STAGES REPERTORY THEATRE
www.stagestheatre.com
STAGES REPERTORY THEATRE
CELEBRATES 26 YEARS OF INNOVATIVE ART
Stages Marks 26th Anniversary
With an Audacious Season of Provocative Plays and Musicals
HOUSTON, TX - Honoring its mission to inspire a vital engagement with Houston audiences, Stages Repertory Theatre
presents a dynamic 26th anniversary season that embodies the organization's founding principles: to compel, provoke, and
engage audiences in the rigorous pursuit of their deepest feelings. The season is a collection of plays that are bold, outrageous,
joyful, and ultimately invigorating.
"Ted Swindley's maverick spirit has inspired me to choose works that you're not likely to find in mainstage venues across the
U.S." commented Stages Artistic Director Rob Bundy, referring to the theatre's founding artistic director. "Over the years it
has been Stages' job to produce plays that invite the audience to lean forward and get engaged with what is happening on
stage. Our audiences will go to exciting and entertaining places, and they'll think and feel along the way."
"Milestones are times of great possibility and reflection, and we recognize and celebrate that Stages was founded to provide
compelling new voices and provocative works to the Houston community," said Managing Director Ken McLaughlin. "These
plays are vivid, complex, and keenly reflect the times in which we live. This milestone season is an authentic representation of
our time - its adventurous, surprising, and often wickedly funny."
In an effort to make Stages' work accessible to a larger audience and welcome new theatregoers in this anniversary season,
the theatre has adjusted subscription and single ticket prices. Season subscriptions range from $108 to $250, and are now
available through the Stages box office, 3201 Allen Parkway at Waugh Drive, or by calling 713-527-0123. Single tickets
range from $25 - $35, and are available beginning August 15. Single tickets for preview performances are $20 - $25. Student
and senior discounts are available. Groups of 10 or more are also eligible for a discount. Post-show discussions are on the
Sunday following the opening of each production. All plays, dates, and prices are subject to change.
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THE 2004-2005 26th ANNIVERSARY SEASON
CASTRO'S BEARD
By Brian Stewart
October 6 - 31, 2004
At the height of the Red Scare, four bumbling CIA bureaucrats brainstorm a series of outrageous plots to assassinate Fidel
Castro and reclaim Cuba from the Commies. Ideas range from a Mob hit to exploding cigars and poisoned shoes. The
kicker? IT'S BASED ON FACT. You'll laugh all the way to the polls.
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THE SPITFIRE GRILL: A NEW MUSICAL
Music and Book by James Valcq, Lyrics and Book by Fred Alley
December 1, 2004 - January 9, 2005
Everything Percy knows about the tiny town of Gilead comes from a picture she saw in a travel magazine. But when Percy is
released from prison with no friends and no prospects, Gilead looks about as good as anywhere else. Inspired by the
acclaimed independent film, this heartwarming new musical offers a captivating vision of the America we want to believe in,
but can't always find.
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POLISH JOKE
By David Ives
January 26 - February 20, 2005
Yasiu is born a Sadlowski, but dreams of life as a Flanagan: free from unpronounceable names, inexplicable customs and
intermittent despair. Yet all his attempts to re-invent his identity bring him back to the age - old question: How many <insert
ethnicity here> does it take to change a light bulb? A wry, insightful comedy about the way our ethnic DNA stays with us no
matter how we try to escape it.
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ORANGE FLOWER WATER
By Craig Wright
March 9 - April 3, 2005
The reason we love PAVILION author Craig Wright is that he can take an often explored theme like infidelity and create an
unforgettable play that leaves you breathless. Wright's lyrical language and deftly drawn characters shine yet again in this
deeply honest and ultimately inspiring examination of two married couples - the damage they do in the name of love, and the
beauty born from their cruelty.
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THE MINEOLA TWINS
By Paula Vogel
April 20 - May 15, 2005
The story of a 30 - year ideological struggle between (almost) identical twins divided by their politics - and the way they fill
out a sweater. A brilliant new comedy in six scenes, four dreams, and at least six wigs, from the award - winning author of
How I Learned How to Drive.
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TBA (To Be Announced)
June 1 - 26, 2005
We can't tell you what it is yet, but we guarantee it will be worth the wait!
