Barrington Stage Company's 2013 Season Will Feature John Rando-Helmed ON THE TOWN, Christopher Innvar in MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING and More

At a press conference held at Barrington Stage Company's St. Germain Stage, Artistic Director Julianne Boyd announced the 2013 season of musicals and plays that will take place in downtown Pittsfield in the Boyd-Quinson Mainstage and St. Germain Stage (formerly Stage 2) venues in 2013. Single tickets will go on sale March 1, 2013. Passes to the 2013 season at the Boyd-Quinson Mainstage and St. Germain Stage are on sale now by calling 413-236-8888 or online at www.barringtonstageco.org.

BOYD-QUINSON MAINSTAGE SEASON
A helluva town…
Performances for the previously announced Boyd-Quinson Mainstage production season opener On the Town will be from June 12 through July 13. The press opening is Sunday, June 16 at 5pm.

On the Town will be directed by Tony Award-winner (Urinetown) John Rando and choreographed by Emmy Award-winner (TV's SMASH) Josh Bergasse, with music direction by BSC Associate Artist Darren Cohen. On the Town, the landmark Broadway musical features music by Leonard Bernstein, and book and lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, based on the ballet "Fancy Free" by Jerome Robbins.

On the Town is the story of Three Sailors on a 24-hour leave in New York City in 1944. Squeezed for time, they all manage to find love and incredible adventures in the Big Apple. On the Town features the first Broadway score by Bernstein, Comden and Green with such gems as "New York, New York," "I Can Cook Too," "Lonely Town" and "Some Other Time."

On the Town is sponsored by Berkshire Bank.

Chaim Potok's award-winning drama
The Chosen, Chaim Potok's acclaimed novel has been adapted for the stage by Aaron Posner and Chaim Potok. Performances of The Chosen are from July 18 through August 3, with a press opening on Sunday, July 21 at 5pm.

From the director/adapter of BSC's powerful, acclaimed 2011 production of My Name Is Asher Lev, The Chosen tells the much-beloved story of two boys, two fathers, and two very different Jewish communities in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Set against the backdrop of World War II, Posner and Potok's award-winning adaptation introduces us to Reuven Malter and Danny Saunders, both passionate, intelligent young boys on opposite sides of a baseball game. When the game takes a turn, and Reuven is injured by Danny, a unique friendship is born. As the boys grow up, they learn important lessons about their fathers, their community and themselves. Director: TBA.

The Chosen is sponsored by Rhoda Herrick.

Shakespeare makes his BSC debut!
Barrington Stage will mount its first-ever Shakespeare play, Much Ado About Nothing. Performances are from August 8-25, with a press opening on Sunday, August 11 at 5pm.

Director Julianne Boyd and BSC veteran actors Christopher Innvar, Gretchen Egolf and Mark H. Dold join together to bring our audiences one of the greatest romantic comedies ever written – Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing. The dazzling love story between the headstrong Beatrice (Gretchen Egolf) and the confirmed bachelor Benedick (Christopher Innvar) – both always ready to do combat with a "merry war" of witty insults – is set against a darker story of intrigue and deceit as the machinations of Don John (Mark H. Dold), an illegitimate half-brother of the reigning Prince, unfold.

Much Ado About Nothing is sponsored by Cynthia and Randolph Nelson.

St. Germain STAGE SEASON:
American Premiere
Bashir Lazhar, St. Germain Stage season opener
Barrington opens the 2013 St. Germain Stage season with the American premiere of Bashir Lazhar, written by Canadian playwright Evelyne de la Cheneliere, in a translation by Morwyn Brebner. Directed by BSC Associate Producer Shakina Nayfack, Bashir Lazhar will be presented from May 22 through June 8 at the St. Germain Stage, with a press opening on Sunday, May 26 at 3pm.

Bashir Lazhar tells the story of an Algerian immigrant who is hurriedly hired as the teacher at an elementary school in Montreal for a class of distressed students. His unorthodox teaching methods draw him into surprisingly explosive territory.

Adapted for the screen under the title Monsieur Lazhar, it was nominated for a 2012 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

A second play at the St Germain Stage running June 13 through July 6 will be announced at a later date.

