Download THEATREWORKS SILICON VALLEY UNVEILS 46th SEASON

THEATREWORKS SILICON VALLEY UNVEILS
46th SEASON INCLUDING
THREE WORKS DEVELOPED BY THE COMPANY,
HERSHEY FELDER IN NEW PLAY
HONORING IRVING BERLIN,
RECENT BROADWAY HIT, AND MORE
PALO ALTO, CA (10 February 2015) – An audience of theatre enthusiasts waited in
anticipation at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts tonight, when Founding
Artistic Director Robert Kelley and Managing Director Phil Santora of TheatreWorks
Silicon Valley unveiled the thrilling line-up for its 2015/2016 season. A stunning
testament to the success of TheatreWorks’ development of new plays and musicals, the
season includes three works developed by the company: a World Premiere musical, a hit
comedy from last summer’s New Works Festival, and the triumphant return of the
company’s all-time record-breaker. The season will also give Bay Area audiences a first
look at the recent Broadway hit from Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Donald
Margulies, a brand new tour-de-force musical play by acclaimed performer Hershey
Felder honoring “America’s composer” Irving Berlin, a Tony Award-winning drama from
David Auburn, and two top comedies.
TheatreWorks’ 46th season will kick off with the World Premiere of Triangle (July 8 August 2) with music by Curtis Moore, lyrics by Thomas Mizer, book by Thomas Mizer,
Curtis Moore, and Joshua Scher. Two love stories, set in the same New York City
building but a hundred years apart, begin to weave together across the century when a
scientist learns his New York lab was once the site of the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist
Factory Fire. Commissioned by the Williamstown Theatre Festival, Triangle was
developed at TheatreWorks’ 2012 New Works Festival and went onto other
developmental productions, which have received enormous enthusiasm. Said Robert
Kelley of Triangle, “We are thrilled to launch our season with this dynamic, fascinating
contemporary musical.”
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The Summer will also play host to TheatreWorks Silicon Valley’s 2015 New Works
Festival (August 7 – 16), at which leading playwrights and composers from across the
country present new works to audiences who can participate in discussions, view worksin-progress, and attend book-in-hand readings and sing-throughs of new musicals.
Next up is the Bay Area’s first look at the recent Broadway hit, The Country House
(August 26 – September 20), the latest comedy from the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of
Dinner with Friends, Donald Margulies. In this captivating riff on over-the-top actors and
their off-stage foibles, a revered star and her show-biz family gather in their Berkshire
home to wrestle with fame, art, and each other. Ben Brantley of The New York Times
wrote it “Brings to mind a frothy, theater-minded variation on The Big Chill,” going on to
describe the play as, “A valentine to the artists of the stage.”
In the Fall, the company will present the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning play
Proof (October 7 – November 1) by David Auburn. This riveting masterpiece, about a
mathematical genius and his brilliant daughter who is seeking legitimacy in the maledominated world of high-level science, ran for an astounding 917 performances on
Broadway (the longest running Broadway play in two decades) and was called “Rich and
compelling. Full of life, laughter, and hope” by the New York News and “A beautifully
put-together play” by The New York Times.
TheatreWorks presents a musical romance for the holidays, bringing one of literature’s
most delightful heroines to sparkling life with the triumphant return of Jane Austen’s
Emma (December 2 – 27), with music, lyrics, and book by Paul Gordon, adapted from
the novel by Jane Austen. This musical confection was developed at the TheatreWorks
New Works Initiative in 2006 and became the company’s 50th World Premiere
production in 2007. It received critical acclaim from local and national media, and set
box office records, grossing the highest number of single ticket sales and becoming one
of the most attended productions in the company’s history. The San Francisco Chronicle
called the production, “First rate … a buoyant, very well-made new musical.” The San
MEDIA CONTACT: Molly Kullman, CARLA BEFERA & CO.
3600 West Bayshore Road, Suite 203, Palo Alto, CA 94303
Phone 650.327.1200 Fax 650.327.6700 Email: [email protected]
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Jose Mercury News said Emma was “Everything a musical should be,” and Variety also
gave the show high marks, calling it “A charmer. Emma is a bloomin’ gem.”
