World Premiere by Brian Watkins & More Set for Buffalo Theatre Ensemble 2023-2024 Season

Buffalo Theatre Ensemble, the professional Equity theater company in residence at the McAninch Arts Center, has announced its 2023-2024 three-play season. The season will open with "Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley" by Lauren Gunderson and Margot Melcon, directed by BTE Associate Artistic Director Amelia Barrett (Nov. 16 - Dec. 17). It will be followed by Bruce Graham's "The Outgoing Tide" directed by guest director Steve Scott (Feb. 1 - March 3). The world premiere of Brian Watkins' Into the Earth with You" by Brian Watkins, directed by BTE Member Kurt Naebig completes the season (May 2 - June 2).

BTE Managing Artistic Director Connie Canaday Howard remarked, "At BTE we understand the important cathartic experience live theater offers. It provides the chance to be part of an event that is special as it is ephemeral, offering a way to step out of our world for a couple of hours to gain new perspectives on what it means to be human and recharge our spirit. Each play has been chosen with that in mind while also offering BTE a chance to grow. We thank everyone who will be joining us on this new season adventure."

BTE's 2023-2024 three-play season includes the following:

"Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley"

By Lauren Gunderson & Margot Melcon
Directed by Amelia Barrett+*
Nov. 16 - Dec. 17
Preview: Thursday, Nov. 16; Press Opening: Friday, Nov. 17
Performances: 8 p.m. Thursday - Saturday
and 3 p.m. Sunday
(No performance Thanksgiving Nov. 23. Two performances Saturday Nov. 25 at 3 & 8 p.m.)
Tickets: $44

In this charming "sequel" to "Pride and Prejudice," Mary Bennet, the bookish, unmarried middle sister yearns for more in life when an expected guest joins the Christmas festivities at Pemberley. The Chicago Tribune hails "Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley" as "unstuffy, highly entertaining and warm-spirited work, the kind of thing multiple generations can enjoy together;" and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel calls it, "a smart and moving comedy for women and the people who love them."

There will be a free pre-show discussion Thursday, Nov. 16 and a post-show discussion Friday, Nov. 24.

"The Outgoing Tide"

By Bruce Graham
Directed by Steve Scott
Feb. 1 - March 3
Preview: Thursday, Feb. 1; Press Opening: Friday, Feb. 2
Performances: 8 p.m. Thursday - Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday
Tickets: $44

Set on the bank of Chesapeake Bay, Gunner has created a plan to safeguard his family's future, surprising his wife and son, who have other plans. Weaving both humor and powerful emotion, this highly relatable story poses thoughtful questions about personal choice, and what it means to truly love someone. The Chicago Tribune says, "Graham zeroes in on recognizable truths;" and The New York Times says, "Its poignant conclusion will have resonance for many in the audience."

There will be a free pre-show discussion Thursday, Feb. 1 and a post-show discussion Friday, Feb. 8.
 

"Into the Earth with You" - WORLD PREMIERE

By Brian Watkins
Directed by Kurt Naebig+*
May 2 - June 2
Preview: Thursday, May 2; Press Opening: Friday, May 3
Performances: 8 p.m. Thursday - Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday
Tickets: $44

Granddad is gone. No elegies. No dirges. But his three granddaughters cannot forget what is buried.When an impossible discovery upends their notions of loss, it has them asking, "who among us has been digging?" This new play, penned by the creator of the Amazon Studios' television series "Outer Range," was a 2016 O'Neill Finalist.

There will be a free pre-show discussion Thursday, May 2 and a post-show discussion Friday, May 10.

Tickets

BTE's 2023-2024 Season performances will take place in the Playhouse Theatre of the McAninch Arts Center located at 425 Fawell Blvd. on the campus of College of DuPage. Subscriptions are now on sale. Those subscribing by May 31 save 25% off single show ticket prices. Subscribers after that date receive 20% off single show ticket prices. A Season Flex-Pass is also available redeemable for each production during BTE's 2023-2024 Season. Subscriber benefits include free ticket exchanges, invitations to subscriber nights, a subscription to the SuBTExt newsletter, free subscription to West Suburban Living, 10% discount at the MAC Gift Shop and two complimentary tickets to a COD student performance. Single show tickets go on sale July 27.

About Buffalo Theatre Ensemble

The mission of Buffalo Theatre Ensemble is to provide a forum in which artists, scholars, writers, students and community members explore new ideas and provocative issues through the production of quality theater for the enjoyment of its audiences. Since 1986 BTE has staged more than 120 productions.

The Ensemble members are Aly Renee Amidei, Robert Jordan Bailey*, Amelia Barrett* (Associate Artistic Director), Bryan Burke* (Business Manager), Robyn Coffin, Rebecca Cox, Lisa Dawn, Nick DuFloth, Jon Gantt, Connie Canaday Howard* (Managing Artistic Director), Christopher Kriz^, Laura Leonardo Ownby, Michael W. Moon, Kurt Naebig*, Galen G. Ramsey*, William "Sandy" Smillie, Kelli Walker and Norm Woodel. For more information about BTE, visit btechicago.com.

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