Actors' Theatre Reveals 2024 Summer Season: TELLING TALES

In a sneak preview party at Germania Singing & Sporty Society last weekend, Actors' Theatre of Columbus (ATC) revealed its 2024 summer outdoor season, “Telling Tales,” in addition to the return of its indoor Shakespeare Underground series.

 

“Telling Tales” is a season dedicated to celebrating the stories that we share and the ways we share them. Myths, legends, lies, fairy tales and family folklore blend to magnify the truths that make us truly human. “Telling Tales” promises to be a season of romance, comedy, love, and truth.

 

BEAUTY & THE BEAST by Lucy Kirkwood

 

Devised by Katie Mitchell and Lucy Kirkwood

Directed by Philip J. Hickman

Thur-Sun, May 23 – June 16

 

A tale as old as time, retold with a magical new spin. Lucy Kirkwood's Beauty & the Beast is full of fairy tale romance, comedy, and enchantment. The wickedly charismatic Man in Pink presents his version of events, casting a spell over Beauty, her cursed Beast, and a single red rose. Add a magical Rabbit and a personal assistant who wants to sing and presto! *

 

*This is not the version told by a Certain Mouse.

 

CHICKEN & BISCUITS by Douglas Lyons

 

Directed by Alan Tyson

Thur-Sun, June 20 – July 14

 

Chicken & Biscuits by Douglas Lyons debuted on Broadway in 2021. This hilarious family comedy about a funeral is the story of two sisters saying farewell to their father. They try to lay their own conflicts to rest while family secrets come to light and their kids try to let their own identities emerge at last. Funny, warm, and joyful, Chicken & Biscuits is sure to be a perfect show for a picnic at the park.

 

TWELFTH NIGHT by William Shakespeare

 

Directed by Nina Martin and Rowan Winterwood

Thur-Sun, July 18 – August 11

 

William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, or What You Will is the Bard's wild comedy of mistaken identity, lovesick servants, and literature's most famous stocking-centered revenge plot. Orsino is in love with Olivia, who is in love with Cesario, who is really Viola in disguise, who is in love with Orsino! Meanwhile a drunken knight, madcap servants, and a wise fool negotiate their own romances and revenges.

 

AN ILIAD by Lisa Peterson and Denis O'Hare

 

Directed by Cat McAlpine

Thur-Sun, August 15 – September 1

 

An Iliad is Lisa Peterson and Denis O'Hare's riveting retelling of Homer's famous epic about war, cycles of violence, and what it means to change the narrative. Told by multiple poets and muses, this production of An Iliad will bring together the ancient and modern to explore the heart of humanity and the hope for a better tomorrow.

 

All performances take place at 8 pm at Schiller Park Amphitheatre. All performances are offered for FREE (donations accepted at intermission), or reserve a chair, blanket, or lounger in advance.

 

ATC's experimental series, “The Shakespeare Underground,” will return in 2024 in its new home of Germania Singing & Sport Society (543 S Front St.). In addition, ATC will also present a special performance of What I Didn't Say: A Journey Through Parkinson's at the German Village Meeting Haus (588 S Third St.) on Sunday, February 4 at 2 pm and 7 pm. Tickets are $15 (or FREE for Parkinson's patients and their care partners) and available at www.theactorstheatre.org.

 

Actors' Theatre of Columbus (ATC) celebrates the possibilities of classic theater and literature, leading our diverse community in artistic excellence, education, and vision. Founded in 1982, ATC is a nonprofit performing arts theater troupe presenting plays by William Shakespeare and other time-honored authors with relevance to a contemporary audience. ATC performs outdoors from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend at Schiller Park in German Village. ATC has a broad influence in the artistic community of the city, as well as educational outreach in schools and summer theatre camps in Schiller Park. The Globe School, ATC's education wing, hosts classes for kids, teens, and adults, as well as professional internships for young theater professionals. For more information, visit www.theactorstheatre.org.

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