided by The Walton Family Foundation, Inc.; the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Arts; the Walker Charitable Foundation; the Walmart Foundation; and by the Arkansas Arts Council, an agency of the Department of Arkansas Heritage and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Major marketing support for TheatreSquared Season 13 is provided by the Fayetteville Advertising and Promotions Commission, the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Fayetteville Flyer, Cox Communications, KNWA, CitiScapes, KUAF, and MailCo USA.