Download Press Release: New Rep`s 2017

***EMBARGOED*** until Monday, February 27 at 8:00pm
MEDIA CONTACT – Michael Duncan Smith | 617-923-7060 x8205 | [email protected]
NEW REPERTORY THEATRE ANNOUNCES
2017-2018 SEASON: RESILIENCE
IDEATION, OLEANNA, MAN OF LA MANCHA, UNVEILED,
STATEMENTS, LONELY PLANET, RIPE FRENZY,
THE BAKELITE MASTERPIECE, TWO JEWS WALK INTO A WAR
[WATERTOWN] Featuring nine productions, New Rep’s 2017-2018 season includes Ideation, a dark
satirical comedy and Boston-area premiere; Oleanna, David Mamet’s groundbreaking drama, featuring
Johnny Lee Davenport; Man of La Mancha, a revival of the Tony award-winning musical, featuring
Maurice Emmanuel Parent; Unveiled, a one-woman show written and performed by Rohina Malik and coproduced with Stoneham Theatre; Statements After an Arrest Under the Immorality Act, and engaging
political drama by Athol Fugard; Lonely Planet, an evocative social drama by Steven Dietz; Ripe Frenzy, a
site-specific drama and Boston-area premiere; The Bakelite Masterpiece, a riveting historical drama and
Boston-area premiere; and Two Jews Walk into a War…, a hilarious existential comedy featuring
Jeremiah Kissel.
“The plays in our 2017-2018 season will showcase the remarkable resilience of the human spirit,” says
Artistic Director Jim Petosa. “Theatre has the power to shed light in dark times, to illuminate and
stimulate thought, and to provide a forum for us to come together as a community in conversation. It is
our hope that these plays will inspire and engage as New Repertory Theatre continues to be a place
where the vital ideas of our time can be discussed freely and openly.”
“Our 2016-2017 season was one of our most successful ever, and we owe a great amount of that success
to our patrons,” says Managing Director Harriet Sheets. “We heard from so many audiences members
throughout the year and their passion and enthusiasm for our productions and mission was clear. It is
because of that support that the Boston Globe recently called us ‘a potent force,’ and so we’re pleased to
share another extraordinary lineup in 2017-2018.”
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NEW REPERTORY THEATRE’S 2017-2018 SEASON
IDEATION
by Aaron Loeb
Directed by Jim Petosa
Boston-area Premiere
SEP 2-24/2017
MainStage Theater
SATIRICAL DARK COMEDY
PRESS OPENING: WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6 AT 7:30PM
In Aaron Loeb’s darkly comic psychological thriller, a group of top-tier consultants are tasked with a
mysterious project for an unnamed client. The team must come up with a solution to a morally and ethically
ambiguous hypothetical—one that threatens to tear them apart. Ideation is a captivating new work that will
leave you on the edge of your seat.
OLEANNA
by David Mamet
Directed by Elaine Vaan Hogue
Featuring Johnny Lee Davenport
OCT 14-NOV 5/2017
MainStage Theater
COMPELLING CLASSIC DRAMA
PRESS OPENING: MONDAY, OCTOBER 16 AT 7:30PM
It’s all about power in David Mamet’s groundbreaking drama about political correctness and perception.
When John, a professor, tries to help his student Carol, is it a misunderstanding or inherent misogyny that
causes trouble? Featuring Johnny Lee Davenport (The Whipping Man, Thurgood), Oleanna crackles with
the fiery dialogue of Mamet at his finest.
MAN OF LA MANCHA
Book by Dale Wasserman
Lyrics by Joe Darion
Music by Mitch Leigh
Directed by Antonio Ocampo-Guzman
Featuring Maurice Emmanuel Parent
DEC 1-24/2017
MainStage Theater
SPIRITED MUSICAL REVIVAL
PRESS OPENING: MONDAY, DECEMBER 4 AT 7:30PM
An energetic revival of the Tony-award winning musical, Man of La Mancha features Boston-area favorite
Maurice Emmanuel Parent (Ragtime, Cabaret, Camelot) as the eponymous knight errant, Don Quixote, on
his quest to dream the impossible dream. Journey along with us and experience this classic musical
adventure with your entire family.
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UNVEILED
written and performed by Rohina Malik
Co-produced with Stoneham Theatre
JAN 10-28/2018
BlackBox Theater
PROVOCATIVE ONE-WOMAN SHOW
PRESS OPENING: WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 10 AT 7:30PM
Part of New Rep’s Statements of Survival Series
Racism. Hate crimes. Love. Islam. Culture. Language. Life. Five Muslim women in a post-9/11 world serve
tea and uncover what lies beneath the veil in this critically acclaimed one-woman show.
