Stoneham Theatre Announces 'Growing Up' Theme for Season 12

Stoneham Theatre announces Season 12, a season devoted to the universal theme of growing up.

As Weylin Symes, Producing Artistic Director of Stoneham Theatre, reflected on the recent success of Stoneham's young company production of 13, a musical about the trials and tribulations of teenage life, it ignited a spark for the perfect theme for Season 12. That spark was further fanned when he directed several members of the young company in the Mainstage production of Lanford Wilson's The Rimers of Eldritch. Says Symes, "When I saw the skills and talent that these kids brought to these two challenging and different pieces, I knew that we had a unique opportunity and ability as a theatre to examine stories about the hope and hardships of coming-of-age."

Season 12's line-up includes an off-beat new comedy, a Shakespearean classic, two audience favorites, a fresh take on a familiar story and a forgotten romantic gem. Says Symes, "These diverse plays and musicals all have one thing in common: they explore in different ways the joys, sorrows and challenges of leaving youth behind and assuming the responsibilities that come with adulthood."

STONEHAM THEATRE'S SEASON 12 includes:

Steel Magnolias
September 15 - October 2, 2011
[A beloved comedic drama; written by Robert Harling; directed by Paula Plum and featuring Kathy St. George as M'Lynn Eatenton.]

On the morning of her wedding day, Shelby Eatenton, her mother and her mother's outrageous friends - the lovable curmudgeon Ouiser and small-town grande dame Clairee - gather in Truvy's small town Louisiana beauty parlor to celebrate her future. Filled with humor and heartbreak, these "steel magnolias" make us laugh and cry, and finally admire their strength as they face life's uncertainties with courage and humor. Two of the brightest lights in Boston theatre, Paula Plum and Kathy St. George, join together to bring this beloved story to life.

Buddy Cop 2
October 20 - November 6, 2011
[An off-beat comedic mystery; written and developed by Brooklyn-based The Debate Society collaborators: Hannah Bos, Paul Thureen, & Oliver Butler; directed by Weylin Symes.]

In this off-beat comedic mystery of holiday nostalgia and athletic rigor, nothing is what it seems...or is it? For the residents of Shandon, Indiana, it's Christmas in August as the town rallies to honor a girl's dying wish and the local police fight crime from the community center after a flood. Mysteries emerge and racquetballs fly. As the fruitcakes and Christmas watermelons collect, this quirky and touching play shows how a community unites to help one of its own, and how, even in the smallest of towns, secrets are waiting to be revealed.

Originally produced by the daring The Debate Society in association with the Ontological Theater in Spring 2010. "This downtown gem, full of minor-key revelations and offhand epiphanies, roots its quirky charm in an earnest and surprising realism. Charming, offbeat, sneakily funny. Critic's pick." (New York Times)

The Nutcracker
November 25 - December 23, 2011
[Holiday show in repertory; book by Phillip Klapperich and Jake Minton; music by Kevin O"Donnell; lyrics by Jake Minton; directed by Caitlin Lowans.]

Not-your-father's Nutcracker, this fresh take on the holiday classic was created by The House Theatre of Chicago, the award-winning team who created our critically acclaimed The Sparrow (presented by Stoneham Theatre in 2009). For the family of twelve-year old Clara, a Christmas without her recently deceased older brother can never be the same. When her eccentric Uncle Drosselmeyer gives 12-year-old Clara a wooden nutcracker that happens to look just like her brother, a fantastic journey begins. After the nutcracker comes to life, Clara and a team of wise-cracking toys face down the evil Rat King in a battle that teaches Clara and all of us how to celebrate life while honoring loss. Adapted from the original tale by E.T.A. Hoffman, with live music from a 4-piece band.

"Warm, kind, moving, inclusive... and wholly original... A splendidly empowering Christmas story" (Chicago Tribune)

Sister's Christmas Catechism
November 25 - December 23, 2011
[Holiday show (irreverent comedy) in repertory; conceived by Maripat Donovan with Jane Morris and Marc Silvia; featuring Denise Fennell.]

Back by popular demand, Denise Fennell returns as Sister. Anyone who played hooky last year (or couldn't get in because it was sold out), should not skip class this year. Sister will cover all the finer points of the true meaning of Christmas and will create a live nativity with plenty of class participation!

