Theatre NOVA Reveals 2023-24 Season of Michigan and World  Premieres

Theatre NOVA, Ann Arbor’s resident nonprofit professional theatre, has announced its 2023-24 Season of Michigan and World  Premieres.  Theatre NOVA offers a  subscription program as the best way to see quality programs at a discounted price. Subscribers save on single ticket prices and guarantee their seats for all plays through  August 2024. 

Founding Artistic Director Carla Milarch said, “The Covid pandemic changed the world indelibly, and the future is full of questions. Artificial Intelligence, immigration, threats to democracy, climate change, and the continuing struggle for full civil rights for all of our citizens - these things were on our minds as we selected the six plays in our season. We believe coming together to share stories and experiences and even laugh with one another is the best way to strengthen community. We invite you to be a part of it and look forward to seeing you at the theatre!”

Theatre NOVA offers a subscription program as the best way to see quality programs at a  discounted price. Subscribers save on single ticket prices and guarantee their seats for all of our plays this season. 

Theatre NOVA’s 2023-2024 season opens October 20 with the Michigan premiere of “What the Constitution Means to Me” by Heidi Schreck. The play The New York Times hailed as “not just the best play on Broadway, but also the most important.” Fifteen-year-old Heidi earns her college tuition by winning Constitutional debate competitions across the United States. In this hilarious and hopeful new play, adult Heidi traces the relationship between four generations of women and the monumental document that shaped their lives. This timely play was a sensation on Broadway, receiving two Tony Award® nominations. 

Theatre NOVA presents “The Year Without Panto Claus” by Carla Milarch and R. MacKenzie Lewis for the holidays, opening December 15. Santa’s been watching too much depressing cable news again. When he decides to pack it in and disappear, two of his elves must search the globe to rescue Christmas cheer. Arriving at some decidedly un-Christmas-y locations, they face the wrath of the Miser twins (Heat and Snow), the town’s grumpy citizens, and a mysterious Russian bombshell. From the brilliant minds that brought you An Almost British Christmas and Sugar Plum Panto, this boisterous holiday show is the perfect prescription for joy and laughter. Directed by Carla Milarch.

Heading into 2024, Michigan Premiere “Fortune” by Deborah Zoe Laufer will open on February 2, 2024. In this lighthearted comedy about the unpredictable nature of love, Maude, a no-nonsense storefront psychic, prides herself on always telling the truth. But not even she can bring herself to be honest with nebbishy accountant Jeremy about his nonexistent romantic prospects. When he threatens to end it all if she sees no love in his future, Maude must wrestle with her own truth-telling reputation and tempt fate with a twist of the truth that could change both of their lives. Directed by Carla Milarch.

Diving into Spring, Michigan Premiere “the ripple, the wave that carried me home” by Christina Anderson will open on March 22, 2024. A lyrical and dynamic look at the complexities of race, history, and legacy. Janice’s parents were Black activists fighting to integrate public swimming pools in 1960s Kansas. When they pressured young Janice to give speeches for the cause, injustice penetrated the warm bubble of her childhood, prompting Janice to start a new life elsewhere. Now, she’s invited to speak at a ceremony honoring her father and must reckon with her political inheritance as she confronts the past she tried to forget. Directed by Lynch Travis.

The season continues with the Michigan Premiere of “Death of a Driver” by Will Snider, opening May 17, 2024. Sarah is an American engineer. Kennedy is an East African driver. When Sarah moves to Kenya to build a highway, they strike up a friendship and embark on a journey to transform rural Kenya. But when a local election dispute tests their alliance, Sarah questions how well she knows the man she thought was her friend. Both confront the realities of their intertwined ambitions. A bracing exploration of “doing good” abroad, the limits of understanding one another, and what happens when personal and political obligations collide. Directed by Shelby R. Seeley.

To close out the season, World Premiere “Doctor Moloch” by Carla Milarch will open on July 12, 2024. It’s 2027, and advances in Artificial Intelligence have brought the spunky startup VitalAI to the brink of launching the first fully sentient humanoid robot doctor. Doctor Moloch is capable of instant MRIs, personalized genetics-based medicines, and single-cell early cancer detection. There’s only one problem: the good doctor can’t relate to his patients. When VitalAI brings in famous actress Serena Blaise to give him lessons in “being human,” she uncovers more human qualities than anyone bargained for, putting the very future of humanity on the line. Directed by Briana O’Neal. 

Theatre NOVA is located at 410 W Huron St, Ann Arbor, MI 48103. Performances are on  Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. To accommodate families with children, “The Year Without Panto Claus” will hold performances on Fridays at 7:30 p.m., Saturdays at  3:00 p.m. & 7:30 p.m., and Sundays at 2:00 p.m.  

General admission tickets for plays are $28. Tickets for the holiday musical panto are $30 for adults and $12 for children 16 years and under. Theatre NOVA continues to make theatre accessible by offering pay-what-you-can tickets for those who need them. Tickets, memberships, flex passes, and subscriptions may be purchased online at  www.TheatreNOVA.org. Tickets may also be purchased in person one hour before each performance. Seating in the theatre will begin 30 minutes before each performance. There is ample free parking and quick access to the city’s restaurants, bars, bakeries, and coffee shops. New patrons can find Theatre NOVA across Huron Street from Ann Arbor’s YMCA through a parking lot entrance on the north side of the street. For more information, visit  www.TheatreNOVA.org. 

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