VENUS IN FUR, FREUD'S LAST SESSION and More Set for Alley Theatre's 2013-14 Season

Gregory Boyd, Artistic Director of the Tony Award-winning Alley Theatre, announces its thrilling new season of plays created by playwrights that include a Pulitzer-Prize winning comedy, a new play that was the Outer Critics Circle's Outstanding, New Play winner, the first play by a Tony Award winner, a 2011 Tony Award nominee for Best Play, plus an ingenious comedy from acclaimed, award-winning playwright Alan Ayckbourn and an intriguing epic by Bertolt Brecht.

Kicking off the Alley Theatre's 67th season is perhaps the greatest American comedy ever written, Kaufman and Hart's You Can't Take It With You on the Hubbard Stage and the new sexy, provocative comedy Venus in Fur by David Ives on the Neuhaus Stage.

The season continues on the Hubbard Stage with a riveting new play by Pulitzer Prize nominee Jon Robin Baitz, Other Desert Cities, and a fascinating new play on the Neuhaus Stage where professor and author C.S. Lewis visits psychoanalyst Dr. Sigmund Freud in Freud's Last Session by Mark St. Germain. Returning to the Alley are Tony winner John Logan, with the play that launched his career, Never the Sinner on the Hubbard Stage and award-winning acclaimed playwright Alan Ayckbourn, with his ingenious comic tour de force where Back to the Future meets Hitchcock in Communicating Doors.

The final show of the season on the Hubbard Stage is the 2011 Tony Award nominated Good People by David Lindsay-Abaire and the final show on the Neuhaus Stage is Bertolt Brecht's The Good Woman of Setzuan.

This summer's ExxonMobil Summer Chills production is Agatha Christie's The Hollow. This is the first time the Alley will produce this play. Season ticket buyers can purchase tickets now with their season package. Tickets to the public will go on sale in May.

Also available now to season ticket buyers are tickets to Houston's holiday favorite, A Christmas Carol on the Alley's Hubbard Stage. Adapted and created by Artistic Director (and Alley Artistic Associate) Michael Wilson, the production incorporates elaborate scenic, costume, and lighting design and features a cast of over 15.

The Alley's subscription season includes five plays on the Hubbard Stage and three plays on Neuhaus Stage, all produced in the Alley's two-theatre complex at 615 Texas Avenue in downtown Houston.

Casting for this summer's ExxonMobil Summer Chills production and plays in the 2013-2014 season will be announced at a later date.

Alley Theatre'S 2013-2014 SEASON INCLUDES:
Please note: play titles and dates are subject to change.

You Can't Take It With You
By Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman
Hubbard Stage
September 20 to October 20, 2013

This Pulitzer Prize-winning classic by the team of Kaufman and Hart (The Man Who Came to Dinner, 2009) is perhaps the greatest American comedy ever written. Alice Sycamore must introduce her fiancé's straitlaced family to her rather more eccentric family. When the wildly different families meet, the worlds of the wealthy, uptight Kirbys and the off-kilter Sycamores collide. At first the Sycamores seem mad, but it is not long before we realize that if they are mad, the rest of the world is madder. Kaufman and Hart's hilarious You Can't Take It With You features the Alley Resident Company of Actors. Recommended for general audiences.

Venus in Fur
By David Ives
Neuhaus Stage
October 18 to November 17, 2013

Theatrical mastermind David Ives' sexy, provocative comedy, Venus in Fur, is an electrifying game of cat and mouse between a young actress and a demanding playwright-director that blurs the lines between fantasy and reality, seduction and power, love and sex. "Role-playing takes on a whole new meaning" (New York Post) in this "don't miss" play The Wall Street Journal says is "deadly serious, madly funny ... you won't see a funnier play this season, or a smarter one." Recommended for mature audiences.

Other Desert Cities
By Jon Robin Baitz
Hubbard Stage
January 10 to February 2, 2014

A riveting new play by Pulitzer Prize nominee and creator of TV's hit drama Brothers & Sisters, Jon Robin Baitz's Other Desert Cities was named the Outstanding Play by the Outer Critics Circle and called "the best new play on Broadway" by The New York Times. After a six-year absence, Brooke Wyeth returns home to Palm Springs to celebrate Christmas with her parents, brother and aunt. The warm desert air turns chilly when news of her upcoming memoir threatens to revive the most painful chapter of the family's history. The New York Daily News calls this dysfunctional family drama "a winner ... funny and fierce, invigorating and intelligent." Recommended for mature audiences.

