BONNIE & CLYDE, LA BETE, DEATHTRAP et al. Set for Asolo Rep's New Season

Michael Donald Edwards, Asolo Repertory Theatre's producing artistic director, announced today his selections for the 2010-2011 season. A major highlight of Asolo Rep's 52nd season is the pre-Broadway try-out production of Bonnie & Clyde opening on November 19, 2010.

In addition to Bonnie & Clyde, Edwards unveiled a strong line-up for the repertory season that includes the Drama Desk Award-winning and Tony Award-nominated drama Twelve Angry Men by Reginald Rose; recec Broadway revival success Boeing Boeing by Marc Camoletti the Outer Critics Circle Award and Olivier Award winning comedy La Bête (The Beast) by David Hirson; the most successful and popular whodunit in history Deathtrap by Ira Levin; Las Meninas (The Waiting Women), a hilarious and heart-wrenching play by Pulitzer Prize winning African American playwright Lynn Nottage; and the delightfully entertaining one man show George Gershwin Alone by Hershey Felder, being performed during the 75th anniversary of Porgy and Bess. Completing the season, Asolo Rep will later announce two additional titles.

"From the outrageously theatrical La Bête with its brilliant and current articulation of the time honored tension between art and commerce, to the passionately argued positions of 12 Angry Men, to the breathtaking hilarity of Boeing Boeing, the devilish thrill ride that is Deathtrap, the beautifully imagined world of politics, race, and sexuality in Lynn Nottage's Las Meninas, to a world premiere production and a new and urgent version of a classic in Antigone Now all the way through to the gorgeous music of George Gershwin in Gershwin Alone, our 2010/11 season reflects the high level of artistic achievement for which our company is recognized as well as the quality and diversity of our productions. I am particularly pleased that we are once again kicking off a landmark season with a major new musical in its pre-Broadway run. Bonnie & Clyde is a thrilling beginning to a bold, uplifting, dynamic and hugely entertaining season." -- Producing Artistic Director Michael Donald Edwards.

Bonnie & Clyde premiered in 2009 at La Jolla Playhouse in California, where it captivated audiences and garnered national attention. With music by Frank Wildhorn (Jekyll & Hyde, The Scarlet Pimpernel), lyrics by Tony Award-winner Don Black (Sunset Boulevard, Song and Dance), book by Ivan Menchell (The Cemetery Club, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang), and direction and musical staging by Tony Award winning Jeff Calhoun (Deaf West's Big River and Pippin, Grease!), this seductive and cinematic new musical has a thrilling new score that combines rockabilly, blues and gospel music. Casting and additional details for this production, including a major talent search contest slated for April, will be released as they are confirmed.

Edwards added, "With the economic nightmare that was the Great Depression suddenly seeming less remote, Bonnie & Clyde could not be timelier. Their dreams were totally American: freedom, money and fame. It was their plan that got in them into trouble. Their story struck a chord with so many who felt betrayed by the system and that chord will resonate again in this most American of theatre forms: the musical. We are thrilled to be working with such an extraordinarily talented group of creative artists. Our production is the final step before Bonnie & Clyde goes to New York and we are so proud to join the process at such a critical stage in the evolution of this exciting new Broadway-bound musical."

Additionally, Asolo Rep's New Stages project, launched in 08-09 with The Giver, will return with Antigone Now by Melissa Cooper. New Stages showcases the talents of the third year class of the FSU/Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training in exciting productions specifically chosen to enrich the lives of young and multi-generational audiences. Opening in October 2010, Antigone Now is slated to tour schools and reach communities throughout the region much like Asolo Rep's touring company of the 1970s through 1990s.

In 2011 Asolo Rep will bring back ASOLO REP UNPLUGGED: theatre in the raw, a play festival launched during the 2009-2010 season to develop new works from five playwrights, including Greenfield Prize winner Craig Lucas. The second iteration of the festival is modeled from this season's, and the next group of new plays selected for development will be announced in early 2011.
The goal for the 2009-10 Unplugged play festival was to produce in the 2010-11 season, one of the five new plays being developed during the current season. The selection from UNPLUGGED 2010 that will be fully produced in the 2011 season has not yet been made. The title for this World Premiere production will be released at a later date.

