ALLEY THEATRE
Gregory Boyd, Artistic Director
www.alleytheatre.org
Phone 713-220-5700
Presents
THE 2008 - 2009 SEASON
Rock 'n' Roll by Tom Stoppard, Aaron Sorkin's The Farnsworth Invention, Edmond Rostand's Cyrano de Bergerac, Eurydice by Sarah Ruhl and Theresa Rebeck's Mauritius Highlight Alley Theatre's Upcoming Season
- Also featured are George Bernard Shaw's Mrs. Warren's Profession and Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman's hilarious romp The Man Who Came to Dinner.
HOUSTON, Texas - Kicking off the Alley Theatre's 62nd season is the classic adventure and the ultimate romance of Cyrano de Bergerac on the Hubbard Stage and the new biomedical thriller Secret Order on the Neuhaus Stage.
The season continues with George Bernard Shaw's battle between mother and daughter over sex, love, money and morality, Mrs. Warren's Profession and Sarah Ruhl's contemporary re-telling of a classic myth Eurydice and the hilarious comedy romp The Man Who Came to Dinner.
Also, returning to the Alley is Theresa Rebeck, with her surprising and sinister comedy Mauritius, and four-time Tony Award winner Tom Stoppard, who returns to the Alley with Rock 'n' Roll, winner of London Critics' Circle Theatre Award for Best New Play.
The final show of the season is the exciting new play from Aaron Sorkin, creator of The West Wing, The Farnsworth Invention on the Hubbard Stage.
Casting
for the 2008-2009 season will be announced at a later date.
As a non-subscription add-on, the Alley is pleased to offer Houston's holiday favorite, A Christmas Carol on the Alley's Hubbard Stage. Alley Company Actors James Black and David Rainey alternate as Scrooge this holiday season. Adapted and created by Hartford Stage Artistic Director (and Alley Artistic Associate) Michael Wilson, the production incorporates elaborate scenic, costume, and lighting design and features a cast of over 15.
The Alley's
subscription season includes five Hubbard Stage productions and three Neuhaus
Stage plays, all produced in the Alley's two-theatre complex at 615 Texas Avenue
in downtown Houston. The Theatre proudly welcomes returning Season Sponsor
Continental Airlines, the official airline of the Alley Theatre.
Please note: play titles and dates are
subject to change.
ALLEY THEATRE'S
2008-2009 SEASON INCLUDES:
The ultimate adventure is the ultimate romance
Cyrano de Bergerac, An Heroic
Comedy
By Edmond
Rostand, in the Brian Hooker translation
Directed by Gregory Boyd
Hubbard Stage
October 3 through November 2, 2008 (press opening October 8)
The soulful
poet/philosopher and dazzling swordsman Cyrano, falls for the lovely Roxane, but
ashamed of his large nose, Cyrano is unable to woo her. Instead, when he learns
that Roxane loves the handsome but inarticulate Christian, Cyrano writes love
letters to Roxane on Christian's behalf. She falls deeply in love with the
author of the letters, unaware that Cyrano penned them. The swashbuckling
adventure/romance is one of the greatest plays of world theatre.
General Audiences.
Biomedical
thriller
Secret Order
By Bob
Clyman
Directed by Charles Towers
Neuhaus Stage
October 24 through November 23, 2008 (press opening October 29)
Fueled by
pharmaceutical money, personal ambition and media frenzy, Bob Clyman's
provocative Secret Order
will have special appeal for anyone with a secret love of science. A
brilliant young research biologist working in an obscure university lab
discovers a possible cure for cancer. When the dynamic director of New York's
leading cancer institute becomes his mentor and champion, he is set on a path of
acclaim and prestige that could lead directly to the Nobel Prize. But the halls
of science twist and turn in surprising ways, and the young Doctor is suddenly
thrust into the high-stakes world of medicine, money and power.
Mature Audiences.
Houston's
Holiday Favorite
A Christmas Carol - A Ghost Story
of Christmas
By Charles
Dickens
Adapted and Originally Directed by Michael Wilson
Directed by James Black
Hubbard Stage
November 21 through December 28, 2008
This play is a subscription add-on.
Houston's seasonal favorite that the Houston Press said, ".....has spectacular London sets ...the inimitable Dickens tale -- spiced with the usual fog and an unusual twist on the ghosts past present and future." A Christmas Carol - A Ghost Story of Christmas returns this year with a re-telling of Charles Dickens' classic story, that follows Ebenezer Scrooge's journey with the three ghosts that visit him on Christmas Eve. A Christmas Carol instills a powerful message about redemption and the spirit of the holiday season. The dazzling production is created by Tony Award-winning scenic designer Tony Straiges (Alley's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?), costumes by Alejo Vietti (Alley's The Scene, Tryst, Orson's Shadow), lighting by Rui Rita (Alley's To Kill a Mockingbird, Bad Dates), and original music by John Gromada (Alley's Subject to Fits, The Pillowman).
