LIEF IS A DREAM Opens Main Street Theater's 38th MainStage Season Tonight, 9/20

Main Street Theater announces its 38th MainStage Season and 33rd Theater for Youth Season. All MainStage productions will take place at MST – Rice Village.

LIFE IS A DREAM
by Pedro Calderón de la Barca
translated and adapted by Nilo Cruz
directed by Pablo Bracho
September 20 – October 14, 2012

“Astrological omens predict that if King Basilio's son Segismundo is crowned, he will become a horrible tyrant who will bring destruction to his kingdom. Basilio imprisons Segismundo for life, but decades later he decides to let his son prove his ability to defy the stars. Allowed to rule the palace, Segismundo wreaks bloody vengeance on the kingdom, confirming the prediction of the stars, and the prince is returned to his prison. In Nilo Cruz's translation of Calderón de la Barca's classic, the question of whether life is a dream or an illusion takes on a renewed relevance and urgency.” –Dramatists Play Service

A philosophical allegory of the human situation and the mystery of life, this fantastical play remains one of Calderón's best-known works. Nilo Cruz’ adaptation is a sublime translation which renders Calderon’s soaring poetry into richly elegant, modern language.

Produced by South Coast Repertory Theatre in 2007, Main Street will present the Regional Premiere of this stunning adaptation.

LOVE GOES TO PRESS
by Martha Gellhorn and Virginia Cowles
November 23 – December 16, 2012

From the book jacket: “In this romantic farce, set in a press camp on the Italian front in 1944, two female war correspondents – smart, sexy, and famous for scooping their male competitors – struggle to balance their professional and their love lives. Complications ensue when one of our heroines unexpectedly encounters her ex-husband, a famous writer whom she had divorced on the grounds of plagiarism. Written in the aftermath of WWII, this comedy opened in London in 1946 and on Broadway in 1947. At the time a relief for the survivors of Blitzkrieg and ration cards, today it is a devilishly entertaining portrayal of the Battle of the Sexes!”

Love Goes to Press premiered on Broadway in 1947 with a very short run. It is currently being produced Off-Broadway at the Mint Theater Company.

MEMORY HOUSE
by Kathleen Tolan
January 17 - February 10, 2013

As Katia struggles to finish her college essay by TONIGHT’S midnight deadline her mother Maggie tries to motivate and encourage her while baking a pie. Mother and daughter wrestle with lingering issues from Katia’s adoption from Russia, and her parents’ divorce and her fear of leaving home as they pick their way through the very human, very honest, and sometimes very funny struggle of how to connect with each other and face the future.

Trinity Repertory Theatre commissioned Memory House, and its world premiere was at The Actors Theatre of Louisville 2005 Humana Festival of New American Plays. Memory House was also produced Off-Broadway in 2005 at Playwrights Horizons.

HENRY V
By William Shakespeare
A Co-production with Prague Shakespeare Festival
Directed by Guy Roberts
March 21 – April 14, 2013

This majestic play is set in England in the early fifteenth century, young King Henry V has just assumed the throne. Bitter civil wars have left the people of England restless and dissatisfied. Furthermore, in order to gain the respect of the English people and the court, Henry must live down his wild adolescent past. He lays claim to certain parts of France, based on his distant roots in the French royal family and on a very technical interpretation of ancient land laws. When the young French prince (the Dauphin) sends Henry an insulting message in response to these claims, Henry decides to invade France. The climax of the war comes at the famous Battle of Agincourt, at which the English are outnumbered by the French five to one. What happens in the end is nothing short of a miracle…

The play is the final part of a tetralogy, preceded by Richard II, Henry IV, Part 1 and Henry IV, Part 2.

“We few, we happy few, we band of brothers / For he today that sheds his blood with me / Shall be my brother…” Shakespeare’s glorious, bold, witty, marvelous tale will be directed by PSF’s Guy Roberts who also directed MST’s 2011-12 season production of Richard III.