Subscriptions are available now. Single tickets go on sale in September and range from $20 to $65. For information on purchasing a subscription or individual tickets for Asolo Rep's 2010-2011 Season, please contact the box office at 941-351-8000 or toll-free at 800-361-8388, or go to the website at WWW.ASOLO.ORG.

The Asolo Repertory 2010-2011 Season Titles and Dates

NEW STAGES

Antigone Now by Melissa Cooper

Preview October 4; Opening Night October 9, 2010, in the Cook Theatre

Touring dates and locations to be announced.

Bonnie & Clyde Book by Ivan Menchell, Music by Frank Wildhorn, Lyrics by Don Black

Everybody had a dream. They had a plan.

Bonnie and Clyde's riveting adventures are brought to the stage in this vibrant and stylish new musical from the composer of Jekyll and Hyde, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Svengali and Wonderland! This seductive and cinematic new musical examines how a troubled Texas teen and a love-sick waitress became America's most infamous couple, with a thrilling new score that combines rockabilly, blues and gospel music. This is a pre-Broadway engagement.

In the Mertz Theatre

Previews November 12 &13

Performances November 14 -- 18

Press opening on November 19, 2010

La Bete (The Beast) by David Hirson

In the Mertz Theatre

January 7-February 24, 2011

This sharply funny comedy follows a 17th century acting troupe whose financier/patron forces them to add an actor to their ensemble - the street-performer Valere. Trouble soon follows when the troupe's cultured leader hates the new actor. But Valere soon charms the troupe, and the audience, with his impressive and highly entertaining antics. Find out who wins in this laugh-a-minute, award-winning play. Winner of an Outer Critics Circle Award and Olivier Award.

Twelve Angry Men by Reginald Rose

In the Mertz Theatre

January 14-March 31, 2011

Drama Desk Award winning and Tony Award nominated drama

A gripping contemporary classic about a young man on trial for allegedly murdering his father, but one lone juror among the twelve is not convinced the boy is guilty. As he examines all the possibilities of what might have happened the night of the murder, his open-minded outlook convinces the other jurors there is a possibility of innocence after all. This engrossing courtroom drama will keep you on edge to its final moments.

Boeing Boeing by Marc Camoletti translated by Beverley Cross

In the Mertz Theatre

January 21- April 23, 2011

A stylish knee-slapping romp through the age of glamorous, jet-setting air travel. The debonair Bernard, an architect living in Paris, is juggling relationships with three vivacious flight attendants - each of whom believes she is his only girl. All goes well until his friend Robert arrives for a visit, and the airlines decide to change their schedules! Chaos and fun take off as Bernard's clever plans unravel. High flying fun! Boeing Boeing recently enjoyed a successful Broadway revival with 279 performances.

Deathtrap by Ira Levin

In the Mertz Theatre

March 11-May 14, 2011

Sidney Bruhl was once a celebrated playwright famous for his intricate thrillers. Now slightly past his prime, he enlists an ambitious younger writer, Clifford, to help him pen his deadliest tale yet. But as Clifford secretly begins writing his own version of Sidney's life story, and the quirky psychic next door begins to have real premonitions of murder, events quickly spiral out of control - who will survive? This is the most successful and popular whodunit in history!

Las Meninas (The Waiting Women) by Lynn Nottage

In the Mertz Theatre

March 18-May 15, 2011

A story of an unlikely friendship, and an even unlikelier romance, unfolds in the royal court of 17th century France. Queen Marie-Therese longs for the love and attention of her husband, King Louis XIV, but when she receives a mysterious package from a relative containing an African man named Nabo, her entire world changes. Nabo becomes the Queen's close companion, but their relationship puts their lives, and the life of their child, in peril. From the Pulitzer Prize-winning and internationally renowned African American writer Lynn Nottage.

