Guthrie Theater

Video: Guthrie sets ambitious 2008-2009 season

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March 24, 2008
Press Release # 1238

For more information call:
Melodie Bahan 612.225-6140
melodieb@guthrietheater.org
Lee Henderson 612.225.6142
leeh@guthrietheater.org

DOWLING ANNOUNCES A POWERHOUSE SEASON OF WORLD PREMIERES AND CLASSICS

ALL FIRST TIME PRODUCTIONS AT THE GUTHRIE

(Minneapolis/St. Paul) Guthrie Director Joe Dowling today announced the plays of the 2008-2009 season, including an entire season of plays for the two main stages that are receiving their first-ever Guthrie productions.

In addition to the previously announced world premiere musical Little House on the Prairie and the celebration of the work of Tony Kushner on all three Guthrie stages - with productions of the Guthrie-commissioned The Intelligent Homosexual's Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures;  Caroline, or Change and An Evening of Short Plays by Tony Kushner - the season on the Wurtele Thrust and McGuire Proscenium stages will include Arthur Miller's A View from the Bridge, William Nicholson's Shadowlands, Edward Albee's A Delicate Balance, William Shakespeare's The Two Gentlemen of Verona and J.B. Priestley's When We Are Married - all being produced for the first time in the Guthrie's history.  The Guthrie's Dowling Studio season includes Harold Pinter's The Caretaker, Samuel Beckett's Happy Days, a co-production with The Acting Company of Shakespeare's Henry V and performances by the Guthrie Experience for Actors in Training and the University of Minnesota/Guthrie BFA students.

The Guthrie will once again present the work of some of the Twin Cities' most exciting companies on the McGuire Proscenium and in the Dowling Studio this season, with Penumbra Theatre, Theater Latté Da, Pillsbury House Theatre, Frank Theatre and Live Action Set all confirmed for productions.

"We anticipate the 2008-2009 season to be one of the most prestigious and ambitious in Guthrie history," Dowling said. "Our ability to produce such an artistically diverse line-up, from a new musical based on stories of our region to a commission from one of America's most gifted and insightful playwrights to a Shakespeare comedy that has never before been produced at the Guthrie, reflects our mission to connect Minnesotans to the peoples of the world."

In today's announcement, Dowling emphasized the remarkable nature of having an entire season of plays all new to the Guthrie. "The Guthrie has a wonderfully loyal and engaged audience and it is inspiring to plan a season that will be invigorating and entertaining for them," he said. "I am proud that we will be presenting this vibrant combination of new works and classics on all three stages, as well as our presentations by other exceptional local companies."

TICKET INFORMATION

Eight plays of the 2008-2009 season are available as part of the subscription series at the Guthrie Theater - A View from the Bridge; The Two Gentlemen of Verona; Caroline, or Change; and When We Are Married on the Wurtele Thrust Stage and Little House on the Prairie, Shadowlands, A Delicate Balance and The Intelligent Homosexual on the McGuire Proscenium Stage. New season subscriptions range in price from $65 to $519 and go on sale May 19, 2008. Tickets to A Christmas Carol go on sale August 25, 2008. Single tickets for Little House on the Prairie go on sale June 27, 2008. Single tickets for all other shows on the McGuire Proscenium and Wurtele Thrust stages range from $24 to $75, and go on sale July 7, 2008.

The Dowling Studio season will include Guthrie productions of The Caretaker by Harold Pinter, Happy Days by Samuel Beckett and An Evening of Short Plays by Tony Kushner. In 2008-2009, the Guthrie will also present the work of Theater Latté Da, Pillsbury House Theatre, The Acting Company, Frank Theatre and Live Action Set in the Dowling Studio. Single tickets for productions and presentations in the Dowling Studio range from $18 to $34 and go on sale July 7, 2008.

For more information or to purchase tickets or season subscriptions, call the Guthrie Theater Box Office (612) 377-2224 or toll-free (877) 44 STAGE. Tickets can also be purchased online at http://www.guthrietheater.org/.