In the New Year, TheatreWorks Silicon Valley will present the regional premiere of a
brand new work by acclaimed performer/playwright/director Hershey Felder (George
Gershwin Alone, Maestro Bernstein, Monsieur Chopin, Pianist of Willesden Lane).
Hershey Felder as Irving Berlin (January 13 – February 6, 2016), a new musical play
about one of the most remarkable composers in American history, premiered in October
2014 at the Geffen Playhouse, where it broke all box office records. In this tour-de-force,
Felder brings to life the remarkable story of Irving Berlin, whose journey led from the
depths of anti-Semitism in Czarist Russia, to New York’s Lower East Side, and finally to
a worldwide fame that epitomizes capturing the American dream. Featuring the
composer’s most popular and enduring songs from "God Bless America,” “There’s No
Business Like Show Business,” “Blue Skies,” to "White Christmas” and beyond, Felder’s
signature creation of character and musical performance weaves a narrative around
Berlin’s 101 year lifespan including his long and heartening relationship with his wife,
battles against anti-Semitism and, of course, his storied music. The Los Angeles Times
said, “Richly entertaining and ultimately touching,” Broadway World wrote, “You do
not want to miss a delicious moment of it,” and the Huffington Post said Hershey Felder
“dazzles as Irving Berlin.”
In the Spring, TheatreWorks presents the Northern California Premiere of tokyo fish
story (March 9 – April 3, 2016) by Kimber Lee. This comic drama was the hit of the
2014 New Works Festival, and describes how a Sushi Master focused on preserving
ancient artistry collides with a brilliant protégé and eager apprentices. South Coast
Repertory Theatre will give tokyo fish story its World Premiere in March 2015.
Playwright Lee has also debuted works at the Humana Festival, LCT3, Long Wharf and
other theatres around the country and is recipient of the 2014 Ruby Prize, 2013/14 PoNY
Fellowship, and 2014/15 Aetna New Voices Fellowship. She was named the first
TheatreWorks Leading Ladies Laureate at a ceremony on February 7, 2014.
MEDIA CONTACT: Molly Kullman, CARLA BEFERA & CO.
3600 West Bayshore Road, Suite 203, Palo Alto, CA 94303
Phone 650.327.1200 Fax 650.327.6700 Email: [email protected]
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The laughter continues with the Regional Premiere of the swashbuckling romance,
Cyrano (April 6 – May 1, 2016) by Edmund Rostand, in a new translation by Michael
Hollinger (Opus) adapted by Michael Hollinger and Aaron Posner (My Name is Asher
Lev, The Chosen). This new take on Rostand’s nose-challenged swordsman was
described by DCTheatreScene as, “By far the funniest Cyrano you will ever see (and that
includes Steve Martin’s contemporary retelling in the 1987 movie Roxanne.)”
The season closes with the regional premiere of an explosive new dramatic comedy, The
Velocity of Autumn (June 1 – 26, 2016). This tender-hearted play by Eric Coble (Bright
Ideas) centers on an elderly artist in a volatile showdown with her family over where
she’ll spend her remaining years, as she barricades herself in her brownstone with enough
homemade Molotov cocktails to blow the entire block sky-high. The play debuted in
September 2013 at the Arena Stage in Washington DC, starring Estelle Parsons and
Stephen Spinella, with Variety praising “Coble’s penetrating book” and lauding “A tale
that could resonate with a broad range of aud(ience)s as it touches on a sobering dilemma
faced by families every day.” In April 2014 The Velocity of Autumn transferred to
Broadway for a limited run. Broadway World called it “Wickedly funny and wonderfully
touching,” and Estelle Parsons picked up her fifth Tony Award nomination for Best
Actress.
Five productions will be mounted at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts
and three will be staged at Palo Alto’s Lucie Stern Theatre. In chronological order, the
TheatreWorks Silicon Valley 2015/2016 season is as follows:
A Musical Journey Through Time
Triangle
Music by Curtis Moore
Lyrics by Thomas Mizer
Book by Thomas Mizer, Curtis Moore, & Joshua Scher
World Premiere
July 8 – August 2, 2015 (Press opening July 11)
Lucie Stern Theatre, Palo Alto
In an inspiring journey through time, a high-tech scientist learns that his New York lab
was once the site of the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire, and discovers his
MEDIA CONTACT: Molly Kullman, CARLA BEFERA & CO.