STATEMENTS AFTER AN ARREST
UNDER THE IMMORALITY ACT
by Athol Fugard
Directed by Jim Petosa
JAN 27-MAR 3/2018
BlackBox Theater
ENGAGING POLITICAL DRAMA
PRESS OPENING: MONDAY, JANUARY 29 AT 7:30PM
Part of New Rep’s Statements of Survival Series
In apartheid South Africa, where intimate interracial relationships are illegal, a black man and a white
woman share more than just their love, baring all in the face of oppression and uncertainty. Athol Fugard’s
Statements is a remarkable love story that stands as a strident reminder of the intolerance and cruelty of a
not-so-distant past.
Please note, this production contains nudity.
LONELY PLANET
by Steven Dietz
Directed by Jim Petosa
FEB 3-MAR 4/2018
BlackBox Theater
EVOCATIVE SOCIAL DRAMA
PRESS OPENING: MONDAY, FEBRUARY 5 AT 7:30PM
Part of New Rep’s Statements of Survival Series
In a revival to commemorate its 25th anniversary, Lonely Planet tells the story of two friends during the
height of the AIDS epidemic in America. While Carl is able to see beyond the confines of Jody’s map store,
Jody refuses to acknowledge what’s happening. In Lonely Planet, playwright Steven Dietz crafts a
humorous and touching play about friendship, loss, and hope.
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RIPE FRENZY
by Jennifer Barclay
Directed by Bridget Kathleen O’Leary
Boston-area Premiere
DATE TBD
Site-Specific Location TBD
STRIKING POLITICAL DRAMA
PRESS OPENING: TBD
Part of New Rep’s Statements of Survival Series
Winner of the National New Play Network’s 2016 Smith Prize for Political Theatre, Ripe Frenzy brings us to
Tavistown, New York, where a recent tragedy has rocked the community to its core. Narrator and town
historian, Zoe, recounts the days leading up to the incident, as the high school prepares for the semi-annual
production of Thornton Wilder’s Our Town. Jennifer Barclay’s Ripe Frenzy is a stunning new play about
community in the wake of unspeakable devastation.
THE BAKELITE MASTERPIECE
by Kate Cayley
Directed by Jim Petosa
Boston-area Premiere
MAR 17-APR 8/2018
MainStage Theater
RIVETING HISTORICAL DRAMA
PRESS OPENING: MONDAY, MARCH 19 AT 7:30PM
At the end of World War II, artist Han van Meegeren sits in a prison cell accused of selling a long-lost
Vermeer to the Nazis. A crime tantamount to treason, van Meegeren contends that the painting was a
forgery, which he skillfully produced and aged with a special treatment of the plastic known as Bakelite.
Now he must create another masterpiece in front of his jailer, art historian Geert Piller, to save his life. The
Bakelite Masterpiece is a dynamic and compelling new work from playwright Kate Cayley.
TWO JEWS WALK INTO A WAR…
by Seth Rozin
APR 28-MAY 20/2018
MainStage Theater
HILARIOUS EXISTENTIAL COMEDY
PRESS OPENING: MONDAY, APRIL 24 AT 7:30PM
What do you do if you’re the last two Jews in Afghanistan? You re-write the Torah, of course! Ishaq and
Zeblyan are on a mission to save Judaism in Kabul by rebuilding their synagogue and keeping the faith
alive, but only if they don’t kill each other first. Jeremiah Kissel (Fiddler on the Roof, Broken Glass, The
King of Second Avenue) stars in this Vaudeville-inspired play, doing his best in a shtick-y situation.
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About NEW REPERTORY THEATRE
New Repertory Theatre is the award-winning, professional theatre company in residence at the Mosesian
Center for the Arts in Watertown, MA. For over 30 years, New Rep has been a leader of self-produced
theatre in greater Boston, producing contemporary and classic dramas, comedies, and musicals in both
the 340-seat MainStage Theater and the 90-seat BlackBox Theater. Annually, New Rep serves over 40,000
patrons, including 2,000 season subscribers. In addition to its mainstage productions, New Rep produces
Next Voices, a program dedicated to developing new plays with playwrights through staged readings and
world premiere production. Under its Lifelong Enrichment Arts Programs (LEAP), New Rep also produces
its Classic Repertory Company, Page To Stage, Insider Experiences, and Spotlight Symposium Series.
