ELF, SOMETHING ROTTEN! and More Announced for Beck Center 2021-2022 Professional Theater Season

Beck Center for the Arts has announced its 2021-2022 Professional Theater Season filled with entertaining and engaging titles that include hilarious comedies, musicals, and the eleventh annual collaboration with Baldwin Wallace University Music Theatre program.

In recognition of Wally and Joyce Senney for their extraordinarily generous gift of over $1 million for the Creating Our Future capital campaign, Beck Center's Board of Directors recently voted to change the name of its main theater to The Senney Theater. The Senney family's history with the organization goes back to 1915 when they constructed the Lucier Movie Theater and Maheu block which became the home of Lakewood Little Theater in 1938. "Wally and Joyce Senney are enthusiastic patrons of Beck Center's theatrical productions, and we are pleased to recognize their important philanthropic investment in the future of Beck Center for the Arts," commented President & CEO Lucinda Einhouse.

Wally and Joyce Senney, when asked about the motivation to gift Beck Center and name the theater, "Joyce and I have been residents of Lakewood for most of our lives. Along with our family who all still live in Lakewood, we want to do whatever we can to not only keep Lakewood as a great place to live, but also to improve it. Beck Center for the Arts is a jewel that brings many people, young and old, into our community to learn and study the arts and sends them out with confidence, talents, and skills that end up putting some on Broadway. We want our name on The Senney Theater to keep us identified as part of Lakewood and also because our family once owned the original theatre that is part of the Beck Center campus."

In anticipation of welcoming theater patrons back to The Senney Theater and Studio Theater spaces, Beck Center has made a number of investments in our HVAC and air filtration to provide a safe environment for our patrons as they return to the theater.

Now in his 30th season, Beck Center for the Arts' Artistic Director Scott Spence says, "Live theater so often centers around the triumph of the human spirit. In announcing this season I do so knowing that after all we have endured, and are currently overcoming, it will be the greatest of joys to once again be in 'Show Mode' as we assemble the area's finest artists to deliver amazing theater to you---our audiences. I cannot begin to tell you how much we have missed you!"

Season Tickets and Flex Passes for the 2021-2022 Professional Theater Season range in price from $132 to $288 and are available for purchase now at 216-521-2540 x10. Individual tickets may be purchased beginning Monday, August 16, 2021, at beckcenter.org with ticket prices from $33 (adults), $29 (for seniors 65 and older) and $12 for students with valid ID. A $3 service fee per single ticket will be applied at time of purchase. Curtain times are 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2:30 p.m. Sundays. Preview performances are 7:30 p.m. the Thursday before opening night, with general-admission seating for $10. $10 Smart Seats® are available for each performance. For more information on the 2021-22 Professional Theater Season please visit beckcenter.org.

Please Note: Titles and programming subject to change due to pandemic protocols and Actor's Equity Association's rules and restrictions.}

Broadway Bound

Written by Neil Simon

Directed by William Roudebush

Featuring Broadway legend Austin Pendleton as Ben

Produced by special arrangement with Samuel French

September 10 - October 3, 2021, Senney Theater

Additional performance Thursday, September 30, 2021

The final play in Simon's semi-autobiographical trilogy (Brighton Beach Memoirs and Biloxi Blues), Broadway Bound continues Eugene and Stanley's brotherly journey as they discover and flex their comedic writing chops while continuing to endure family dysfunction.

The Exonerated

Written by Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen

Directed by Colleen Longshaw

Produced by special arrangement with Dramatists

October 8 - November 7, 2021, Studio Theater

This docu-drama recounts first-person narratives in dramatic form through the legal records of six wrongly convicted inmates. The accounts of these falsely-accused former convicts

explore these falsely accused people's lives after being sentenced to death, and the legal proceedings that gained their exoneration.

