World Premiere of New Musical DARLIN' CORY, TONI STONE and More Announced for Alliance Theatre's 53rd Season

Atlanta's nationally acclaimed Alliance Theatre has announced the productions of the Alliance's 53rd season.

After a year that saw the Alliance produce a variety of new works for streaming platforms, an animated film, a drive-in production, and an outdoor tent series, the Alliance is excited to announce a return to in-person performances on its Coca-Cola Stage and Hertz Stage beginning in September 2021. The new season will feature eight productions including four world premieres, two musicals, and an elaborate new staging of its annual production, A CHRISTMAS CAROL.

"As a theater, we've been able to do a lot in this past upside-down year. The same commitment which helped us continue inspiring thousands of Atlantans (and beyond) while our stages were dark will enable us to do more innovative, equitable, and uplifting work as we come together in-person for our 2021/22 season," said Susan V. Booth, Jennings Hertz Artistic Director. "After the past year of pivoting with speed, agility, and yes, humor that we might never have imagined, it is thrilling to be announcing today our plans for the productions of our 53rd season."

The 2021/22 season will begin in September on the recently renovated and award-winning Coca-Cola Stage with DARLIN' CORY, a haunting new musical inspired by local lore with an original folk-country score by Grammy Award winner and Sugarland front man Kristian Bush (Troubadour), book by playwright and novelist Phillip DePoy (Edward Foote), and direction by Susan V. Booth.

Opening the Hertz Stage in October is THE NEW BLACK FEST'S HANDS UP: 7 PLAYWRIGHTS, 7 TESTAMENTS. HANDS UP depicts the realities of Black America from the perspective of varying genders, sexual orientations, skin tones, and socioeconomic backgrounds. This production of HANDS UP is co- directed by Spelman Associate Professor Keith Arthur Bolden and Spelman alumna and Alliance Spelman Fellow Alexis Woodard.

In November, the Alliance will unveil the new adaptation of its annual production A CHRISTMAS CAROL by David H. Bell with direction by Leora Morris. This reimagined version features a new scenic design by Tony Award winner Todd Rosenthal, costume design by Mariann Verheyen, lighting design by Greg Hofmann, sound design by Clay Benning, original music by Kendall Simpson, and puppet design by Tom Lee and Blair Thomas.

Next up for the Hertz Stage is CLUB HERTZ LIVE - a music series that will host some of Atlanta's most exciting performers and musicians in a relaxed lounge atmosphere. CLUB HERTZ LIVE will feature a new act each night and a variety of genres during the month of December. Bands and performers will be chosen by a panel of music-industry professionals. Performers are invited to apply to be a part of the series on the Alliance's website here.

In January 2022, the Alliance will produce the world premiere of this year's Alliance/Kendeda National Graduate Playwriting Competition winner, DREAM HOU$E, by Eliana Pipes of Boston University. In DREAM HOU$E, two sisters go on a reality tv show to renovate and sell their childhood home. The show quickly drives a wedge between the sisters as they come to terms with how much of their family's heritage they are willing to sacrifice in this funny and touching look at the truths of gentrification.

On the Coca-Cola Stage, the Alliance will present TONI STONE by Lydia R. Diamond based on the true story of the first female athlete to play professional baseball in the Negro Leagues. Toni Stone is a heartwarming and fascinating story of race, gender, and raw ambition. This production will be directed by the Alliance's BOLD Artistic Director Fellow Tinashe Kajese-Bolden and is a co-production with Milwaukee Rep.

In March 2022, the Alliance will produce the world premiere of BINA'S SIX APPLES by Lloyd Suh and directed by Obie Award winner Eric Ting. Set against the backdrop of the Korean War, BINA'S SIX APPLES is a harrowing and uplifting story of courage and finding home. BINA'S SIX APPLES is a co-production with Children's Theatre Company.

Closing the season on the Coca-Cola Stage, the Alliance will produce a world premiere musical with direction by Tony Award winner, Kenny Leon. Leon is known to Atlanta audiences as the former Artistic Director of Alliance Theatre and as the Founder and Artistic Director Emeritus of Kenny Leon's True Colors Theatre. The details of the new production will be announced later this summer.

In addition to the Alliance Series on the Coca-Cola Stage and Hertz Series on the Hertz Stage, the Alliance will produce five productions for the Kathy & Ken Bernhardt Theatre for the Very Young - two for streaming and three in-person productions in the Selig Family Blackbox at Alliance Theatre. The titles in the Theatre for the Very Young Season are SOUNDS OF THE WEST END (streaming); THE CURIOUS CARDINAL (streaming); KNOCK, KNOCK; IN MY GRANNY'S GARDEN; and DO YOU LOVE THE DARK?. This season marks the 10th anniversary of the Kathy & Ken Bernhardt Theatre for the Very Young program, which commissions and produces new works designed for children five years old and younger.

To prepare for audiences to return to the theater, the Alliance has replaced all HVAC units with HVAC ionization systems, which provide a 99.4% reduction of COVID-19 within 30 minutes. HVAC ionization is more effective than other air-cleaning methods and helps kill other types of viruses, such as the flu, and air pollutants. The Alliance has also increased the cleaning schedule of surfaces in the theater, modified the ticketing process to eliminate physical tickets, and increased the number of hand-sanitizing stations across the campus. The Alliance will continue to closely monitor local, state, and federal policies regarding indoor activities and plan our safety protocols accordingly.

When possible, live performances of the 53rd season will be filmed for streaming on the Alliance Theatre's streaming platform, Alliance Theatre Anywhere.

Memberships and Season tickets for the Alliance's 53rd season are on sale now. Single tickets for the 2021 productions will go on sale in July 2021. Single tickets for the 2022 productions will go on sale in October 2021. For more information, visit www.alliancetheatre.org/memberships.

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