LA CAGE AUX FOLLES & More Announced for The Studio Theatre Tierra del Sol 2022/2023 Season

In Season 7 at The Studio, for the first time, all four of their productions are set in the past. Although they are contemporary works, the settings span from the turn of the 19th century to the 1980s. Many of the conflicts in these plays parallel modern issues we still face today. Each story is focused on characters demanding to be seen and understood for who they are. In every play a person bravely declares their identity to an unfamiliar community. Along the way, curtains are parted, secrets laid bare, and discoveries are made. Join us as we follow their journeys of independence and acceptance. As our musical La Cage Aux Folles proclaims, "Life's not worth a damn until you can say I am what I am." I am delighted to present Season 7 at The Studio:

I Am What I Am. -Whitney Morse, Artistic Director-

ANNOUNCING SEASON SEVEN:

IN THE NEXT ROOM, OR THE VIBRATOR PLAY

A hysterical comedy about marriage, intimacy, and medicine. Play By Sarah Ruhl

In the Next Room, or the vibrator play is a hysterical comedy about marriage, intimacy, and medicine. In 1880, at the dawn of electricity, Dr. Givings has invented an extraordinary new device to treat "hysteria" in women (and some men): the vibrator. This treatment, administered in his private home office, involves draining "emotional excess" by inducing a paroxysm. In the next room, his young and energetic wife, Catherine, wonders how her husband helps his patients while she tries to tend to their newborn daughter. When a new "hysterical" patient and her husband bring their own complicated relationship and a wet nurse into the doctor's home, the Givings couple must confront the nature of their own marriage, and what it truly means to love someone. With a revolving door of amusing characters, In the Next Room is never campy or lurid. This discreetly sensual comedy shares the heartbreak, humor, and humanity in our closest relationships.

DATES: Preview: Sept 27-29, 2022 | Opening: 9-30-22 | Closing: 10-22-22
Tickets: $15 for previews | $35 for performances

THE CHINESE LADY

The true story of the first Chinese woman in America. Play By Lloyd Suh

"Hello, my name is Afong Moy; I came to America in 1834, when I was fourteen years old..."

Brought to the United States from Guangzhou Province, China, Afong Moy is put on display as the first Chinese woman to set foot on American soil. Although Afong believes that she is an ambassador for Chinese culture, in reality she is a sideshow exhibit. Spanning a half-century, this two-person play depicts her daily life as a touring museum attraction. She performs for a paying audience showing them how she eats, what she wears, and the highlight of the event: how she walks with bound feet. As the decades wear on, her celebrated sideshow comes to define and challenge her very sense of identity. The Chinese Lady by Lloyd Suh is a poetic, whimsical play inspired by the true story of Afong Moy's life.

DATES: Preview: Nov 15-17, 2022 | Opening: 11-18-22 | Closing: 12-17-22

Tickets: $15 for previews | $35 for performances

LA CAGE AUX FOLLES

The hilarious award-winning musical that inspired the movie The Birdcage!

Music & Lyrics by Jerry Herman and book by Harvey Fierstein

Gender, identity, Queerness, gay love, child/parent expectations, trying to change people to fit our level of comfortability, Aging, history. Welcome to La Cages Aux Folles, the Pride of Saint Tropez, the Envy of the Cabaret World, the Jewel of the Riviera. This dazzling nightclub is run by Georges and stars his partner Albin as The Queen of Drag herself, "Zaza." Hijinks ensue when Georges's son, Jean-Michel, brings home his fiancée's disapproving parents. With a hilarious supporting cast, sparkling musical numbers, and glitzy dancing, these birds of a feather flock together. This zany adventure by Jerry Herman and Harvey Fierstein won 11 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, and features the hit songs "I am What I am" and "The Best of Times." This Broadway stunner that inspired The Birdcage is uproariously funny and endlessly heartwarming.

DATES: Preview: Jan 31-Feb 2, 2023 | Opening: 2-3-23 | Closing: 3-4-23
Tickets: $20 for previews | $40 for performances

THESE SHINING LIVES

Based on the true story of the spirited women who worked at the Radium Dial Company. Play By Melanie Marnich

In 1922 Catherine joins Charlotte, Frances, and Pearl to work at the Radium Dial Company in Ottawa, Illinois. They are hired to paint glow-in-the-dark watch faces with the newly discovered element, radium. The company pays by the watch, encouraging them to be as efficient as possible while disregarding potential risks. Over the next decade, mysterious problems arise that threaten their health. Bonded by years of friendship, they decide to fight against the corporation that kept them in the dark about the true risks of working with a radioactive material. Based on the true story of the "Radium Girls", These Shining Lives shares their spirit, energy, and verve. Moving but never dreary, this lovely imaginative play tells their story of persistence, friendship, and justice that inspired lasting change.

DATES: Preview: March 28-30, 2023 | Opening: 3-31-23 | Closing: 4-29-23
Tickets: $15 for previews | $35 for performances

ABOUT THE STUDIO THEATRE:

The Studio Theatre is an extension of The Sharon L. Morse Performing Arts Center, located in The Spanish Springs Town Square, in The Villages community. The Studio Theatre is led by Producer Jason Goedken and Artistic Director Whitney Morse. Resident Director, Nathaniel Niemi; Resident Musical Director, Gary Powell; Scenic Designer, Kenneth Constant; Properties Design, Joshua E. Gallagher; Sound Designer, Nick Erickson; Production Manager, Danielle Paccione; Technical Director, Clayton Becker; Company Manager, Ryan Loeckel; Literary Manager, Rachel Whittington; Assistant Production Manager, Leslie Munson; Production Stage Manager, Grace Zottig; Stage Manager, Madison Youngblood; Assistant Stage Manager, Stephanie Horn; House Manager, Alec Speers; Production Engineer, Jessica Kearny; Head Electrician, Mason Shell; and Head Carpenter, Alison Scharvella.

ADDITIONAL DETAILS:

For each performance, doors open thirty minutes before curtain. All dates and plays are subject to change. More information about The Studio Theatre's seventh season is available online: www.TheSharonStudio.com.

FOR SEASON SEVEN TICKETS:

May 17 - Subscription renewals begin

May 17 - Summer Song Cycle: It's Only Life goes on sale

May 31 - New subscriptions will go on sale | New Season Subscriptions are $130

May 31 - Individual Tickets go on sale

The Studio Theatre's Mission is to inspire the residents of Central Florida to examine relevant issues by elevating them through innovative and intimate storytelling. Think outside the box, inside the box.

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