3600 West Bayshore Road, Suite 203, Palo Alto, CA 94303
Phone 650.327.1200 Fax 650.327.6700 Email: [email protected]
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mysterious connection to several of its Jewish immigrant victims. In this compelling
contemporary musical, parallel romances unfold a century apart, interweaving two starcrossed couples willing to risk everything they have, and believe, for love. Don’t miss
this hit of TheatreWorks’ New Works Festival.
Thomas Mizer has written lyrics and collaborated on the book for musicals including
The Legend of Stagecoach Mary (National Alliance for Musical Theatre Festival), The
House of the Seven Gables (ASCAP Workshop), and The Bus to Buenos Aires (Ensemble
Studio Theatre). He received a 2009 Jonathan Larson Grant and has twice been an artistin-residence at the National Music Theater Conference.
Curtis Moore recently composed the music for Nora Ephron’s play Lucky Guy starring
Tom Hanks. He is a composer, songwriter and musician whose work can be heard on the
Broadway and international stage, T.V., film, and new media. His work has been
performed at Playwrights Horizons, The Old Vic Theatre, Brooklyn Academy of Music,
The Public Theater, and Lincoln Center. His new stage musical Venice, written with Matt
Sax and Eric Rosen, premiered as a joint production between The Center Theater Group
in Los Angeles and The Kansas City Rep, and was presented in a sold out-extended run
at the Public Theater in New York in 2013.
Joshua Scher wrote the play The Footage, which recently had its Australian debut at The
Stooged Theater (it enjoyed its World Premiere in 2008 at The Flea Theater). In between
these two, his work MARVEL was included in Roundabout Theater’s New Voices
Program, directed by Charles Randolph-Wright.
The Hit Broadway Comedy
The Country House
By Donald Margulies
Regional Premiere
August 26 - September 20, 2015 (Press opening August 29)
Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts
A revered stage and film star summons her show-biz family to her Berkshires home for a
summer stock season soon overstocked with memories. In a Chekhovian blend of witty
comedy and poignant drama, they grapple with fame, art, the promise of romance, and
the frustration of faded dreams—and as always, each other. This recent Broadway hit is
the latest from the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Dinner with Friends.
“A valentine to the artists of the stage.” The New York Times
A Brilliant Contemporary Drama
Proof
By David Auburn
Pulitzer Prize winner 2001 & Tony Award winner for Best Play 2001
October 7 – November 1, 2015 (Press opening October 10)
Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts
MEDIA CONTACT: Molly Kullman, CARLA BEFERA & CO.
3600 West Bayshore Road, Suite 203, Palo Alto, CA 94303
Phone 650.327.1200 Fax 650.327.6700 Email: [email protected]
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Proof is a riveting masterpiece, a compelling tale of a faded mathematical genius and his brilliant
but damaged daughter, a young woman caught in a quest for legitimacy in the maledominated
world of high-level science. It is a mystery of family instability and fledgling romance, an
exhilarating, funny, and fulfilling tribute to the humanity that permeates our world of equations,
equivocations, and codes.
“Rich and compelling. Full of life, laughter, and hope.” New York Daily News
A Musical Romance for the Holidays
Jane Austen’s Emma
Music, Lyrics, and Book by Paul Gordon
Adapted from the novel by Jane Austen
Reprising TheatreWorks’ World Premiere
December 2 - 27, 2015 (press opening December 5)
Lucie Stern Theatre, Palo Alto
TheatreWorks beloved musical hit makes a triumphant return for the holidays, featuring
one of Jane Austen’s most delightful heroines, an effervescent ingénue whose
matchmaking mischief
inevitably misfires. Obsessed with romance, but clueless about her own feelings, Emma
navigates the course of true love with a generous heart and an indomitable spirit. A 19th
century masterpiece brought to joyous life, this funny, irresistible revival features a
glorious score by the Tony Award-nominated composer of Jane Eyre and Daddy Long
Legs.
