37th Season of the Hangar Theatre Celebrates Stories of Family and Diversity

An electrifying line-up of plays and musicals are set for the 37th season of the Hangar Theatre. With actors and creative artists straight from Broadway as well as across the country, this much anticipated season features two beloved musicals, a wonderful baseball comedy, a touching heartfelt play by American Master August Wilson as well as a world premiere comedy from a New York playwright with Central New York roots.

The season takes off with Richard Dresser's baseball comedy Rounding Third (June 2nd - June 11th), followed by the dazzling musical Ragtime (June 23rd - July 10th). The Hangar will then present the world premiere of a new comedy Ever So Humble (July 14th -July 23rd), August Wilson's Gem of the Ocean (July 28th - August 6th) and, to bring the season to a glittery gutsy finale, Richard O'Brien's The Rocky Horror Show (August 18th - September 3rd)

Peter Flynn, Artistic Director of the Hangar, is "thrilled about this exciting season of plays & musicals that explores the hilarity and heart of the American family." Details of the season are as follows:

Rounding Third by Richard Dresser

In the tradition of The Odd Couple, this smart comedy hits the laughs out of the park as the coaching styles of two baseball-obsessed fathers collide on the Little League field. Both men rack up hits, home runs, and plenty of errors as they forge an unlikely friendship and learn to see the game - and their lives - in a new light. Rounding Third, directed by The Hangar's Associate Artistic Director Stephanie Yankwitt, features Aaron Roman Weiner and Sidney Williams (Members of New York City's distinguished LAByrinth Theatre). Play ball!

Ragtime
Passionate and sweeping, Ragtime is, truly, an American musical classic. Based on the landmark E. L. Doctorow novel, Ragtime features a Tony winning score by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty (Once on this Island, Seussical) and a book by Terrence McNally (Master Class, Love! Valour! Compassion!). This thrilling turn of the century tale of

three diverse American families is played out against the background of actual historical

celebrities like Henry Ford, Harry Houdini and Evelyn Nesbit. Directed by Sidney J. Burgoyne, with choreography by CJay Philip (Hangar's Once on this Island), Ragtime is a thrilling and unforgettable night of theatre.

Hangar Theatre Season Press release
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Ever So Humble
An expired New York City sublet leaves Nick and his two best friends with no place to live. Enter Howard - a loveable, but lonely man with a house in Brooklyn. Friendships blossom and hilarious complications arise, as Howard's house becomes the source of a sticky dilemma for his heirs and his new friends. Inspired by E.M. Forster's novel Howards End, this world premiere comedy is by New York playwright Tim Pinckney (Message to Michael) and directed by the Hangar's Artistic Director Peter Flynn. The cast includes Broadway's Andréa Burns (In the Heights), and Philip Hoffman (Falsettos, Into the Woods). Poignant, but smart and sassy, Ever So Humble is a touching reminder that our home and our family are what we make them.

Gem of the Ocean

One of the last works written by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright August Wilson, Gem of the Ocean is set in Pittsburgh in 1904. Citizen Barlow is in desperate need of spiritual guidance when another man is wrongfully accused of his crimes so Barlow turns to 285-year-old Aunt Ester Tyler and her suitor Solly Two Kings (A conductor on the Underground Railroad). With Lizan Mitchell (Broadway's Electra, Having Our Say) as Aunt Ester, Gem of the Ocean brings director Jennifer L. Nelson back to the Hangar, along with Craig Wallace and David Toney from 2010's The Piano Lesson. Hangar audiences will marvel at August Wilson's unmatched story-telling prowess in this gem of a play; theatrical and rich with poetry, music, and humor. The New York Times said "'Gem' has passages of transporting beauty. Mr. Wilson is at the top of his form."

The Rocky Horror Show

Let's do the "Time Warp"again - and let's do it LIVE! The time has come to experience this completely outrageous rock-musical on stage at the Hangar Theatre. Directed by Devanand Janki (The Hangar's acclaimed production of Rent), The Rocky Horror Show is a deliberately kitschy, mind-bending mash-up of science fiction staples that explodes into a libidinous frenzy of aliens, small town innocents and "a sweet Transvestite from transsexual Transylvania". Dress up in your best fishnet stockings and sing along with Brad and Janet, Dr. Frank N. Furter, and the whole frighteningly flamboyant cast of characters. Don't just dream it, be it!

Regular tickets range from $18 t0 $45. Subscriptions - packed with added benefits - are also available. Tickets can be purchased at: www.hangartheatre.org or by phone at (607) 273-8588. The recently renovated theatre is located at 801 Taughanock Blvd. Ithaca, NY 14850. The Hangar business office is 171 East State Street, Suite 230 in Center Ithaca. Ithaca, NY 14851

The Hangar Theatre is committed to providing exceptional theatre experiences of high professional quality to enrich, enlighten, educate, and entertain the diverse audience in the Finger Lakes region and beyond. Strong education and training programs are central parts of our commitment to the local and national artistic communities. Visit our website at www.hangartheatre.org

 

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