The American Repertory Theater

Announces Its 2013/14 Season,

By: A.R.T. - May 03, 2013

Artistic director Diane Paulus is a nominee for her third Tony for Pippin. Giuliano photos.

Audra MacDonald and Norm Lewis starred in the ART production that transferred to Broadway.

 

The American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) at Harvard University, under the Artistic Direction of Diane Paulus, is pleased to announce its 2013/14 Season, which includes the previously announced Robert Schenkkan’s play All the Way and the world premiere of the musical Witness Uganda. 

The season lineup is as follows:

• All the Way – by Robert Schenkkan, (author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning The Kentucky Cycle), directed by Bill Rauch (Artistic Director of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival); begins performances in September 2013 at the Loeb Drama Center

• The Heart of Robin Hood – by David Farr (Associate Director of the Royal Shakespeare Company), directed by Gisli Örn Gardarsson (co-adapter, director, and lead actor of Metamorphosis, Vestuport and Lyric Hammersmith Theatres); begins performances in December 2013 at the Loeb Drama Center

• The Light Princess – a family show for the holidays with book by Lila Rose Kaplan; music and lyrics by Mike Pettry; directed by Allegra Libonati; begins performances in December 2013

• Witness Uganda – a world premiere musical by Matt Gould and Griffin Matthews, directed by Diane Paulus; begins performances in February 2014 at the Loeb Drama Center

• The Shape She Makes  – conceived by Susan Misner and Jonathan Bernstein, choreographed by Susan Misner; written and directed by Jonathan Bernstein; begins performances inApril 2014 at OBERON

• The Tempest – adapted and directed by Aaron Posner and Teller (of Penn & Teller) from Shakespeare's play; magic by Teller; music by Tom Waits; begins performances in May 2014 at the Loeb Drama Center

“Each season we look for pieces that will catalyze engagement with our community,” stated Diane Paulus.  “It is particularly exciting to be able to produce work that represents a wide range of styles and form, featuring the most exciting performers and creative visionaries in the field. Thepower of this season is the range of work that takes us from Shakespeare, interpreted by one of the greatest magicians of our time, to a brilliant new play that deals with American politics, a dance piece that challenges the conventions of traditional storytelling, a re-envisioning of an English legend that moves the focus from the hero to the heroine, to a new musical that takes on the complicated nature of American aid work in Africa.“ Paulus continued, “I am thrilled to have the A.R.T. present this diverse spectrum of projects that so powerfully reflect our core mission of expanding the boundaries of theater.”

Details about the coming season productions are as follows:

• All the Way – by Robert Schenkkan, directed by Bill Rauch, with Bryan Cranston as LBJ; begins performances in September 2013 at the Loeb Drama Center 1963. An assassin’s bullet catapults Lyndon B. Johnson into the presidency.

A Shakespearean figure of towering ambition and appetite, the charismatic, conflicted Texan hurls himself intoCivil Rights legislation, throwing the country into turmoil. Alternately bullying and beguiling, he enacts major social programs, faces down opponents and wins the 1964 election in a landslide. But in faraway Vietnam, a troublesome conflict looms. In the Pulitzer Prize–winning playwright’s vivid dramatization of LBJ’s first year in office, means versus ends play out on a broad stage canvas as politicians and civil rights leaders plot strategy and wage war. A searing, enthralling exploration of the morality of Power, starring Bryan Cranston as LBJ, Michael McKean as J. Edgar Hoover, Brandon J. Dirden as Martin Luther King, Jr., and Reed Birney as Hubert Humphrey.

All the Way was recently awarded the 2013 Harold and Mimi Steinberg/American Theatre Critics Association New Play Award, and the inaugural Edward M. Kennedy Prize for Drama Inspired by American History.  It was commissioned by the Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF)’s American Revolutions: the United States History Cycle and premiered at OSF in 2012. 

• The Heart of Robin Hood – by David Farr, directed by Gisli Örn Gardarsson, to begin performances in December 2013 at the Loeb Drama Center   

The notorious Robin Hood and his band of outlaws steal from the rich, but they do not share their spoils with the poor and are unloved by the people, who must also pay unfair taxes to the evil Prince John as he plots to steal his brother's crown. In this time of chaos and fear, it is down to Marion to boldly protect the poor and convince Robin that he must listen to his heart if they are to save the country. This spectacular new rendition of a great English legend was written by the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Associate Director David Farr and directed by Gisli Örn Gardarsson, recently seen in Boston in his own production of Metamorphosis. The Heart of Robin Hood was originally produced by the Royal Shakespeare Company. 

• The Light Princess – with book by Lila Rose Kaplan; music and lyrics by Mike Pettry; directed by Allegra Libonati; begins performances in December 2013.