Shaw's
classic battle between mother and daughter over sex, love, money and morality
Mrs. Warren's Profession
By George
Bernard Shaw
Directed by Anders Cato
Hubbard Stage
January 9 through February 1, 2009 (press opening January 14)
Shaw's
ultimate test of a mother-daughter relationship is one of his most enduring and
best-loved plays. Kitty Warren has worked hard to provide the comfortable
upbringing she never had for her daughter Vivie. Now that Vivie is about to
embark on her own career, her mother decides that it is time for the feminist
daughter to finally learn the truth about her mother's profession.
General audiences.
Contemporary
re-telling of a classic myth
Eurydice
By Sarah
Ruhl
Neuhaus Stage
January 30 through March 1, 2009 (press opening February 4)
Author of
the Alley's outstanding success The Clean
House, Sarah Ruhl creates a tale based on the Greek myth of Orpheus
that is "exhilarating" as "we enter a surreal world, as lush and limpid as a
dream" (The New Yorker). On the
day Eurydice is to marry her true love Orpheus, a misstep sends her to the
surreal depths of the Underworld, where she has a surprising reunion and
ultimately must decide whether to follow Orpheus back to the land of the living.
The New York Times described
Eurydice as "a magical
play with gripping emotional potency...a love letter to the world..."
Mature audiences.
A hilarious
comedy romp
The Man Who Came to Dinner
By Moss Hart
and George S. Kaufman
Hubbard Stage
February 20 through March 22, 2009 (press opening February 25)
In this
hilarious romp, Sheridan Whiteside, theatre critic, lecturer, and radio
personality, who, arriving to dine at the home of the prominent Stanley family
in a small Midwestern town, slips on their doorstep and injures his hip. A
tumultuous six weeks of confinement follow, during which Whiteside monopolizes
the living room and takes over the Stanley household. Before it's over, the
outrageous has become commonplace. This large cast comedy will feature Alley
Company members playing a most extravagant array of eccentric characters.
General audiences.
A surprising, sinister comedy
Mauritius
By Theresa
Rebeck
Neuhaus Stage
March 27 through April 26, 2009 (press opening April 1)
Theresa
Rebeck (author of The Scene and
Bad Dates) returns with
Mauritius,
a "tightly woven and ever-surprising sinister comedy" (Playbill.com)
"filled with stunning scenes of high humor and drama" (Variety).
Two sisters Mary and Jackie are in possession of a possibly valuable stamp
collection. But which sister actually owns the stamps? Which of the three
dealers can be trusted with their sale? And where do we choose to live: the
present and or the past?
Mature audiences.
Love,
Revolution, Music
Rock 'n' Roll
By Tom
Stoppard
Hubbard Stage
April 24 through May 17, 2009 (press opening April 29)
Four-time
Tony Award winner Tom Stoppard (Hapgood,
Invention of Love) returns to
the Alley with Rock 'n' Roll
, winner of London Critics' Circle Theatre Award for Best New Play. It's August
1968, and Russian tanks are rolling into Prague... Jan, the Czech student, lives
for rock music, Max, the English professor, lives for Communism, and Esme, the
flower child, is high. By 1990, the tanks are rolling out, the Stones are
rolling in and idealism has hit the wall. Stoppard's sweeping and passionate
play spans two countries, three generations and 22 turbulent years, at the end
of which, love remains - and so does rock 'n' roll. "Tom Stoppard's astounding
new work is funny, wise and triumphant," says
New York Magazine.
Mature audiences.
Aaron Sorkin's extraordinary, ambitious
new play about the creation of television
The Farnsworth Invention
By Aaron
Sorkin
Directed by David Cromer
Hubbard Stage
June 5 though June 28, 2009 (press opening June 10)
In 1929, two
ambitious visionaries race against each other to invent a device called
"television." Separated by two thousand miles, each knows that if he stops
working, even for a moment, the other will gain the edge. Who will unlock the
key to the greatest innovation of the 20th century: the ruthless media mogul, or
the self-taught Idaho farm boy? The answer comes to compelling life in
The Farnsworth Invention, the
new play from Aaron Sorkin, creator of The
West Wing.
Mature audiences.
Exxon Mobile Summer Chills 2008 Presents
Directed by
Alley Associate Director James Black
July 10th though August 3rd, 2008
Dame Agatha
Christie, the most famous creator of murder mysteries, was born in 1890 and
worked as a hospital dispenser during the First World War. Her first detective
novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles
(1920), introduced Hercule Poirot, the Belgian hero who was to appear in many
subsequent novels and plays. Over the next 56 years, Christie wrote 66 novels
and more than a dozen plays, including
Murder on the Orient Express,
The Mousetrap, The Unexpected
Guest, Black Coffee,
And Then There Were None, and
the Miss Marple mysteries - which served as the basis for the films
Murder, She Said and
Murder at the Gallop and the
inspiration for many television programs. The Alley has produced many of
Christie’s plays, among them Death on the
Nile, Witness for the
Prosecution, The Mousetrap,
Black Coffee,
Spider’s Web and
Towards Zero.