Asolo Rep UNPLUGGED 2011

Asolo Rep's new play festival returns, with readings planned for April 5, 7, 9, and 10

Full details, titles and final dates will be confirmed later this year.

WORLD PREMIER NEW PLAY: Join us as we explore a ground-breaking piece of new American theatre in the greater depth of a full production, presented in the Cook Theatre from April 15 through May 14, 2011.

George Gershwin Alone by Hershey Felder

In the Mertz Theatre May 19-June 5, 2011

Followed by a special one-week run of Felder's smash hit, Beethoven as I Knew Him from June 7-12, 2011

THE FSU/ASOLO CONSERVATORY FOR ACTOR TRAINING

The FSU/Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training also announced its 2010-2011 season, which features some of the country's most talented acting students performing in a series of four plays in two venues-the Cook Theatre in the FSU Center for the Performing Arts and the Historic Asolo Theater at the Ringling Museum. In addition to the second year class season, third year Conservatory students perform on the Asolo Rep mainstage with the professional company.
Greg Leaming, the associate artistic director for Asolo Repertory Theatre and director of the FSU/Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training stated, "With the recently successful campaigns for the FSU/Asolo Conservatory, and the revitalization of our work and our relationship with Asolo Rep, I'm looking forward to a very exciting season of plays on both the Asolo Rep stage and on the Conservatory stage. Now that we've come through the financial challenges of the past year so successfully, we're ready to continue the great work we've been privileged to do. The way both of our organizations are linked together makes a very exciting dialogue for our students, our resident artists and the entire Sarasota community."

The FSU/Asolo Conservatory 2010-2011 Season Titles and Dates

Two Gentlemen of Verona by William Shakespeare, directed by Greg Leaming. What's more important - love or friendship? In a world full of adolescent angst and hormones, the outcome is inevitable! A bright sparkling comedy about romance, passion, music and fickleness of youth. A contemporary look at Shakespeare by the entire second year conservatory class. October 26 through November 14.

Reasons to be Pretty by Neil LaBute, directed by Barbara Redmond. A passing comment about a female coworker's pretty face threatens to unravel the relationships between four friends. A scathing, dark comedy about our culture's fixation on surface beauty, by the author of Fat Pig. January 4 through January 23.

The lady from the Sea by Henrik Ibsen, directed by Andrei Malaev-Babel. Obsession, passion and guilt overpower the spirit of Ellida Wangel and she struggles to choose between a mysterious stranger and her husband in this fascinating play of the greatest writers of the modern age. Feb 22 through March 13.

Tartuffe by Moliere, directed by guest artist Wes Granthom. The classic comedy of religious hypocrisy, by one of the world's great comic playwrights. Orgon falls under the power of the dark and lascivious religious leader Tartuffe, and his family goes to outrageous lengths to show him the truth about this treacherous zealot! A classic French comedy performed in the Historic Asolo Theatre. April 12 through May 1.
For information on purchasing a subscription or individual tickets to the FSU/Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training 2010-2011 season, please contact the Box Office at 941-351-8000 or toll-free at 800-361-8388, or go to the website at WWW.ASOLO.ORG.

Bios
Michael Donald Edwards (Producing Artistic Director) is in his fourth season as producing artistic director of Asolo Repertory Theatre. He was previously the associate artistic director for Syracuse Stage and served as artistic director of Shakespeare Santa Cruz for six years. A Garland Award and Drama Logue Award winning director, Mr. Edwards has directed at Indiana Repertory Theatre; Geva Theatre; Syracuse Stage; The Shakespeare Theatre; San Jose Rep; Opera San Jose; the Oregon Shakespeare Festival; The Old Globe in San Diego; Virginia Stage Company; the Virginia Opera; the State Theatre of South Australia; Opera Australia; Victoria State Opera; and the Metropolitan Opera. In previous seasons, Mr. Edwards has directed The Smell of the Kill, Amadeus, Nobody Don't Like Yogi, Darwin in Malibu, A Tale of Two Cities, Equus, The Winter's Tale, and Perfect Mendacity for Asolo Rep. This year he is directing The Life of Galileo, The Last Five Years, and pieces in the Asolo Rep: Unplugged festival of new plays.