A holiday treat for the whole family, The Light Princess is a whimsical tale of a Princess who is cursed to not have any gravity. The King and Queen must find the Princess' gravity before her 16th birthday, else the kingdom will fall into the hands of the Witch that cursed her. Based on the short story by George MacDonald (whose work influenced such greats as C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and Mark Twain), The Light Princess is written for younger audiences, but is safe for adults as well.

• Witness Uganda – a world premiere musical by  Matt Gould and Griffin Matthews, directed by Diane Paulus; begins performances in February 2014 at the Loeb Drama Center

­­Frustrated with his church’s probing into his sexuality, Griffin escapes New York and travels to Uganda to help build a village school. But when he falls into a complicated relationship with a group of orphaned teenagers, he becomes obsessed with a mission that will change his and their lives forever. This journey, inspired by a true story, takes you from a stifling apartment in New York City to the beautiful rolling hills of the Ugandan countryside andback.  Witness Uganda documents the story of a young man battling to find his place in a world full of injustice and inhumanity, and explores the question "is changing the world even possible?"

• The Shape She Makes  – conceived by Susan Misner and Jonathan Bernstein, choreographed by Susan Misner; written and directed by Jonathan Bernstein; begins performances inApril 2014 at OBERON

A fusion of dance and theater, this profoundly moving new piece tells the story of a family torn apart by alcoholism.  As a substitute teacher prepares to deliver a speech at a conference for mathematical geniuses, we are taken back and forth to her childhood as a precocious 11-year old struggling to understand what she’s inherited from her absent father and her bartending mother. The Shape She Makes is an elegant exploration of the effects the past can have on shaping our personal identities.

• The Tempest – adapted and directed by Aaron Posner and Teller (Penn & Teller) from Shakespeare's play; magic by Teller; music by Tom Waits; begins performances in May 2014 at the Loeb Drama Center. The Tempest is a co-production with the Smith Center, Las Vegas.  

Experience Prospero’s wizardry as never before in this startling and mystifying production featuring magic by the illusionist Teller (of the legendary duo Penn and Teller).  When shipwrecked aristocrats wash up on the shores of Prospero’s strange island, they find themselves immersed in a world of trickery and amazement, where Tom Waits’ dusty music animates the spirits and monsters.  But the revels come to an end when the master magician realizes he has neglected his life in service of his art, and must now relinquish his conjuring in order to reclaim his life and provide for the future of his only child.

The A.R.T.  is dedicated to expanding the boundaries of theater. Winner of the 2012 Tony Award for Best Musical Revival for its production of The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess, the A.R.T. is a leading force in the American theater, producing groundbreakingwork in Cambridge and beyond. The A.R.T. was founded in 1980 by Robert Brustein, who served as Artistic Director until 2002, when he was succeeded by Robert Woodruff. In 2008, Diane Paulus became the A.R.T.'s Artistic Director. The A.R.T. is the recipient of numerous other awards including the Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theater, the Pulitzer Prize, and many Elliot Norton and I.R.N.E. Awards. Its recent premiere production of Death and The Powers: The Robots’ Opera was a 2012 Pulitzer Prize finalist.  During its 32-year history, the A.R.T. has welcomed many major American and international theater artists, presenting a diverse repertoirethat includes premieres of American plays, bold reinterpretations of classical texts and provocative new music theater productions. The A.R.T. has performed throughout the U.S. and worldwide in 21 cities in 16 countries on four continents.  The A.R.T. is also a training ground for young artists. The Theater’s artistic staff teaches undergraduate classes in acting, directing, dramatic literature, dramaturgy, voice, and design atHarvard University. In 1987, the A.R.T. founded the Institute for Advanced Theater Training at Harvard University. A two-year, five-semester M.F.A. graduate program that operates in conjunction with the Moscow Art Theater School, the Institute provides world-class professional training in acting,dramaturgy and voice.

Since becoming Artistic Director, Diane Paulus has enhanced the A.R.T.’s core mission to expand the boundaries of theater by continuing to transform the ways in which work is developed, programmed, produced and contextualized, always including the audience as a partner. Productions such as Sleep No More, The Donkey Show, Gatz, The Blue Flower, Prometheus Bound, Wild Swans, The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess, Pippin, and The Glass Menagerie have engaged audiences in unique theatrical experiences. The A.R.T.’s club theater, OBERON, which Paulus calls a second stage for the 21st century, has become an incubator for local and emerging artists, and has also attracted national attention for its innovative programming model.

Subscriptions for the 2013/14 will be on sale May 3. Subscribers get the best seats at the best prices, with packages starting as low as $99.

Groups of 10 or more for any performance of the 2013/14 Season may purchase now by calling 617-496-2000x8887.

Single tickets to All the Way will be available in July.

The A.R.T.’s popular The Donkey Show continues at OBERON every Saturday at 7:30pm and 10:30pm.  For more information about this and other OBERON events visit http://www.cluboberon.com