ANNA IN THE TROPICS to Open Cal State Fullerton's 2016-17 Season; Lineup Announced!

Cal State Fullerton's 2016-2017 season opens with the 2003 Pulitzer Prize winner Anna in the Tropics, written by Nilo Cruz, directed by Fidel Gomez and runs September 23-October 9, 2016 in the Young Theatre on campus.

This lovely and poetic play is set in a Cuban-American cigar factory in Florida in 1929 where cigars are rolled by hand while lectors entertain the workers and divert them from their monotonous jobs. The arrival of a new lector is a cause for celebration, but when he begins to read aloud from Anna Karenina, he unwittingly becomes a catalyst in the lives of his avid listeners, for whom Tolstoy, the tropics and the American dream prove a volatile combination.

Italian American Reconciliation, directed by Maria Cominis, runs October 7- 30, 2016 in the Hallberg Theatre on campus. Italian American Reconciliation is a tale about Huey, a man who is safely divorced from his shrewish first wife (who shot his dog), but he feels he cannot regain his "manhood" until he woos and wins her one more time. This lighthearted romantic comedy by the author of Moonstruck is hailed as "lovely" and "bathed in moonlit madness" by The New York Post. The New York Times writes that "Shanley is telling us a tall tale but he does it with so much humor, so much winsome charm that it is almost irresistible."

Fall Dance Theatre is an adventure in story-telling coordinated by Gladys Kares, running October 20-30 in the Little Theatre. Fall Dance Theatre combines student, faculty and guest artist choreography in a mix of classic, jazz, ballet, and modern dance.

The beloved Jane Austen novel Pride and Prejudice (adaptation by Jon Jory) is directed by Mark Ramont and runs November 4- 20, 2016 in the Young Theatre on campus. Finding a husband is hardly the independent Elizabeth's most urgent priority. However, with four sisters, an overzealous matchmaking mother, and a string of unsuitable suitors, it's difficult to escape the subject. When she meets the handsome but enigmatic Mr. Darcy, she is determined not to let her feelings triumph over her own good sense -- but the truth turns out to be slipperier than it seems.

Winner of five Broadway musical Tony Awards (including Best Book and Best Original Score), The Drowsy Chaperone is directed by Sarah Ripper, choreographed by William F. Lett, and with musical direction by Mitchell Hanlon. Performances will be held in the Little Theatre, November 18-December 11, 2016. The musical is a joyous send-up of the Jazz-age musical featuring one show-stopping song-and-dance number after another. With the houselights down, a man in a chair appears on stage and puts on his favorite record: the cast recording of a fictitious 1928 musical. The recording comes to life and the musical begins as The Man in the chair looks on. Mix in two lovers on the eve of their wedding, a bumbling best man, a desperate theatre producer, a not so bright hostess, two gangsters posing as pastry chefs, a misguided Don Juan and an intoxicated chaperone, and you have the ingredients for an evening of madcap delight. Hailed by New York Magazine as "The Perfect Broadway Musical."

Starting the Spring 2017 Season is William Shakespeare's The Two Gentlemen of Verona, directed by Mark Ramont, running from February 24-March 12, 2017 in the Young Theatre on campus. The Two Gentlemen of Verona is set in rapturous and romantic Verona, Italy. Best pals Valentine and Proteus bid a sad farewell as Valentine is off to explore the world and Proteus plans to stay home to pursue his love for the young maid, Julia. What follows is one of the Bard's most engaging, enjoyable and romantic comedies! "That man that hath a tongue, I say is no man, with his tongue he cannot win a woman."

Featuring core members of CSUF's MFA acting class, Melanie Marnich's Tallgrass Gothic is directed by James R. Taulli and runs March 10-April 9, 2017 at the Hallberg Theatre on campus. Tallgrass Gothic is a haunting, explosive play that captures the love, longing, isolation, desire and fear of the classic Jacobean tragedy The Changeling, by Thomas Middleton and William Rowley. Set in the Great Plains of the Midwest, Laura's hunger for a new beginning sets off a violent chain of events that leads her to a profound and terrifying understanding of her true nature. Tallgrass Gothic includes harsh language and content and is "recommended for adults only."

Andrew Lippa's Wild Party is a decadent, dangerous prohibition orgy of a musical based on Joseph Moncure March's 1928 narrative poem of the same name. The musical will be directed by Eve Himmelheber, choreographed by William F. Lett, with musical direction by Mitchell Hanlon, running April 21-May 7, 2017 in the Young Theatre on campus. Lovers Queenie and Burrs decide to throw the party to end all parties in their Manhattan apartment. Accustomed to living life on The Edge, Queenie's wandering eyes land on a striking man named Black. As the decadence reaches a climax, so does Burrs' jealousy, which erupts and sends him into a violent rage. Gun in hand and inhibitions abandoned, Burrs turns on Queenie and Black. The gun gets fired, but who's been shot? This steamy Off-Broadway prohibition tale roared its way into Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle and Obie Awards. Andrew Lippa's Wild Party is "recommended for adults only."

Closing the 2016-2017 season is Spring Dance Theatre coordinated by Gladys Kares, running May 4-14, 2017 in the Little Theatre on campus featuring student dancers, and faculty, student, and guest-artist choreographers.

Subscriptions for the Theatre and Dance season at California State University, Fullerton are available now. The FlexTix subscription offers 5, 6 or 11 redeemable credits, to use all at once or one-at-a-time. Patrons can create their own unique season with the "paperless" FlexTix credits. Subscriptions covering the Fall Season are $56 each and the entire season FlexTix is $111. Single tickets range from $12 to $24. Tickets are available online, or at the Joseph Clayes III Performing Arts Center box office by calling (657) 278-3371, 11am-5pm, Monday through Friday.

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