Company of Fools Theatre Announces its 24th Season for 2019–2020

Company of Fools (COF) announces its 24th season, which features four mainstage productions at the Liberty Theatre in Hailey. The 2019-2020 lineup includes Crimes of the Heart by Beth Henley; Cry It Out by Molly Smith Metzler; Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley by Lauren Gunderson and Margot Melcon; and The Niceties by Eleanor Burgess. This special collection of plays, all by female playwrights, reflects the beauty and complexity of the contemporary world and continues COF's commitment to the power and magic of storytelling. Although the 24th season's Play Reading Series is still in development, COF will connect the readings with The Center's 2019-2020 BIG IDEAS - multidisciplinary projects that explore timely topics and engage the entire community in conversation. Confirmed events for the series include a rehearsed reading of Robert Lee and Jerome Lawrence's 1969 play The Night Thoreau Spent In Jail and the first-ever COF-sponsored 24 Hour Play Festival.

Developed in collaboration with R.L. Rowsey, Company of Fools 23rd Season Producer, and under the leadership of COF's new Producing Artistic Director Scott Palmer, a natural theme coalesced for the 24th season: "Welcome to the Family."

"In my first season here, it feels only right that together, hand in hand, we consider what family means: the family we are born into, the family we make, the family we find, and the family we choose," said Palmer. "The season also reflects Company of Fools' commitment to excellence - from great American classics to family friendly celebrations, and from new, cutting-edge work to old stories reimagined."

The new season is notable in a number of ways. It includes the work of four female playwrights (one of whom is a woman of color), one Pulitzer Prize winner for Best Drama, two groundbreaking contemporary works focused on social justice issues, and one major adaptation of a classic novel. Founding COF member Denise Simone will direct Cry It OUt, and the company's new Producing Artistic Director, Scott Palmer, will direct the other three. In addition, 70 percent of the roles in the new season will be performed by women.

"In just a few short weeks, the residents of the Wood River Valley have welcomed me with open arms," said Palmer. "I truly feel like a member of the family, and everyone here at Company Of Fools is excited and energized by this remarkable season of work."

For more information about Company of Fools' 24th Season, to purchase tickets or to learn about membership at The Center, please visit sunvalleycenter.org or call 208.726.9491.

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