GUTHRIE THEATER 2008-2009 SEASON

On the Wurtele Thrust Stage

September 13 - November 9, 2008

A View from the Bridge
by Arthur Miller
directed by Ethan McSweeny
September 19, Opening Night

November 18 - December 31, 2008

A Christmas Carol
by Charles Dickens
adapted by Barbara Field
directed by Gary Gisselman
November 21, Opening Night

January 24 - March 29, 2009

The Two Gentlemen of Verona
by William Shakespeare
directed by Joe Dowling
January 30, Opening Night

April 18 - June 21, 2009

Caroline, or Change
book and lyrics by Tony Kushner
music by Jeanine Tesori
director TBA
April 24, Opening Night

July 4 - August 30, 2009

When We Are Married
by J.B. Priestley
directed by John Miller-Stephany
July 10, Opening Night

On the McGuire Proscenium Stage

July 26 - October 5, 2008

World Premiere
Little House on the Prairie
book by Rachel Sheinkin, music by Rachel Portman and lyrics by Donna DiNovelli
based on the "Little House" books by Laura Ingalls Wilder
directed by Francesca Zambello
August 15, Opening Night

November 1 - December 21, 2008

Shadowlands
by William Nicholson
directed by Joe Dowling
November 7, Opening Night

January 10 - March 1, 2009

Edward Albee's
A Delicate Balance
directed by Gary Gisselman
January 16, Opening Night

March 14 - April 12, 2009

A Penumbra Theatre production of
A Raisin in the Sun
by Lorraine Hansberry
directed by Lou Bellamy
March 20, Opening Night

May 9 - June 28, 2009

World Premiere
The Intelligent Homosexual's Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures
by Tony Kushner
director TBA
May 15, Opening Night

In the Dowling Studio

July 23 - August 3, 2008
A Guthrie Experience for Actors in Training

September 12 - October 5, 2008
A Theater Latté Da production of
Old Wicked Songs
by Jon Marans
directed by Peter Rothstein

October 11 - November 2, 2008
The Caretaker
by Harold Pinter
directed by Benjamin McGovern
October 15, Opening Night

November 6 - November 30, 2008
A Pillsbury House Theatre production of
Blackbird
by David Harrower
directed by Steve DiMenna

January 10 - February 1, 2009
The Acting Company / Guthrie Theater production of
Henry V
by William Shakespeare
directed by Davis McCallum
January 14, Opening Night

February 14 - March 8, 2009
Happy Days
by Samuel Beckett
directed by Rob Melrose
February 18, Opening Night

March 12 - April 5, 2009
A Frank Theatre production of
By the Bog of Cats...
by Marina Carr
directed by Wendy Knox

April/May, 2009
Future Now: New Plays for the Class of 2009
University of Minnesota/Guthrie Theater
BFA Senior Showcase

May 16 - June 7, 2009
An Evening of Short Plays
by Tony Kushner
director TBA
May 20, Opening Night

June 18 - 28, 2009
A Live Action Set production of
My Father's Bookshelf
collaboratively created by Live Action Set

GUTHRIE THEATER 2008-2009 SEASON - PLAY DESCRIPTIONS

On the Wurtele Thrust Stage

September 13 - November 9, 2008

A View from the Bridge
by Arthur Miller
directed by Ethan McSweeny
September 19, Opening Night
Written by quintessential American dramatist Arthur Miller, A View from the Bridge is as timeless as the Greek tragedies on which it is modeled and as contemporary as today's headlines. Longshoreman Eddie Carbone lives in the Red Hook section of Brooklyn with his wife Beatrice and her orphaned niece Catherine, whom they have brought up as their own daughter. Into the household come two of Beatrice's cousins from Italy who enter the country illegally to find work on the waterfront. Eddie's love for his niece turns to obsession when the younger of the Italian brothers, Rodolpho, and Catherine strike up a friendship that blooms into romance. Soon Eddie's conflicted feelings lead him to betray his family's trust and take action that ends in violence. Ethan McSweeny (Six Degrees of Separation, Romeo and Juliet, A Body of Water) directs this first-ever staging of Miller's acclaimed play at the Guthrie.

November 18 - December 31, 2008

A Christmas Carol
by Charles Dickens
adapted by Barbara Field
directed by Gary Gisselman
November 21, Opening Night
This perennial family holiday entertainment, inspired by Charles Dickens' immortal tale, returns for its 34^th consecutive year. The endearingly popular favorite will be directed again by Gary Gisselman.