CLOSE UP SPACE
by Molly Meltzer
May 23 – June 16, 2013

Powerful literary editor Paul Barrow fights a losing battle against the lowering of linguistic standards instead of helping his daughter Harper deal with the death of her mother. But when Harper shows up at her father’s office speaking only in Russian and carrying a cooler full of snow and a boom box blasting an ethnically appropriate soundtrack, the rules of engagement CHANGE! A comical and poignant new play about how hard it can be to communicate… in any language.

Close Up Space had its world premiere at Manhattan Theatre Club in December of 2011. A week after it closed in early 2012, it was announced as a Susan Smith Blackburn Finalist.

2012-2013 Theater for Youth Season: all Theater for Youth productions will take place at MST – Chelsea Market.

DUCK FOR PRESIDENT
Based on the book by Doreen Cronin
Adapted by James E. Grote
Music & Lyrics by George Howe
Directed by Mark Adams
September 29 – October 27, 2012

Page to Stage Book Club Meeting: Saturday, September 29
Recommended for Pre-Kindergarten and up

Unhappy with the working conditions on Farmer Brown’s farm, Duck campaigns to put himself in charge. In this hilarious tale by the author of Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type, Duck seeks nothing less than the highest office in the land! Our fellow Americans, we present to you Duck for president!

A LITTLE HOUSE CHRISTMAS
Based on LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Adapted for the Stage by James DeVita
Directed by Katie Harrison
November 17 – December 22, 2012

Page to Stage Book Club Meeting: Saturday, November 10
Recommended for Pre-Kindergarten and up

Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House books are cherished for their depiction of the joys and struggles of a family settling the American Prairie. In A Little House Christmas, the Ingalls family awakens on Christmas Day to find themselves stranded by bad weather, and it seems all is lost for any hope of Santa’s arrival! Join Mary and Laura in this holiday classic as they learn the true meaning of friendship and the Christmas spirit. 

A WRINKLE IN TIME
Based on the book by Madeleine L’Engle
Adapted by John Glore
Directed by Troy Scheid
January 26 – February 15, 2013

Page to Stage Book Club Meeting: Saturday, January 26
Recommended for Third Grade and up

On a “dark and stormy night”, Meg Murry and her little brother Charles Wallace set out on a voyage through space and time to rescue their father, encountering Mrs. Who, Mrs. Which and Mrs. Whatsit – three eccentric sisters – along the way. Madeleine L’Engle’s classic fantasy adventure tells an inspiring tale of self discovery and great courage.

MISS NELSON IS MISSING
Based on the book by Harry Allard and James Marshall
Adapted by Jeffrey Hatcher
Directed by Mark Adams
March 2 – April 6, 2013

Page to Stage Book Club Meeting: Saturday, March 2
Recommended for Kindergarten and up

“The kids in Room 207 were misbehaving again. Spitballs stuck to the ceiling. Paper planes whizzing through the air. They were the worst-behaved class in the whole school.” But when Miss Nelson disappears and the mean-looking substitute Miss Viola Swamp takes her place, the children are so desperate they hire a detective to find Miss Nelson in this wacky whodunit hit!

CHARLOTTE’S WEB
Based on the book by E.B. White
Dramatized by Joseph Robinette
April 20 – May 18, 2013

Page to Stage Book Club Meeting: Saturday, April 27
Recommended for Pre-Kindergarten and up

The beloved story of a spider named Charlotte who devises a plan to save her friend, Wilbur, the pig. Charlotte’s Web has received numerous awards including the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award in 1970 for its message of friendship, loyalty and miracles.

SEASON EXTRA! (not on subscription)

ALICE IN WONDERLAND
Based on the book by Lewis Carroll
Adapted by Sharon Holland
June 8 – July 28, 2013

Page to Stage Book Club Meeting: Saturday, June 8
Recommended for Pre-Kindergarten and up

For over 150 years, Alice In Wonderland has captivated children with its timeless and whimsical story of Alice’s strange adventures down the rabbit hole, where she unexpectedly changes size, attends a tea party with the March Hare and the Mad Hatter, and even testifies at the trial of a knave who has stolen some tarts from the Queen of Hearts!

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