Freud's Last Session
By Mark St. Germain
Neuhaus Stage
January 24 to February 21, 2014

Freud's Last Session centers on legendary psychoanalyst Dr. Sigmund Freud, who invites a little-known professor C.S. Lewis, (who later wrote the children's classic The Chronicles of Narnia), to his home in London. Lewis, expecting to be called on the carpet for satirizing Freud in a recent book, soon realizes Freud has a much more significant agenda. On the day England enters World War II, Freud and Lewis clash on the existence of God, love, sex, and the meaning of life. "The humor is plentiful" (The New York Times) in this "thrilling" (Variety) tête-à-tête. Recommended for general audiences.

Never the Sinner: The Murder Trial of the Century
By John Logan
Hubbard Stage
February 21 to March 14, 2014

Playwright John Logan - who received three Academy Award nominations and wrote the recent James Bond film Skyfall, and won the Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critic Circle and Drama League awards for his play Red (Alley production, 2012) - returns to the Alley with the play that launched his career. Never the Sinner is about two boys who commit a murder - not for gain, or out of passion - just to do it, just to experience the thrill. Based on the infamous 1924 trial of Leopold and Loeb, Never the Sinner is their story, and the story of one of the most famous American lawyers and civil libertarians, Clarence Darrow. In the case of a lifetime, Darrow is called in to defend the monstrous and try to win freedom for the depraved. Recommended for mature audiences.

Communicating Doors
By Alan Ayckbourn
Hubbard Stage
April 4 to April 25, 2014

Award-winning playwright Alan Ayckbourn (House & Garden, 2002) returns to the Alley in this ingenious comic tour de force where Back to the Future meets Hitchcock. In 2024 Phoebe, a "private personal services consultant," finds herself with an elderly client in a posh hotel room - she opens the wrong door and finds herself running for her life. Soon she is confronting her own past by way of a woman named Ruella, and the two join forces to prevent a murder, while Phoebe's gradual friendship with that remarkable woman changes the future for both of them. Eleven plays penned by Alan Ayckbourn have been produced by the Alley, including the American premiere of Henceforward in 1987. Alan Ayckbourn has been inducted into the American Theatre's Hall of Fame, received the 2010 Critics' Circle Award for Services to the Arts, became the first British playwright to receive both Olivier and Tony Special Lifetime Achievement Awards and was knighted in 1997 for services to the theatre. Recommended for adults due to language.

Good People
By David Lindsay-Abaire
Hubbard Stage
May 16 to June 6, 2014

Nominated for a 2011 Tony Award for Best Play, Good People is a funny, tough and tender story about the insurmountable class divide. When Margie Walsh loses her job at a South Boston dollar store, she reaches out to old flame Mike, a neighborhood boy who escaped and became a successful doctor. Margie's attempt to hit Mike up for a job takes on a surprising twist when she realizes the power a secret from Mike's past holds. From Pulitzer Prize winner David Lindsay-Abaire, Good People looks at the extraordinary consequences of choosing to hold on to the past or leaving it behind. "Thoroughly absorbing ... Good People is good stuff" (Variety) and one of the finest new American plays. Recommended for mature audiences.

The Good Woman of Setzuan
By Bertolt Brecht
Neuhaus Stage
May 30 to June 29, 2014

Can we practice goodness and create a world to sustain it? In Brecht's comic, intriguing epic play, this question is raised by one of his most entertaining characters, Shen Teh, the good-hearted, penniless, prostitute who is forced to disguise herself as a savvy businessman named Shui Ta to master the ruthlessness needed to be a "good person" in a brutal world. Recommended for mature audiences.

SUMMER PRODUCTION:

ExxonMobil Summer Chills
Agatha Christie's The Hollow
By Agatha Christie
Hubbard Stage
July 5 to August 4, 2013

A weekend gathering at The Hollow family estate of Lady Lucy and Sir Henry Angkatell explodes in the murder of one of their guests, physician John Cristow. When the good doctor is found shot, almost everyone is suspect with opportunity and motive including his dim but loyal wife, his current mistress, and his ex-mistress, who lives on a neighboring estate. Don't miss this classic Christie whodunit filled with brilliantly eccentric characters. Recommended for general audiences.

HOLIDAY PRODUCTIONS:

Houston's Holiday Favorite
A Christmas Carol - A Ghost Story of Christmas
By Charles Dickens
Adapted and Originally Directed by Michael Wilson
Directed by James Black
Hubbard Stage
November 15 - December 29, 2013

Houston's seasonal favorite the Houston Press described as having "Spectacular London sets ... the inimitable Dickens' tale - spiced with the usual fog and an unusual twist on the ghosts past, present and future." A Christmas Carol - A Ghost Story of Christmas follows Ebenezer Scrooge's journey with the three ghostly spirits that visit him on Christmas Eve. A Christmas Carol instills a powerful message about redemption and the spirit of the holiday season. Recommended for general audiences.