January 24 - March 29, 2009

The Two Gentlemen of Verona
by William Shakespeare
directed by Joe Dowling
January 30, Opening Night
Joe Dowling directs the first-ever Guthrie production of one of Shakespeare's earliest comedies - one that celebrates the triumph of love's rewards over fickle manipulations. The Two Gentlemen of Verona follows two pairs of lovers: Valentine and Silvia, and Proteus and Julia. As the young gentlemen from Verona come to Milan, one is eager to experience the world while the second is forced to leave home and be separated from his beloved Julia. Yet once in Milan, both Valentine and Proteus fall for the duke's daughter Silvia and heartbreak and continued hilarity ensues. Teeming with sensational plot twists - including the inescapable identity mix-ups - the play promises audiences a happily-ever-after ending with both young couples' love fulfilled by the blessing of marriage. The Two Gentlemen of Verona, with its youthful exuberance and themes of friendship, continues to delight theatergoers young and old.

April 18 - June 21, 2009

Caroline, or Change
book and lyrics by Tony Kushner
music by Jeanine Tesori
director TBA
April 24, Opening Night
Set against the backdrop of Lake Charles, Louisiana, in 1963, this award-winning musical centers on Caroline Thibodeaux, an African American maid, and Noah Gellman, the son of the Jewish family for whom she works. The nation is reeling from the burgeoning Civil Rights movement, Kennedy's assassination and the war in Vietnam, just as the Gellman family attempts to redefine itself after the death of Noah's mother and his father's remarriage. To teach him the value of money, Noah's stepmother tells Caroline to take the change she finds in Noah's pockets at laundry time. When he leaves a twenty-dollar bill, Caroline faces a decision between maintaining her relationship with Noah and using the money to help her own children. Featuring a virtuosic score by Jeanine Tesori (Thoroughly Modern Millie), this musical bends blues, gospel, klezmer and traditional Jewish melodies, creating a breathtaking medium for Kushner's provocative and personal story.

July 4 - August 30, 2009

When We Are Married
by J.B. Priestley
directed by John Miller-Stephany
July 10, Opening Night
Set on a September evening around 1908, J.B. Priestley's farcical comedy takes place in the sitting-room of Alderman Helliwell's house. Old friends - the Helliwells, the Parkers and the Soppitts - gather to celebrate the three couples' silver wedding anniversaries. Gerald Forbes, the chapel organist and choir master, has been courting the Helliwells' niece Nancy a bit too conspicuously. But when Gerald is chastised for his behavior, he riles up the party, revealing a shocking truth to these uptight Victorian gentlemen. The secret spreads and soon each couple's relationship is rigorously and hilariously tested to its limit. An accomplished British novelist, essayist and playwright, J.B. Priestly is perhaps best-known for his play An Inspector Calls. Written in 1938, When We Were Married will be directed by Associate Artistic Director John Miller-Stephany (The Constant Wife, 1776, Jane Eyre)

On the McGuire Proscenium Stage

July 26 - October 5, 2008

World Premiere
Little House on the Prairie
book by Rachel Sheinkin, music by Rachel Portman and lyrics by Donna DiNovelli
based on the "Little House" books
by Laura Ingalls Wilder
directed by Francesca Zambello
August 15, Opening Night
Based on Laura Ingalls Wilder's beloved "Little House" books, this world premiere musical centers on the independent spirit of the teenager Laura, the family's settlement in DeSmet, South Dakota, and the hardships and joys faced by a family in a pioneer community. Internationally renowned opera and theater director Francesca Zambello leads an accomplished creative team in the development of this new work, including lyrics by acclaimed lyricist Donna DiNovelli, music by Academy Award-winner Rachel Portman and book by Tony Award-winning book writer Rachel Sheinkin (The 25^th Annual Putman County Spelling Bee). The development of this world premiere musical in Minneapolis fuses an integral part of American culture with some of the best theater writers today, in the heartland where these poignant stories first came to life. Little House on the Prairie marks the first musical to be presented on the McGuire Proscenium Stage. 

November1 - December 21, 2008

Shadowlands
by William Nicholson
directed by Joe Dowling
November 7, Opening Night
At the core of Shadowlands is a love story with undeniable staying power: the account of the unusual relationship between C.S. Lewis and Joy Davidman Gresham, an American poet and self-described Jewish-Communist-Christian. Lewis was a distinguished literary scholar and one of the 20th century's foremost popular writers on Christian theology. When he was 9, his mother died of cancer. When he was 61, his wife Joy died of the same disease. Both were racked with pain; both endured the false hope of brief remission; both left behind baffled, brittle sons. Part of Lewis plainly believed these horrors somehow reflected an almighty benevolent hand. Another part of him, the play argues, never could. That led him, as a younger man, to escape into writing the literature for which he is most remembered: children's fables such as The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. He yearned, it is suggested, for a healing magic he could not find in the everyday world..