New Rep’s Mission
New Repertory Theatre produces plays that speak powerfully to the vital ideas of our time.
What we do:

Through the passion and electricity of live theater performed to the highest standards of excellence,
New Rep seeks to spark community conversations on crucial contemporary issues.

Our work expands and challenges the human spirit of both artists and audiences. We present world
premieres, contemporary plays and classic works in several intimate settings. Our productions are
designed to be accessible to all. We are committed to education and enrichment for learners of all
ages, with a special dedication to the creation of innovative in-school programming and outreach to
underserved audiences. We embrace theater as the basis for enduring connections with our
community and as a springboard for meaningful civic engagement.

New Rep is an active advocate for the arts and a major voice in the national dialogue defining the role
of theater in our culture.
JIM PETOSA (Artistic Director) joined New Repertory Theatre as an award-winning theatre artist,
educator, and leader in 2012. He has served as Director of the School of Theatre, College of Fine Arts, at
Boston University since 2002, and Artistic Director of Maryland’s Olney Theatre Center for the Arts and its
National Players educational touring company (1994-2012). While at Boston University, he established the
Boston Center for American Performance (BCAP), the professional production extension of the Boston
University School of Theatre, in 2008. Throughout the Northeast, Mr. Petosa has directed for numerous
institutions, including Brecht on Brecht, Good, Freud’s Last Session, The Testament of Mary, Broken
Glass, Assassins, On the Verge, The Elephant Man (IRNE Nomination), Amadeus, Three Viewings, The Last
Five Years, and Opus at New Rep. In Boston, his work was nominated for two IRNE awards for A Question
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of Mercy (BCAP). He has served as one of three artistic leaders for the Potomac Theatre Project
(PTP/NYC) since 1987. In Maryland, his work earned over 25 Helen Hayes Award nominations as well as
the award for outstanding direction of a musical for Jacques Brel is Alive and Well… His production of
Look! We Have Come Through! was nominated for the Charles MacArthur Award for outstanding new
play, and he earned the Montgomery County Executive’s Excellence in the Arts and Humanities Award for
Outstanding Artist/Scholar. A member of Actors’ Equity Association, Mr. Petosa has served on the
executive board of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, and currently serves on the Board of
Directors for StageSource. Originally from New Jersey, he was educated at The Catholic University of
America and resides in Quincy.
Harriet Sheets (Managing Director) joined New Repertory Theatre in 2000. During her tenure, Ms. Sheets
has successfully managed the theatre’s increasing operational budget, and moved the company from
Newton Highlands to Watertown’s Arsenal Center for the Arts. Prior to New Rep, she was the General
Manager at Merrimack Repertory Theatre, where she worked for nine years. Ms. Sheets began as an
Actors’ Equity Association Stage Manager, working at North Shore Music Theatre, Huntington Theatre
Company, Opera Company of Boston and others. Originally from Arizona, she holds a BFA from Arizona
State University and resides in Methuen.
2017-2018 SEASON at a glance
Company:
New Repertory Theatre
Artistic Director:
Jim Petosa
Managing Director:
Harriet Sheets
2017-2018 Season:
IDEATION
OLEANNA
MAN OF LA MANCHA
UNVEILED
STATEMENTS AFTER AN ARREST
UNDER THE IMMORALITY ACT
LONELY PLANET
RIPE FRENZY
THE BAKELITE MASTERPIECE
TWO JEWS WALK INTO A WAR…
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SEP 2-24/2017
OCT 14-NOV 5/2017
DEC 2-24/2017
JAN 10-28/2018
JAN 27-MAR 3/2018
FEB 3-MAR 4/2018
DATE TBD
MAR 17-APR 8/2018
APR 28-MAY 20/2018
Venues:
MainStage Theater & BlackBox Theater | Mosesian Center for the Arts
321 Arsenal Street | Watertown, MA 02472
Subscriptions:
Currently on sale. Early Bird discount available through April 15, 2017.
Group subscriptions also available.
Single Tickets:
On sale: August 2017
Box Office:
617-923-8487 or [email protected]
Online:
newrep.org
facebook.com/newrep
twitter.com/newrep
youtube.com/newrep
Season Sponsors:
WGBH
Massachusetts Cultural Council
NCGIT
For Media Inquiries:
Michael Duncan Smith | Marketing & PR Director
617-923-7060 x8205 | [email protected]
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