Romeo and Juliet
March 1 - March 18, 2012
[Classic tragedy; by William Shakespeare; directed by Caitlin Lowans and Weylin Symes.]

Two households both alike in dignity. Two families in conflict. When children act on their parents' grievances, and teens flame with the passion of first love, unintended consequences can devastate. Ten professional actors will team up with ten members of our young company to explore this timeless story of love and conflict not only between families but within them.

The Full Monty
April 12 - May 6, 2012
[A cheeky British musical comedy; book by Terrence McNally; music and lyrics by David Yazbek; director to be determined.]

Adapted from the wildly successful British film, this cheeky musical follows a group of unemployed mill-workers who devise an unconventional solution to their professional and personal woes. A cast of 18 and an eight-piece band will fill the Stoneham stage with rollicking music, laugh-out-loud hilarity and a don't-blink-or-you'll-miss-it ending. Recommended for mature audiences.

I Capture The Castle
May 24 - June 10, 2012
[Romantic comedy; by Dodie Smith; directed by Weylin Symes.]

In this rediscovered gem of a play, the lives of 17 year-old Cassandra Mortmain and her eccentric English family are turned upside down with the arrival of a handsome new landlord. As the Mortmains struggle to accept the strangers in their midst, new possibilities and new love unexpectedly begin to bloom. Dodie Smith (also author of The One Hundred and One Dalmatians among others) adapted her delightful romantic novel for the stage in 1954. Terry Teachout, of the Wall St. Journal wrote, "The word ‘irresistible' is rarely true, but I don't see how anyone not descended from Scrooge McDuck could fail to fall for ‘I Capture the Castle.'"

Dear Miss Garland
June 28 - July 22, 2012
[Musical tribute; by Kathy St. George and Scott Edmiston; directed by Scott Edmiston.]

Back by popular demand, Stoneham darling Kathy St. George returns in her incredible one-woman celebration of the legendary Judy Garland.

"Weaving heart-stopping renditions of many of the singer's hits with spot-on re-creations of her onstage patter, as well as St. George's own reminiscences of her longtime absorption in Garland's life and work, the show truly becomes what it's billed as: a ‘theatrical concert', [St. George] does indeed write a love letter to Miss Garland " (Boston Globe)

Background information:

Stoneham Theatre is located at 395 Main Street, Stoneham, MA 01890, in the center of town and close to several exits off of Routes 93 and 95. Subscription order forms for the theatre's upcoming Season 12, with an early bird special deadline by May 21, are now available at the Box Office either in person or by emailing BoxOffice@stonehamtheatre.org. Stoneham Theatre Box Office at (781) 279-2200 is open Tuesday through Saturday 1-6 pm.

Stoneham Theatre, a professionally producing regional theatre, is the only company founded within the past eleven years ranked by the Boston Business Journal among the area's ten most popular performing arts organization. It is consistently praised by critics and audiences for its superior caliber of production, its connection to the communities it serves and its comfortable atmosphere. Weylin Symes serves as Stoneham Theatre's Producing Artistic Director. Visit www.stonehamtheatre.org.

Currently running at Stoneham Theatre in Season 11:
The Rimers of Eldritch
March 24-April 10, 2011
By Lanford Wilson; directed by Weylin Symes; with Marianna Bassham, Bobbie Steinbach, Daniel Berger-Jones, among others.
For details, www.stonehamtheatre.org/rimers.html.

Coming up next at Stoneham Theatre in Season 11:
42nd Street
May 5-29, 2011
Music by Harry Warren; lyrics by Al Dubin; book by Michael Stewart and Mark Bramble; based on the novel by Bradford Ropes; directed and choreographed by Ilyse Robbins.
For details, www.stonehamtheatre.org/42ndstreet.html.

Stoneham Theatre is also home to the Atelier Gallery, a satellite gallery of the Griffin Museum of Photography, showcasing fine art photography. For more information on the exhibition schedule, log onto www.griffinmuseum.org/exhibitions_atelier.htm. The Atelier Gallery at Stoneham Theatre is open Tuesdays through Saturdays, 1-6 p.m., and one hour before each theater performance. The gallery can be accessed through the theatre's lobby; free and open to all.

 

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