“Everything a musical should be.” San Jose Mercury News
A New Musical Play
Hershey Felder as Irving Berlin
Lyrics and Music by Irving Berlin
Book by Hershey Felder
Directed by Trevor Hay
Northern California Premiere
January 13 - February 6, 2016 (press opening January 16)
Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts
The inspiring story of “America’s Composer” Irving Berlin takes center stage in this
tour-de-force performance by virtuoso Hershey Felder, internationally acclaimed for
bringing to life such composers as Gershwin, Beethoven, Chopin, and Bernstein. Fleeing
the anti-Semitism of Czarist Russia, capturing the rhythms of the Lower East Side, and
eventually enchanting the entire world, Berlin epitomizes the American dream. From
“White Christmas” to “Easter Parade,” this remarkable evening with Irving is an
unforgettable journey in song.
“A remarkable portrait…richly entertaining.” Los Angeles Times
MEDIA CONTACT: Molly Kullman, CARLA BEFERA & CO.
3600 West Bayshore Road, Suite 203, Palo Alto, CA 94303
Phone 650.327.1200 Fax 650.327.6700 Email: [email protected]
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The production is directed by Trevor Hay, who has collaborated with the performer and
creator on An American Story, Abe Lincoln’s Piano, Hershey Felder as Franz Liszt and
The Pianist of Willesden Lane.
Hershey Felder performed George Gershwin Alone on Broadway at the Helen Hayes
Theatre and on the West End at Duchess Theatre. His Composers Sonata (1999–2015)—
George Gershwin Alone; Monsieur Chopin; Beethoven, As I Knew Him; Maestro
Bernstein; and Hershey Felder as Franz Liszt in Musik; and Hershey Felder as Irving
Berlin—has been presented at dozens of theatres across the U.S. and around the world.
As director, Mr. Felder helmed The Pianist of Willesden Lane and recently premiered
Chris Lemmon in Jack Lemmon Returns.
A Delectable Comic Drama
tokyo fish story
By Kimber Lee
Northern California Premiere
March 9 – April 3, 2016 (press opening March 12)
Lucie Stern Theatre, Palo Alto
Generations, gender, and tradition collide as a revered Sushi Master struggles to preserve
ancient artistry in a society obsessed with change. In pursuit of perfection, Koji inspires a
brilliant protégé, intimidates a parade of hip apprentices, and discovers that in today’s
world, even a three-star chef has much to learn. Set in a legendary sushi bar, this warmhearted comic drama was a highlight of TheatreWorks’ New Works Festival.
Kimber Lee has written plays including Fight, Different Words for the Same Thing
(2014 World Premiere CTG/Kirk Douglas Theatre, dir. Neel Keller), Brownsville Song
(b-side for tray), which premiered at the 2014 Humana Festival, tokyo fish story (which
will receive its World Premiere in March of 2015 at South Coast Repertory Theatre), and
has upcoming productions at LCT3, Long Wharf, and Philadelphia Theatre Company.
She is a Lark Playwrights Workshop Fellow (2013/14), Ma-Yi Writers Lab, and recipient
of 2014 Ruby Prize, 2013/14 PoNY Fellowship, and 2014/15 Aetna New Voices
Fellowship.
The Swashbuckling Romance
Cyrano
By Edmund Rostand
Translated by Michael Hollinger
Adapted by Michael Hollinger and Aaron Posner
Regional Premiere
April 6 – May 1, 2016 (press opening April 9)
MEDIA CONTACT: Molly Kullman, CARLA BEFERA & CO.
3600 West Bayshore Road, Suite 203, Palo Alto, CA 94303
Phone 650.327.1200 Fax 650.327.6700 Email: [email protected]
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Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts
Alive with swashbuckling swordplay, witty wordplay, and irresistible romance, this
classic tale of unrequited passion and panache flows from the rollicking theatres of 17th
century Paris to distant battlements long besieged. Here literature’s greatest love triangle
evolves in a modern, intimate, and good-humored adaptation that entangles the
enchanting heiress Roxane, handsome cadet Christian, and nose-challenged swordsman
Cyrano in the love affair of a lifetime.
“Sterling. Illuminating. A joy to watch.”Philadelphia Inquirer
An Explosive Comedy
The Velocity of Autumn
By Eric Coble
Regional Premiere
June 1 – 26, 2016 (press opening June 4)
Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts
An elderly artist has barricaded herself in her Brooklyn brownstone, booby-trapped with
enough homemade bombs to take out the neighborhood. In a wry, spirited quest to “not
go
gently” into a retirement home, Alexandra battles both the fears of her family and the
ravages of time, negotiating the terms of her future with a long-estranged son who has
battles of his own.