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SPECIAL 26TH ANNIVERSARY SUMMER CELEBRATION
I LOVE YOU, YOU'RE PERFECT, NOW CHANGE!
Book and Lyrics by Joe DiPietro
Music by Jimmy Roberts
Extended through October 31, 2004
No doubt about it - Houston wants more Love. By extending its much - requested revival of I LOVE YOU, YOU'RE PERFECT, NOW
CHANGE!, Stages Repertory Theatre responds to weeks of sold - out shows and audiences clamoring for more. The popular musical
revue will now play through October 31, 2004, with 5 performances each week. The perfect show to take in with a new love interest,
longtime partner, or a crowd of friends, it's also a great deal at just $25 per ticket.
The long - lived off - Broadway production has run for over 8 years, in its previous incarnation at Stages, I LOVE YOU, YOU'RE
PERFECT, NOW CHANGE! was also extended to accommodate audience demand. What makes it so popular? Besides the comedy, the hilarious
songs, and the cheery and clever set, I LOVE YOU, YOU'RE PERFECT, NOW CHANGE! gives audiences a chance to laugh at themselves. As
the Houston Chronicle writes of the current production, "Anyone who's ever suffered through Relationship Hell, or, for that matter,
delighted in Relationship Heaven, will relate to I LOVE YOU, YOU'RE PERFECT, NOW CHANGE!
To celebrate the 26th Anniversary season, Stages is thrilled to bring back the international hit musical that had its world
premiere at Stages in 1988. Penned by Stages' Founding Artistic Director Ted Swindley, Always... Patsy Cline is a tribute to
the legendary country music singer and her friendship with Louise Seger, a fan from Houston who met Cline by chance in a
honky-tonk and remained close to her until the star's tragic death in 1963. Recognized by American Theatre Magazine as one
of the most-often produced musicals in the United Stages, the two-woman production is rich with down-home country humor
and includes 27 of Cline's unforgettable hit songs.
All tickets for Always… Patsy Cline are $25, and seating is general admission.
ALWAYS… PATSY CLINE
by Ted Swindley
Directed by Jimmy Phillips
Begins an Open Ended Run at Stages Repertory Theatre
To celebrate the 26th Anniversary season, Stages is thrilled to bring back the international hit musical that had its world
premiere at Stages in 1988. Penned by Stages' Founding Artistic Director Ted Swindley, Always... Patsy Cline is a tribute to
the legendary country music singer and her friendship with Louise Seger, a fan from Houston who met Cline by chance in a
honky-tonk and remained close to her until the star's tragic death in 1963. Recognized by American Theatre Magazine as one
of the most-often produced musicals in the United Stages, the two-woman production is rich with down-home country humor
and includes 27 of Cline's unforgettable hit songs.
All tickets for Always… Patsy Cline are $25, and seating is general admission.
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THE THEATRE
Now celebrating its 26th anniversary season, Stages is one of only a few Equity theatres in Houston. Formed in 1978 in the
basement of a brewery, Stages was created to introduce innovative contemporary plays to a region often considered
old-fashioned in its theatrical tastes. Rob Bundy was named artistic director in 1996, and under his guidance Stages has
moved to the forefront of American theatre and attained a new level of artistic quality. Kenn McLaughlin became Stages'
managing director in the summer of 2001. McLaughlin's leadership has galvanized the administration of the theatre, and
resulted in a new strategic plan designed to ensure another quarter-century of success.
In addition to the MainStage season, Stages offers productions for students and families through its EarlyStages program,
which features plays and musicals dedicated to providing children and their families with intelligent, high-quality theatre that
educates, entertains, and inspires. Stages maintains collaborative relationships with several theatre companies in Houston,
including Grupo de Teatro "Somos Todos" and Unhinged Productions, and has partnered with Young Audiences of Houston
to increase EarlyStages' impact in Houston and surrounding areas. In October 2002, Houston's City Council recognized
Stages for its outstanding service to the Houston community.
Stages is a constituent of Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national service organization for not-for-profit theatres.
The theater operates under an agreement with Actor's Equity Association (AEA), the union of professional actors and stage
managers in the United States.
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