2024 Season at Seacoast Repertory Theatre Revealed

The Seacoast Repertory Theater in Portsmouth has announced its 2024 season, one they are calling “The Spark of Creation!”

The troupe promises a season-long celebration of storytellers and the art of creation, featuring literary adaptations, regional premieres, blockbuster classics and the best of storytelling.

The 2024 lineup includes:

Children Of Eden

Jan. 26th - Feb. 25th

From the composer of Wicked and Godspell, Stephen Schwartz

A completely new take on the beloved story of what it means to be human.

Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812

March 8th - April 7th

The Regional Premiere of the Tony Award-Winning electropop sensation. Based on a scintillating slice of Tolstoy’s masterpiece “War and Peace,” Great Comet is a thrilling journey of love, destiny, and drama, set against the backdrop of a society on the brink of change.

Willy Wonka

April 19th - May 19th

Step into Roald Dahl’s whimsical world of pure imagination.

Based on the 1971 film with the iconic score by Newley & Bricusse. This outrageously popular musical - based on the Roald Dahl book and the 1971 film with the iconic score by Newley & Bricusse - sweeps you away on a topsy-turvy adventure, as the eccentric chocolatier Willy Wonka opens his extraordinary chocolate factory to young Charlie Bucket.

Spring Awakening

May 2nd - May 26th

The 8-time Tony award-winning musical phenomenon (including Best Musical, Best Original Score, Best Book) unleashes onto The Rep’s stage, exploring the tempestuous landscape of adolescence.

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

June 7th  - July 13th

Prepare to be dazzled by a prism of colors as Andrew Lloyd Webber's wildly popular, exuberant spectacle, bursts onto The Rep’s stage in a vibrant, immersive, never-before-seen production.

Rock Of Ages

July 18th - Sept. 1st

The outrageous 80s glam rock jukebox featuring the music of Styx, Journey, Bon Jovi, Pat Benatar, Twisted Sister, Steve Perry, Poison, Europe and more. Strap in and prepare for a gnarly ride back to the '80s – a time when the music was loud, the hair was big, and guys wore pants tighter than your Aunt Betty's hugs.

The Rocky Horror Show LIVE!

A Red Light Series Special

Aug. 16th - Aug. 31st, Oct. 30th - Nov. 1st, Dec. 25th & Dec. 31st

Running this summer, as well as Halloween, Christmas, and New Years.

Frankenstein

Sept 13th - Oct 27th

The Regional Premiere of the London sensation. Straight from London to The Rep’s stage comes the regional premiere of Nick Dear’s wildly popular adaptation of Frankenstein, a thrilling retelling of one of the most gripping horror tales of all time. A raw exploration of creation, humanity, and the monsters we create, Mary Shelley’s timeless classic becomes a bold, chilling dramatic masterpiece as the audience sees the story through the eyes of Frankenstein’s creature.

LIZZIE

Red Light Series Mainstage

Sept. 26th - Oct. 27th

This is the rock retelling of the bloodcurdling American legend about Lizzie Borden. Performed by a band of fierce, fiery, all-female rock vocalists, this production revisits history, uncovering the layers of one of America's most tantalizingly terrifying events.

CATS

Nov. 15th - Dec. 29th

Bring the whole family to the Jellicle Ball.

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s masterpiece, with a holiday twist. Experience CATS as you've never imagined, now with a dash of grand Christmas extravaganza. This will be the ideal holiday indulgence for all ages.

The Nutcracker

Red Light Series Holiday Mainstage

Dec. 5th - Dec. 22nd

Step into the holiday season with The Rep's dazzling new version of The Nutcracker. Experience a classic tradition whimsically reimagined for the modern age, weaving together a thrilling blend of fresh art forms and creative twists. Puppetry, shadow work, cirque, and gymnastics fuse with an intoxicating blend of dance styles, making for a magical evening your family won’t soon forget.

I did a Q & A with co-executive artistic directors, Ben Hart and Brandon James.

What drives you to take on such an ambitious season?

Theatre is an interesting art form. In most other areas of life, plagiarism is considered a bad thing. In theatre arts, not only is it accepted, but it’s also often touted as a mark of whether a production has been "done right" or not. The Rep likes to interpret the pieces we produce with a fresh and bold perspective. We do not produce works like you have ever seen before. We love to subvert expectations, and we often embrace limitations as a great source of inspiration. Folks may look at a production we intend to include in our season and think "how on Earth will they do that in that space!?" but that is from a perspective that one assumes they know what to expect and assumes what a show 'should' be.

Time and time again, we present "ambitious" titles that tens of thousands of folks walk away from feeling and sharing with us that it was the best interpretation of that piece that they have ever seen. The Rep strives to push artistic boundaries, and to present fresh and bold interpretations of works, and we won't do that by playing it safe.

We know The Rep is a significant contributor to the American theatre scene and the group of artists who create there feel a responsibility to produce ambitiously to make our mark.

Is there one offering that you are particularly excited about?

We are excited about the entire season we have planned for 2024, but hands down the two pieces we are most jazzed about are Great Comet and Frankenstein. These are both magnificent newer works but are also both regional premieres we were blessed with special permissions to present. We are among the first to be presenting these works in the country, and we are incredibly excited to get our hands on them and tell these stories.

Will you be adding to your repertory company for the 2024 season? Will you include some of the mainstay performers you currently have in the productions?

Our Rep Company is different every season based on the needs of that season. We have not finalized or announced our 2024 Rep Co yet, but you can rest assured it will have some familiar favorites along with some new fresh talents.

The Rep is one of the nation's only year-round production houses still presenting "in rep" and employing a repertory company.  The Rep finds great success in following the producing models of "The Little Theatre Movement" from the turn of the last century, which had a great resurgence in the 60s. They continue to attain great artistic successes along with the largest houses ever in the history of the Portsmouth based theater.  

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