In the Musical Theatre Lab
Barrington Stage Company's Musical Theatre Lab, under the leadership of William Finn, Artistic Producer, and Julianne Boyd, Artistic Director, kicks off its eighth season with the award-winning musical Southern Comfort from July 19 through August 10 (press opening: Wednesday, July 24 at 7:30pm).

Southern Comfort, based on the award-winning documentary of the same name, was first produced in 2011 by CAP21 Theatre Company, NYC (and a staged reading at the 2012 NAMT Festival of New Musicals). This will be the second production of the musical. Starring BSC veteran Jeff McCarthy and Annette O'Toole, who will be reprising their 2011 roles, Southern Comfort has a folk blue-grass score, with music by Julianne Wick-Davis and book and lyrics by Dan Collins. Wick-Davis and Collins are recipients of the 2012 Jonathan Larson Award for Southern Comfort. Tom Caruso, associate director of the upcoming Broadway musical Matilda, will direct.

Southern Comfort tells the story of male transgendered Robert Eads (Annette O'Toole) and his tight-knit community of individuals, including his trans girlfriend Lola Cola (Jeff McCarthy), living in the back hills of 'Bubba Land' Georgia. When Robert discovers that he has ovarian cancer, he refuses to let it dampen his spirits or his determination to live life fully. The show is a celebration of a uniquely American family, living life openly, honestly, and courageously by choosing to remain in rural Taccoa, Georgia, simply because it is the home they have grown to love.

A world premiere by Mark St. Germain
Celebrated author of BSC's recent hit plays Freud's Last Session, The Best of Enemies and Dr. Ruth, All the Way, Mark St. Germain will premiere Scott and Hem in the Garden of Allah on the St. Germain Stage from August 15 through September 29, with a press opening on Wednesday, August 21 at 7:30pm.

In 1937, F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway, famous authors and frenemies, meet in Hollywood – the City of Dreams – to confront their own. Scott and Hem in the Garden of Allah is a drama about the cost of love, friendship and the price of being a writer.

Scott and Hem in the Garden of Allah is produced as part of a rolling world premiere agreement between Barrington Stage Company and the Contemporary American Theater Festival in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. Scott and Hem is sponsored by Sydelle and Lee Blatt.

COMMUNITY PROJECT: Ntozake Shange's For Colored Girls Who Have Tried Suicide When The Rainbow Is Enuf
Beginning in late February/early March, Barrington Stage will collaborate with Shirley Edgerton's Rites of Passage Educational Program for African American young women and develop a play using Ntozake Shange's For Colored Girls Who Have Tried Suicide When The Rainbow Is Enuf as a model. The young Berkshire County women will work with two playwright/poets in the community, Jamuna Sirker and Nakeida Bethel-Smith, and develop their own evening of poems/stories.

Next summer, as part of the 2013 WordXWord Festival, BSC will present the play For Colored Girls, performed by a professional cast of seven women. A landmark in African American literature, this powerful play expresses the many struggles and obstacles African-American women face throughout their lives. The following week, the local women will read their poems/stories at BSC. This performance will be followed by others throughout the area. For more information, please contact BSC's Literary Associate Megan Dieterle at 413-997-6103.

All shows, casting and schedule subject to change. A full season of Mr. Finn's Cabaret, staged readings and other exciting 2013 events will be announced soon.

2013 Season Passes Now on Sale
For the 2013 Season, Barrington Stage is introducing the Premium Combo Pass which includes seven shows for the price of five. This pass is the best value of the season and provides a savings of up to 31% off the 2013 single ticket price. Combo Passes include front orchestra section A seating at all three shows at the Boyd-Quinson Mainstage on any date (On the Town, The Chosen, Much Ado About Nothing), plus tickets to any date at all four St. Germain Stage shows (Bashir Lazhar, Southern Comfort, Scott and Hem in the Garden of Allah and one more show TBA).*

Patrons who order a 2013 pass on or before December 18, 2012, will get access to the best seats beginning February 1, 2013, and the $5 per pass handling fee will be waived.

*Stand-alone Mainstage Passes may also be purchased at this time and are available for a range of prices and seating sections. Passes for St. Germain Stage alone are not for sale at this time, but may be available at a later date.

Single tickets will go on sale March 1, 2013
Reservations for groups of 15 or more are now being taken and may be arranged by contacting Group Sales at 413-236-8888 (or toll-free at 855-TIX-2BSC). For information on shows, passes and tickets visit www.barringtonstageco.org.