Jeff Calhoun to Direct THE MUSIC MAN at Asolo Rep, Full Season Announced

On Monday, March 19, 2018, Asolo Rep and the FSU/Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training proudly unveiled their 2018-19 seasons.

Asolo Rep's 60th anniversary season kicks off with the six-time Tony Award-winning musical sensationTHE MUSIC MAN (November 13 - December 29). Fast-talking traveling salesman Harold Hill brings trouble to River City, Iowa when he cons the townspeople into buying instruments for an imaginary band - but his plans to skip town with the cash are foiled when his heart is stolen by the town librarian, Marian. This exuberant musical masterpiece will be directed by Tony nominee Jeff Calhoun (Newsies) and stars legendary Broadway song and dance man Noah Racey. Calhoun and Racey previously collaborated on the smash hit world premiere of Noah Racey's Pulse at Asolo Rep in 2013.

The winter repertory season opens with Arthur Miller's powerful portrayal of the Salem witch trials and their overt parallels to McCarthy-era America, THE CRUCIBLE (January 9 - March 10), directed by Asolo Rep Producing Artistic Director Michael Donald Edwards. A smash hit on Broadway in 2017, Lucas Hnath's A DOLL'S HOUSE, PART 2 (January 16 - March 31) will be directed by Asolo Rep favorite Peter Amster. Hnath brilliantly and hilariously imagines what happened to Nora Helmer after she famously slammed the door on her marriage and bourgeois life at the end of Ibsen's A Doll's House.

The season continues with Lynn Nottage's SWEAT (February 6 - April 13), fresh off a successful Tony nominated Broadway run. It will be directed by Nicole A. Watson (who helmed Asolo Rep's 2017 production of The Great Society). Winner of the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, SWEAT is a humorous and poignant look at Tracey and Cynthia - best friends trying to make ends meet in the heart of working-class America despite the domino effect of factory closures.

In March, Asolo Rep presents Michael Frayn's NOISES OFF (March 20 - April 20), the timeless farce about the shenanigans that occur off stage for a motley company of actors. Penned by one of the writers and producers of the hit Emmy Award®-winning drama This is Us, Bekah Brunstetter, THE CAKE (April 3 - 28) is a touching new play that tells the story of Jen, who wants nothing more than for her deceased mother's friend Della to bake her wedding cake. One problem: Della is deeply conflicted to learn that she must put two brides on top of the cake. Directed by Lavina Jadhwani (Asolo Rep's Roe), THE CAKE will run in the Cook Theatre.

Asolo Rep's spring musical is a freshly re-imagined production of Stephen Sondheim's SWEENEY TODD: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (May 1 - 26). Winner of 8 Tony Awards including best musical, it tells the dark and twisted tale of scorned barber Sweeney Todd and his quest for revenge in 19th-century London. It will be helmed by Peter Rothstein, who directs the theatre's upcoming production ofRagtime.

In June, the theatre continues its dedication to present innovative theatrical offerings for patrons of all ages with Jules Verne's AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS (June 6 - 23), from the creators of the wildly inventive and beloved Hetty Feather, which kicked off the theatre's family initiative in 2016. Eight actors, 109 characters, six trains, six boats, four flights, one storm, a circus act and an elephant take center stage in this unforgettable adventure. AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS will be directed by Theresa Heskins.

"From a community invigorated by love and music in THE MUSIC MAN, to a 17th-century Massachusetts village torn apart by fear and sexual repression in THE CRUCIBLE, to the hilarious camaraderie and dysfunction central to NOISES OFF, our 2018-19 season is a vibrant look at how communities evolve and band together in times of great turmoil, joy and change," said Asolo Rep Producing Artistic Director Michael Donald Edwards. "Both SWEAT and A DOLL'S HOUSE, PART 2, written by two of America's most exciting playwrights, show what happens when the political becomes deeply personal, while THE CAKE searches for genuine empathy in a divided world. We finish our season with SWEENEY TODD, a delicious and artful look at how revenge warps a community, and AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS, an inspiring, imaginative call to broaden our horizons. I urge you to join us for a season that promises thrilling stories about communities in the exciting thrall of change and discovery."

Asolo Rep will once again present its annual fall educational tour, an FSU/Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training production of William Shakespeare's THE TEMPEST, directed by Asolo Rep Artistic Associate Celine Rosenthal. The tour presents boldly re-imagined 45-minute adaptations of classic literature to schools and community venues throughout the state of Florida.

The FSU/Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training announced the second season of its annual Dog Days Theatre, which offers smart, contemporary works just light enough for the dog days of summer. The Dog Days Theatre 2018 season will feature Joe Orton's classic farce WHAT THE BUTLER SAW (July 10 - 29), directed by FSU/Asolo Conservatory Director Greg Leaming. The second production will be THE TURN OF THE SCREW (August 7 - 26), adapted by Jeffrey Hatcher from the story by Henry James. The edge-of-your-seat thriller will be directed by Chris Clavelli.

The Conservatory opens its season with Tom Stoppard's ARCADIA (October 30 - November 18): a time-jumping riddle caught between present day and 1809. Academic rivals Hannah Jarvis and Barnard Nightingale race to uncover the truth of Lord Byron, Ezra Chater, and the mysterious hermit of Arcadia. ARCADIA was the recipient of the 1993 Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Play, recognized by the Royal Institution of Great Britain as one of the best science-related works ever written, and nominated for a Drama Desk Award and Tony Award.

In January, the Conservatory presents Henrik Ibsen's masterpiece drama GHOSTS (January 1 - 20): a emotionally-taut story about the sins of the father and the limits of a mother's love. Written in 1881, GHOSTS follows Captain Alving's survivors as they wrestle with their public obligation and private hatred for the deceased. The season continues in late February with Craig Lucas' RECKLESS (February 19 - March 10). One peaceful December night, Rachel's husband admits that he's hired a hitman to kill her. The insanity ensues as the fleeing Rachel falls headlong into a ridiculous second life (and third, and fourth) with Lloyd Bophtelophti and his paraplegic girlfriend Pooty.

The Conservatory will return to Marie Selby Botanical Gardens in April for William Shakespeare's romantic comedy AS YOU LIKE IT (April 9 - 27). Sarasota's premier outdoor destination will transform into the Forest of Arden as the lovelorn Orlando and Rosalind navigate adventure, intrigue, and a few suitors. AS YOU LIKE IT follows the Conservatory's previous Shakespeare-in-the-garden productions of A Midsummer Night's Dream (2017) and Much Ado About Nothing (2018).

"Our first-year students are bright and talented young artists, eager to begin their careers on the stage," said Greg Leaming, Director of the FSU/Asolo Conservatory. "I'm excited to pair them with a season of classical and contemporary works that will take both them and our audiences around the world on a wild ride. These are brilliant stories with fascinating characters - a wonderful showcase for our second-year company."

Season subscriptions for the 2018-19 season are on sale now and available by visiting the Asolo Rep Box Office, located in the lobby of the theatre, 5555 N. Tamiami Trail in Sarasota, by calling 941.351.8000 or 800.361.8388 or online at www.asolorep.org. Single tickets will go on sale in September 2018.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride / WM Photos