The Alley Theatre, one of America's leading not-for-profit theatres, is a nationally recognized performing arts company that is focused on collaborating with resident actors, visiting artists, directors, designers, dramaturgs, and authors to cultivate the new voices, new work, and new artists of the American theatre. Under the direction of Artistic Director Gregory Boyd and Managing Director Dean R. Gladden, the Alley has also brought its productions to 40 American cities, and to Berlin, Paris, St. Petersburg, and New York's Lincoln Center, as well as to major European festivals (including two in one season at the Venice Biennale), and Broadway. As a recipient of the Special Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre, the Alley creates a wide-ranging repertoire and innovative productions of classics, neglected modern plays, and premieres, as well as new works that will become classics for the future developed through the Alley's New Play Initiative. The Alley's productions are built and rehearsed in the Alley Theatre Center for Theatre Production - a 75,000-square-foot facility adjacent to the theatres themselves and are performed on the 824-seat Hubbard Stage and the 310-seat Neuhaus Stage. The Alley continues to pave the way for Houston audiences to experience thought-provoking, diverse and transformative theatre produced and performed by its professional company year round.

Part of the Alley's mission is to produce thought-provoking and diverse works that should be experienced by all. Theatre lovers can experience these plays for as little as $26 each! Season tickets may be purchased at alleytheatre.org, at the Alley Theatre Box Office, 615 Texas Avenue, or by calling 713.220.5700. Individual tickets will be available for purchase on August 28, 2013, at alleytheatre.org, at the Alley Theatre Box Office, 615 Texas Avenue, or by calling 713.220.5700. Groups of 10 or more can receive special concierge services and select discounts by calling 713.220.5700 and asking for the group sales department.

AUDIENCE PROGRAMS:

ActOUT is Houston's premiere group for GLBT theatre fans and their friends. Patrons enjoy pre-show mixers with fellow gay and lesbian subscribers, who gather to meet their favorite Alley artists and enjoy complimentary cocktails and appetizers. ActOUT events take place at the Alley for each Hubbard Stage production and are complimentary with the purchase of a subscription or ticket to the show. For more information, call 713.228.9341 ext. 556. ActOUT dates for the 2013-2014 season are:

Agatha Christie's The Hollow: Thursday, July 11
You Can't Take It With You: Thursday, October 3
Other Desert Cities: Thursday, January 23
Never the Sinner: Thursday, March 6
Communicating Doors: Thursday, April 17
Good People: Thursday, May 29

Alley patrons are invited to attend post-show TalkBacks with the cast and members of the artistic staff on select Tuesdays. These question-and-answer sessions are held immediately after the evening performance. Talkback dates for the 2013-2014 season are:

You Can't Take It With You: Tuesday, October 1
Venus in Fur: Tuesday, October 29
Other Desert Cities: Tuesday, January 21
Freud's Last Session: Tuesday, February 4
Never the Sinner: Tuesday, March 4
Communicating Doors: Tuesday, April 15
Good People: Tuesday, May 27
The Good Woman of Setzuan: Tuesday, June 10

The Alley's $10 Tix program rewards patrons who bring a specified item for a designated charity with the opportunity to purchase up to two tickets in the B section for a minimum of $10 each. Purchase in person at the box office (615 Texas Ave.) on the designated day listed below, beginning at 11:00 a.m. Cash or check only. The partnering organizations for $10 Tix will be announced at a later date. Patrons may purchase tickets in person only to the Sunday preview matinee, the Tuesday preview performance or the first Thursday performance after opening night. Visit www.alleytheatre.org for more information. Alley Theatre $10 Tix dates for the 2013-2014 season are:

Agatha Christie's The Hollow: Sunday, July 7
You Can't Take It With You: Sunday, September 22
Other Desert Cities: Sunday, January 12
Never the Sinner: Sunday, February 23
Communicating Doors: Sunday, April 6
Good People: Sunday, May 18

The Alley offers open-captioned performances for patrons with low hearing and audio described performances for patrons with low vision. Visit www.alleytheatre.org or call 713.220.5700 for more information. Performances for the 2013-2014 season are:

Agatha Christie's The Hollow: Sunday, July 7 (open captioned & audio described)
You Can't Take It With You: Sunday, September 22 (open captioned & audio described)
Venus in Fur: Sunday, October 20 (open captioned)
A Christmas Carol: Sunday, November 17 (open captioned & audio described)
Other Desert Cities: Sunday, January 12 (open captioned & audio described)
Freud's Last Session: Sunday, January 26 (open captioned)
Never the Sinner: Sunday, February 23 (open captioned & audio described)
Communicating Doors: Sunday, April 6 (open captioned & audio described)
Good People: Sunday, May 18 (open captioned & audio described)
The Good Woman of Setzuan: Sunday, June 1 (open captioned)

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