TICKET INFORMATION AND PACKAGES
$21
"CHEAP THRILLS" TICKETS
The Alley's $21 "Cheap Thrills" ticket program makes low-priced tickets
available year-round for Tuesday and Sunday evening performances of most Alley
subscription series productions on the Hubbard Stage. Call the Alley Box Office
at 713.220.5700 for details.
SUBSCRIPTIONS
Season subscriptions are as low as $105 and may be purchased at
www.alleytheatre.org, by phone at 713.220.5700, or in person at the Alley
Theatre Box Office, 615 Texas Ave.
SINGLE
TICKETS
Single tickets will be on sale to the general public at a later date, please
check www.alleytheatre.org for future updates. Single tickets are available for
purchase online at www.alleytheatre.org., by phone at 713.220.5700 or in person
at the Alley Box Office at 615 Texas Ave. Single tickets start at $21. The
added convenience of reservations by phone or Internet is available for a
nominal fee.
GROUP
TICKETS
Groups of 10 or more can receive special concierge services and discounts by
calling the group sales department at 713.315.3346.
ACTOUT
ActOUT is Houston's premiere group for GLBT theatre fans and their friends.
Patrons enjoy pre-show mixers with fellow gay and lesbian subscribers, who
gather to meet their favorite Alley artists and enjoy complimentary cocktails
and appetizers from Houston's finest restaurants. ActOUT events take place at
the Alley for each Hubbard Stage production, and are complimentary with the
purchase of a subscription or ticket to the show. For more information, call
713.228.9341 ext. 404.
MIX
AND MINGLE
Now is the time for singles, couples and groups who love the theatre to
Mix & Mingle with other likeminded theatre buffs. Meet new friends, enjoy
complimentary appetizers, a cash bar and pleasure your tastebuds with the
evening's specialty drink. Mix & Mingle is held for each regular Hubbard Stage
production. The mixers - held at a variety of downtown restaurants or at the
Alley - encourage like-minded theatergoers to congregate and enjoy Alley
productions together. Mix & Mingle events take place for each Hubbard Stage
production, and are complimentary with the purchase of a subscription or ticket
to the show. For more information, call 713.228.9341 ext 404.
AUDIENCE
PROGRAMS
TALKBACKS
Alley patrons are invited to attend post-show TalkBacks with the cast and
members of the artistic staff on select Tuesdays. These question-and-answer
sessions are held immediately after the evening performance.
ALLEY EMAIL CLUB
Join the Alley Theatre email club to receive exclusive ticket offers and
give-aways, casting updates, new information about upcoming productions,
education and community events, pre-show mixers and other special events. To
register, visit
www.alleytheatre.org.
PAY-WHAT-YOU-CAN
The Alley Theatre continues its efforts to make the theatre affordable to
patrons by offering Pay-What-You-Can performances of many of its Hubbard Stage
productions. Partnering with other social non-profit organizations, the Alley
seeks to generate in-kind donations and reward patrons with Pay-What-You-Can
tickets. Pay-What-You-Can tickets are available in-person, the day of the
performance only and are limited to two tickets per person and cost a minimum of
$10 but patrons are encouraged to Pay-What-They-Can. Pay-What-You-Can dates
will be announced soon. Visit
www.alleytheatre.org
for updates and details.
AUDIO DESCRIPTION, ASL INTERPRETED AND CAPTIONING
The Alley offers open-captioned performances for patrons with low hearing
and audio described performances for patrons with low vision. The theatre also
offers American Sign Language-interpreted performances. Please visit
www.alleytheatre.org
or call 713.220.5700 for more information.
HYPE -
HOUSTON YOUNG PLAYWRIGHTS EXCHANGE
The Alley Theatre is currently accepting submissions for the Houston Young
Playwrights Exchange (HYPE). HYPE is a new-play development program for
teenagers in the Houston area. Participants must be between the age of 13 and 19
on the submission deadline. Submissions must be in the form of a one-act play
that is no more than 30 minutes long when read aloud and that requires no more
than six actors. Deadline for submissions is April 25, 2008.
For more information, visit
www.alleytheatre.org
or call 713.228.9341 ext. 425.
ALLEY
THEATRE YOUNG PERFORMERS STUDIO
Be part of a creative drama learning experience. The Alley Theatre Young
Performers Studio engages students in a dynamic introduction to theatre arts
while fostering their individual creativity and building skills that reach
beyond the stage. Fall, spring and two summer sessions are available for
grades 2-12. For more information call Julia Traber, Studio Director
at 713.315.5423.
Plays and
dates are subject to change.
Projects at the Alley Theatre are funded in part by a grant from the City of
Houston and the Texas Commission on the Arts through the Cultural Arts Council
of Houston/Harris County.
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