January 10 - March 1, 2009

Edward Albee's
A Delicate Balance
directed by Gary Gisselman
January 16, Opening Night
When he arrived on the American theater scene, Edward Albee made certain his voice was heard loudly, clearly and often. Albee has won countless awards for his plays, including his first of three Pulitzer Prizes for A Delicate Balance. The setting for this classic study of a dysfunctional American family is the living room of a suburban house in the Northeast, owned by Tobias and his wife Agnes. With four bedrooms and a well-stocked liquor cabinet, their home provides a refuge and a measure of comfort as they enter the later years of their lives. But when unexpected and too numerous visitors arrive on the scene - all of whom claim some right to be there - the household is thrown into turmoil and many well-masked feelings and opinions are finally vented. Gary Gisselman (A Christmas Carol, Lost in Yonkers) directs Albee's vivid portrait of an American family, and the sparks that are known to fly within it.

March, 14 - April 12, 2009

A Penumbra Theatre production of
A Raisin in the Sun
by Lorraine Hansberry
directed by Lou Bellamy
March 20, Opening Night
A recent widow, Lena Younger wants to use her husband's insurance money to buy a home for her family, freeing them from the cramped tenement in which she, her two children, daughter-in-law and grandson live. Her son, Walter Lee, is determined to invest the money in a business - an opportunity for him to be his own man and not just the driver for his white boss. Lena refuses; in her eyes a house is a sturdy thing to build a dream on, one that can relieve the strains that poverty has put on the family. But when a white representative of the neighborhood "welcoming committee" presents the Younger's with an offer to buy them out of their home to prevent integration in their community, the dream of the house quickly becomes a nightmare. A Raisin in the Sun opened on Broadway in 1959 and for the first time hailed an all-black principal cast, a black playwright and a black director. It was nominated for four Tony awards. This year marks the 50th Anniversary of the inspiring classic about a working class black family struggling to make it in America.

May 9 - June 28, 2009

World Premiere
The Intelligent Homosexual's Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures
by Tony Kushner
director TBA
May 15, Opening Night
Commissioned by the Guthrie, The Intelligent Homosexual makes its world premiere as part of the Guthrie's celebration of the work of Tony Kushner. Kushner, who has also received an Emmy and two Tony Awards, won a Pulitzer Prize in 1993 for "Millennium Approaches," the first half of his two-part Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes. His other plays include A Bright Room Called Day and Homebody/Kabul. He also wrote the book for the musical Caroline, or Change and the screenplay for Steven Spielberg's Munich.

In the Dowling Studio

July 23 - August 3, 2008
A Guthrie Experience for Actors in Training
Now in its 12^th year, A Guthrie Experience presents the 2008 company of 14 actors from advanced training programs around the country in a unique and thrilling theatrical experience, conceived and directed by Marcela Lorca in collaboration with the cast.

September 12 - October 5, 2008
A Theater Latté Da production of
Old Wicked Songs
by Jon Marans
directed by Peter Rothstein
Nominated for the 1996 Pulitzer Prize in drama, Old Wicked Songs tells the story of a prodigious young pianist suffering an artistic block and the aging musician who helps re-ignite his inspiration. A third "character" in the play is the music of Robert Schumann, whose song cycle the Dichterliebe (Poet's Love) echoes throughout the work -- its structure and themes mirrored in the events on stage. Old Wicked Songs is an emotional journey through joy and sadness, anger and redemption, out of which emerges healing, music and inspiration. Theater Latté Da will stage Old Wicked Songs in repertory with a recital of the Dichterliebe, Schumann's song cycle set to texts by the German Poet Heinrich Heine. Performed by Bradley Greenwald, baritone and Sonja Thompson, piano.

October 11 - November 2, 2008
The Caretaker
by Harold Pinter
directed by Benjamin McGovern
October 15, Opening Night
Widely considered Pinter's first success after receiving recognition from the public and critics alike, The Caretaker is a provocative piece that elicits a multitude of interpretations and reactions from its audiences. The Caretaker is set in a run-down flat in London shared by two brothers, Aston and Mick. When one of them brings home a talkative, homeless, older man, their everyday routines begin to take uneasy dramatic turns. Pinter's masterful use of dialogue and the play's depth and perception completes this modern masterpiece, dealing with the distance between reality and fantasy, family relationships and the struggle for power.