Elf (The Musical)

Book adapted by Bob Martin and Thomas Meehan

Lyrics by Chad Beguelin

Music by Matthew Sklar

Based on the New Line Cinema film by David Berenbaum

Directed by Scott Spence; Musical Direction by Larry Goodpaster; Choreography by Martín Céspedes

Produced by special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI)

December 3, 2021 - January 2, 2022, Senney Theater

Additional Performances Wednesdays Dec. 22nd/29th, Thursdays, Dec. 16th/23rd/Dec 30th, and double performances (2:30PM/7:30PM) on December 11th & December 18th, 2021

Based on the beloved holiday film, this hilarious big-elf-living-in-a-small world comedy follows Buddy the Elf in his quest to find his true identity in a holiday bedazzled New York City. Featuring songs written by the creator of Disney's Aladdin on Broadway and a book by the writer of Annie, The Producers, and Hairspray this feels and sounds like a sweet holiday treat for all ages. (Maple syrup not included.)

LIZZIE The Musical

Music and Lyrics by Steven Cheklik-deMeyer, Tim Maner, and Alan Stevens Hewitt

Directed by Victoria Bussert

Musical Direction by Matthew Webb

Choreography by Gregory Daniels

LIZZIE has been developed with the assistance of tiny mythic theatre company, HERE arts center, Took An Axe Productions (Hillary Richard & Peter McCabe), Brisa Trinchero/Corey Brunish (Make Musicals) and Van Dean/Kenny Howard (Broadway Consortium).

Professional Regional Premiere

February 4 - February 27, 2022; Senney Theater

Additional performances Thursday February 10th, Thursday February 17, and Thursday February 24, 2022

This international sensation took the world by storm in over 60 cities in six countries in five languages across four continents before the pandemic took its 40 whacks. A sexy, bloody American mythology, LIZZIE is set to a blistering score of hard rock.

Meteor Shower

Written by Steve Martin

Directed by Scott Spence

Produced by special arrangement with Samuel French Inc.

Regional Premiere

April 1 - May 1, 2022; Studio Theater

Written by Steve Martin, (yes, that Steve Martin), this wild and crazy play pulls back the curtain on two married couples and the extreme transformation they can experience when the sky is the limit. You'll have a burning desire to find out what happens next for these four lovers.

Scott Spence, Artistic Director says, "I've had the best time directing and producing Martin's previous exploits as playwright, including the amazing 'Picasso at the Lapine Agile'. It's the most pleasurable of adventures climbing inside his sharp yet demented mind."

The Legend of Georgia McBride

Written Matthew Lopez

Directed by Eric Schmiedl

Produced by special arrangement with Dramatists

Regional Premiere

May 27- June 27, 2022, Studio Theater

He's young, he's broke, his landlord's knocking at the door, and he's just found out his wife is pregnant. To make matters even more desperate, Casey is fired from his gig as an Elvis impersonator in a run-down, small-town Florida bar. When the bar owner brings in a B-level drag show to replace his act, Casey finds that he has a whole lot to learn about show business-and himself. Experience this transfiguring transformation, while learning to laugh at life's detours with this "Florida man."

Something Rotten!

Book by John O'Farrell and Karey Kirkpatrick

Music and lyrics by Karey and Wayne Kirkpatrick

Director Scott Spence

Musical Direction by Larry Goodpaster

Choreography by Martín Céspedes

Produced by special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI)

July 8 - August 7, 2022, Senney Theater

Additional Performances Thursday July 28 & August 4, 2022

Set in 1595 the story of two brothers, who just happen to be the nemeses of a little known Mr. William Shakespeare, are desperate to write a hit play. A local soothsayer foretells that the future of theatre will involve Singing, Dancing, AND Acting, all at the same time! Gasp! The brothers then decide to write a (wait for it) MUSICAL! The world's very first musical! Artistic Director Scott Spence says, "Sometimes 'wacky' is exactly what you want in a musical. This one is tuneful and quite hilarious, and it will be just as much of a joy to work on as it will to bring it to NE Ohio audiences."

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