“Wickedly funny and wonderfully touching.” Broadway World
Eric Coble’s plays include The Velocity of Autumn, Bright Ideas, The Dead Guy, My
Barking Dog, A Girl’s Guide to Coffee, and The Giver. They have been produced OffBroadway, in all fifty states of the U.S., and on several continents, including productions
at The Kennedy Center, Playwrights Horizons, Actors Theatre of Louisville Humana
Festival, Denver Center Theatre Company, Arena Stage, New York and Edinburgh
Fringe Festivals, Alliance Theatre, Cleveland Play House, Alabama Shakespeare
Festival, and South Coast Repertory. Awards include the AATE Distinguished Play
Award for Best Adaptation, an Emmy nomination, the Chorpenning Playwriting Award
for Body of Work, NEA Playwright in Residence Grant. He was born in Edinburgh,
Scotland and was raised on the Navajo and Ute reservations in New Mexico and
Colorado.
Since its founding in 1970, TheatreWorks Silicon Valley has become one of the nation’s
leaders in cultivating and producing new musicals and plays, developing and premiering
more than 64 works by new and veteran artists and over 150 regional premieres. The
company’s New Works Festival and Writers Retreat programs attract authors and
MEDIA CONTACT: Molly Kullman, CARLA BEFERA & CO.
3600 West Bayshore Road, Suite 203, Palo Alto, CA 94303
Phone 650.327.1200 Fax 650.327.6700 Email: [email protected]
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composers of national stature (Beth Henley, Paul Gordon, Marsha Norman, Henry
Krieger, Stephen Schwartz, Duncan Sheik, Joe DiPietro, and Andrew Lippa, among
many others), providing an artistic home in which America’s theatre artists can create
new works. In addition, the company has developed scores of works which have gone on
to both regional and Off-Broadway productions. A home for artists developing new
works, it was at TheatreWorks that Memphis, the 2010 Tony Award-winning musical,
was first workshopped and received its world premiere.
TheatreWorks Silicon Valley is an Equity/LORT theatre, producing eight shows
annually, playing to more than 100,000 patrons a year. TheatreWorks continues its
dedication to the Bay Area community with increased audience services and subscriber
benefits, Wednesday discussion nights, and opening night celebrations in which the
community is invited to mingle with writers, cast, and crew. In addition, TheatreWorks
offers many public services such as the costume rental program, and the education
outreach program that reaches some 35,000 students annually with in-class workshops,
student matinees, summer camps, the Young Playwrights Project, the touring assembly
Oskar Trilogy, and The Healing Project at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital.
For more information or to purchase subscriptions ($122-522), the public can call 650463-1960. Subscriptions are on sale now; single tickets will be on sale beginning June 3.
Special pricing is available for full-time educators, seniors 65 and older, and patrons 30
and under. Subscriptions are also available online at theatreworks.org.
PERFORMANCES: Tuesdays at 7:30pm, Wednesdays at 2pm and 7:30pm, Thursdays and
Fridays at 8pm, Saturdays at 2pm and 8pm, Sundays at 2pm and 7pm
WHERE:
TheatreWorks at Lucie Stern Theatre, 1305 Middlefield Rd, Palo Alto
TheatreWorks at Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts,
500 Castro St., Mountain View
TICKETS:
For information or subscriptions ($122-$522), the public can call
650-463-1960, or visit theatreworks.org. Single ticket on-sale date
is June 3, 2015. Special pricing is available for full-time educators,
seniors 65 and older, and patrons 30 and under.
MEDIA CONTACT: Molly Kullman, CARLA BEFERA & CO.
3600 West Bayshore Road, Suite 203, Palo Alto, CA 94303
Phone 650.327.1200 Fax 650.327.6700 Email: [email protected]
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-30For high res photos, please visit: http://www.cb-pr.com/press/twseason_16.html
MEDIA CONTACT: Molly Kullman, CARLA BEFERA & CO.
3600 West Bayshore Road, Suite 203, Palo Alto, CA 94303
Phone 650.327.1200 Fax 650.327.6700 Email: [email protected]