November 6 - November 30, 2008
A Pillsbury House Theatre production of
Blackbird
by David Harrower
directed by Steve DiMenna
Fifteen years ago Una and Ray were involved in a relationship. They haven't seen each other since. Now, at age 27, she's found him again. The 2007 Laurence Olivier Award winner for Best New Play, Blackbird is a daringly provocative no-holds barred drama that is a portrait of two people damaged by an illicit love. This critically acclaimed play marks the first time Pillsbury House Theatre will perform in the Dowling Studio.

January 10 - February 1, 2009
The Acting Company / Guthrie Theater production of
Henry V
by William Shakespeare
directed by Davis McCallum
January 14, Opening Night
Nearly 20 years since the Guthrie's last production of Henry V, the Guthrie and The Acting Company join forces for a unique co-production of this timely play. Young, restless and ambitious, Henry V inherits a troubled crown and seeks to secure his position at home by turning the country's attention abroad, launching a hasty invasion of France. Shakespeare's charismatic warrior king's aggressive pursuit of the French crown earns him iconic status, uniting England and France and briefly banishing the civil strife that will long outlive him. Balancing the thrilling heroics of battle with the painful reactions of men unsure of the justice of their cause, Henry V is a rousing, fascinating story of the power of courage and the price of glory. Guthrie audiences will be the first to see this powerful production before the company embarks on a national tour. The cast of 12 young actors will include many graduates of the Guthrie's BFA program and former Guthrie Experience students.

February 14 - March 8, 2009
Happy Days
by Samuel Beckett
directed by Rob Melrose
February 18, Opening Night
With Waiting for Godot (1952) and Endgame (1957), Happy Days represents one of the masterpieces of Samuel Beckett, the Irish playwright, poet and novelist, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1969 for his penetrating and uncompromising exploration of the human condition in our time. As is the case with all of Beckett's works for the stage, Happy Days is an utterly spare and precise play. Every detail carries exactly the weight and the degree of importance determined by the author. The drama is intense, minimalist, strictly concentrated to the bare elements needed to make the main character Winnie's resilience apparent in the stream of her thoughts and emotions.

March 12 - April 5, 2009
A Frank Theatre production of
By the Bog of Cats...
by Marina Carr
directed by Wendy Knox
Set in rural Ireland, By the Bog of Cats... is an uncompromising tale of abandonment and shocking self-sacrifice. Hester Swane is a woman born of gypsies and tied to the bleak landscape where she has lived her whole life. Her lover, Carthage Kilbride, with whom she has a young daughter, is about to be married to another woman who will bring him land, wealth and respect. Discarded and ignored, Hester sets out with a reckless fervor to reclaim the life that she had. In this loose retelling of Euripides' Medea, Marina Carr blends the mythic with the modern, populating the Bog of Cats with misfits, witches, and ghosts. Following their sold-out production of The Pillowman in the 2007-2008 Guthrie season, Frank Theatre returns to the Dowling Studio to bring their fearless, take-no-prisoners style to this bold and uproarious play.

April/May, 2009
Future Now: New Plays for the Class of 2009
These performances showcase the graduating class of the University of Minnesota/Guthrie Theater BFA Actor Training Program in works from a new generation of American playwrights, commissioned and written specifically for the class.

May 16 - June 7, 2009
An Evening of Short Plays
by Tony Kushner
director TBA
May 20, Opening Night
As part of the celebration of the work of Tony Kushner, the Guthrie presents an evening of Kushner's short plays. Play titles will be announced at a later date.

June 18 - 28, 2009
A Live Action Set production of
My Father's Bookshelf
collaboratively created by Live Action Set
My Father's Bookshelf is a new work about dementia, neuroscience, and the mortality of families. Part family drama, part lecture, and part clowning comedy, this engaging performance springs from Live Action Set's uniquely collaborative style. It tells the story of a neuroscientist afflicted with Alzheimer's and explores the individual, family, and scientific response to a disease that eats at the essence of human society: our ability to communicate. A basic introduction to the latest developments in neuroscience research is at the heart of My Father's Bookshelf.  Used to highlight the dramatic gap between contemporary Alzheimer's research and practical application, it explores the tragic humor of decline and the inspirational relevance of science.

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