Perseverance Theatre Returns to In-Person Shows in the Fall

After over a year of being shuttered due to COVID-19, Perseverance Theatre is reopening its doors and returning to live, in-person theatre in the fall. National and local health and safety guidelines will be in place.

"We have been watching all of the changing information, on the local, state, and federal levels, and will be taking every reasonable precaution to keep our patrons and performers as safe as possible. We are making investments in equipment and our staff is undergoing specific training to make sure we are the safest we can be," says Managing Director Frank Delaney.

The season will open with a new science fiction play by Jared Michael Delaney, Voyager One. A brief show description:

Which song would you choose to represent all of humanity? Something by Elvis Presley? Aretha Franklin? Maybe Little Richard? In the 1970s, two junior-level NASA staffers help select which pieces of human history, science, and art will spend eternity on the Voyager One space probe, waiting to be discovered by alien life. Flash forward to the distant future, and we find a mysterious woman who has awakened on a spacecraft with no memory of who she is or how she got there. What has humanity become and where is it going? Join us on a journey through space, time, and rock and roll, all while Chuck Berry sings 'go Johnny, go"...

Juneau: October 29 - November 14
Anchorage: December 3 - 12

Next up will be the rebroadcast of A Tlingit Christmas Carol by Vera Starbard and directed by Madeline Sayet. The show premiered last year in short staves that were released each week leading up to Christmas. A brief show description:

A Christmas Carol just got a lot more Tlingit! We've all heard the classic story: it's Christmas, there are spirits involved, a grumpy man says "Bah, humbug..." But what would happen if that story took place right here, right now in Southeast Alaska? E.B. Scrooge is a successful, wealthy businessperson, but he's not the nicest guy in town. In fact, most of the time, he's downright mean. Can he learn to become a better person? Can he avoid the same tragic fate as his old friend Marley? Carol your way through this holiday classic, with a very Tlingit twist!

Available to Stream On Demand: December 20 - 26

Following that will be The Brothers Paranormal by Prince Gomolvilas. A brief show description:

Ghost hunting is not your typical career path, but for Thai brothers Max and Visarut, investigating spirit encounters is simply another day in the life. Spurred by a nationwide increase in sightings of "Asian-looking ghosts," these entrepreneurial siblings hatch a business venture specializing in all things paranormal. But on their next job, they find themselves facing fears they never thought possible, and questioning everything they knew to be true. Love, humor, and HORROR collide in this haunting tale that is sure to leave you shaking in your seat!

Juneau: February 18 - March 6
Anchorage: March 25 - April 3

And returning to the lineup after being shut down in technical rehearsals in the spring of 2020 due to COVID-19, Fun Home, with music by Jeanine Tesori, book and lyrics by Lisa Kron, based on the graphic memoir by Alison Bechdel, directed by Hannah Wolf, with Musical Director Daniel Gary Busby. A brief show description:

Fun Home, the "blazingly original heartbreaker and a nonstop treasure of invention," racked up five Tony Awards including "Best Musical," and was nominated for an additional seven awards. Growing up in the funeral business with a uniquely dysfunctional family gives lesbian cartoonist Alison no end of material, but drawing on those childhood memories reveals more than the adult Alison expects. Can she reframe the picture and finally close the book? Fun Home will alternately have you laughing and crying, all while tapping your feet to its Tony Award winning score.

Juneau Only

April 22 - May 8

"I'm ecstatic for the opportunity to return to Fun Home with Perseverance Theatre," says Director Hannah Wolf. "Fun Home is the tragicomedy musical that continues to teach me to dive deeper into the chaos of the past. That to move past the blocks that keep us stuck, we must be willing to work together, to reckon with the past, and be willing to change. What a perfect tune to return to in 2022!"

Producer Joseph Biagini is thrilled about the varied types of productions. "It's great to see plays that are strong genre pieces - Voyager One and Brothers Paranormal - sci-fi and horror, respectively. We rarely get to see that onstage," Biagini notes.

After a long hiatus from in-person events, Artistic Director Leslie Ishii is excited that the thread that runs through the season's selections is connection - through time and space, and even from this lifetime to the next. "Oh how we are excited to be in pre-production preparing to welcome you all back through our doors! We are bringing our profound learnings with us to continue transforming forward ~ so many connections, so much to be grateful for. We are excited to bring you this incredible 2021-2022 Season of Connection," Ishii exclaims.

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