LINDA M. DIGABRIELE (Managing Director) joined Asolo Rep in 1973. Prior to her appointment as managing director, she held several other positions with Asolo Rep, including administrative director, director of touring programs and stage manager. During her 12-year tenure with the touring programs, Ms. DiGabriele orchestrated 26 regional and national tours for Asolo Rep's mainstage and educational companies. A graduate of Florida State University, her professional theatre experience includes acting and directing. Ms. DiGabriele has served on an advisory panel for the National Endowment for the Arts and, for five years, the John F. Kennedy Center's Theatre for Young Audiences. She also serves on the executive committee for the League of Resident Theatres (LORT), a national organization of regional not-for-profit professional theatres. Ms. DiGabriele is a past president of the Florida Professional Theatre Association. She has served the Florida Division of Cultural Affairs as a member of various panels including the Grant Awards Task Force, Theatre Grants, Arts in Educations Grants, and the Cultural Institution Programs review committee. She has also served on the board of directors for ASSITEJ/USA, an interNational Theatre organization for young audiences, and the Florida Cultural Alliance. Ms. DiGabriele received the Florida Professional Theatre Association Richard G. Fallon Lifetime Achievement Award in 2004.

Greg Leaming (Director, FSU/Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training; Associate Artistic Director, Asolo Repertory Theatre) Directed Pericles, Blue Window, and Murder by Poe for the FSU/Asolo Conservatory and The Play's the Thing, the world premiere of Men of Tortuga and his translation/adaptation of Anything to Declare? for Asolo Rep. Other credits include associate director and producing director, Hartford Stage Company; artistic director, Portland Stage Company; director of artistic programming and acting artistic director, Long Wharf Theatre; associate professor of theatre and head of directing, Southern Methodist University. Off Broadway he directed the world premiere of Constance Congdon's Lips for Primary Stages. Other productions include: Arms and the Man, Mrs. Warren's Profession, Intimate Exchanges, Anna Christie, The Illusion, Private Lives, Baltimore Waltz, On the Verge and the world premieres of Constance Congdon's Losing Father's Body, Jeffrey Hatcher's Turn of the Screw, Keith Curran's Church of the Sole Survivor, Steven Druckman's Going Native, Theresa Rebeck's Abstract Expression, Joe Sutton's The Third Army, Alan Knee's Syncopation and David Schulner's An Infi nite Ache for theatres including Stage West, Philadelphia Drama Guild, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Merrimack Repertory Theatre, Southwest Shakespeare, Dorset Theatre Festival, Hangar Theatre, and Florida Stage. He has developed new works with the Eugene O'Neill Playwrights Conference, New Dramatists, New York Theatre Workshop, New York Stage and Film, Cape Cod Theatre Project, The Gathering at Bigfork and Theatre of the First Amendment.

Asolo Repertory Theatre is Florida's premier professional theatre and one of the most important cultural forces in the Southeastern United States. As a center for theatrical excellence, Asolo Rep crafts the highest quality productions of classical, contemporary and newly commissioned work all performed in the rarest form of rotating repertory. Featuring an accomplished resident company - complemented by distinguished guest artists - Asolo Rep offers audiences a unique and dynamic theatre experience. Under the leadership of Producing Artistic Director Michael Donald Edwards and Managing Director Linda DiGabriele, this world-class institution has taken bold steps toward the future, building landmark partnerships and collaborations which will add to its success for generations to come. 

Asolo Repertory Theatre (AKA: Asolo Theatre Company, Inc.) is funded in part by the Division of Cultural Affairs, Florida Department of State, the Florida Arts Council, the city and County of Sarasota and the Sarasota County Tourist Development Tax through the Board of County Commissioners, the tourist Development Council and the Sarasota County Arts Council. Funding is also received through efforts of support groups including the Asolo Angel Association, the Asolo Theatre Guild, the Directors Emeritus and the generosity of individuals, corporation and foundations.