Orlando REP Announces 2019 - 2020 Season

The Orlando Repertory Theatre (Orlando REP), in partnership with UCF, is proud to announce the 2019 - 2020 Season. Orlando REP is Florida's only professional theatre for families and young audiences. The 2019 - 2020 Season shines the light on the family unit and celebrates that wondrous connection, with all the complications and beauty that come along with it.

The season opens with the recent magical Broadway musical, Tuck Everlasting (Theatre for Young Audiences Edition) (September 3 - 29, 2019). Winnie Foster yearns for a life of adventure, but not until she becomes unexpectedly entwined with the Tuck family does she get more than she could have imagined. As her adventure unfolds, Winnie faces an extraordinary choice: return to her life, or continue with the Tucks on their infinite journey. Based on the best-selling novel by Natalie Babbitt and adapted for the stage by Claudia Shear and Tim Federle, Tuck Everlasting features a soaring score from Chris Miller and Nathan Tysen.

A treasure-sized, swashbuckling adventure awaits with How I Became a Pirate (September 30 - November 10, 2019), a musical written by Janet Yates Vogt and Mark Friedman, based on the beloved book by Melinda Long and David Shannon. Sail off on a fantastic excursion with a band of comical pirates looking for an expert digger to join their crew. Braid Beard and his mates enlist young Jeremy Jacob, as they try to find the perfect spot to bury their treasure.

"Every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings!" The beloved film It's a Wonderful Life is now a musical, Miracle in Bedford Falls (November 11 - December 29, 2019), written by Mark Cabaniss and Lowell Alexander. George Bailey has spent his entire life giving of himself to the people of Bedford Falls, watching his dreams of travel and adventure pass him by. Life has not been kind and with a scandal looming, George finds himself in a desperate place on Christmas Eve. Enter Clarence, a guardian angel who shows George what the world would have been like if he had never been born. Friends and family surround George with the spirit of generosity and love, while the magic of Christmas transforms their community.

The New Year begins with Anne of Green Gables (January 27 - February 23, 2020). In this faithful dramatization by R.N. Sandberg of the beloved classic by L.M Montgomery, Marilla and her brother Matthew request an orphan boy to help work their farm. They are mistakenly sent the high-spirited red-head named Anne Shirley. Knowing they are ill-equipped to raise a girl, Marilla attempts to send Anne back to the orphanage. With Matthew lobbying to keep Anne, Marilla ultimately agrees to let her stay at Green Gables. The trials and tribulations Marilla fears come to pass, but she and Matthew admit Anne is the best thing that ever happened to them, and Anne comes to understand she is a loved and worthwhile person.

The favorite children's book and television character created by James Dean and Kimberly Dean comes to life onstage in the musical Pete The Cat (February 24 - April 5, 2020), written by Sarah Hammond and Will Aronson. The moment this groovy blue cat meets The Biddles, he gets the whole family rocking- that is, except for Jimmy, the most organized second grader on planet Earth. When Jimmy draws a blank in art class during the last week of school, it turns out Pete is the perfect pal to help. Join Jimmy and Pete on an adventure of friendship and inspiration, all the way to Paris and back in a VW Bus!

The season concludes with an all-new musical, Disney's Freaky Friday The Musical (One-Act Edition) (March 30- May 10, 2020). When an uber-organized mother and her spontaneous teenage daughter magically swap bodies, they have just one day to put things right. By spending a day in each other's shoes, Katherine and Ellie come to appreciate one another in a way they never could have imagined. Based on the beloved novel by Mary Rodgers and the hit Disney films including the recent Disney Channel Original Movie, Disney's Freaky Friday (One-Act Edition) features a book by Bridget Carpenter, co-executive producer/writer on the beloved TV hits "Friday Night Lights" and "Parenthood," with music and lyrics by Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey, the Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning composers of Next to Normal.

In addition to the shows in the professional season, Orlando REP presents several limited engagements.

Orlando REP presents Letters from Anne and Martin (October 6, 2019), in partnership with The Holocaust Memorial Resource and Education Center and accompanying exhibit. This unique adaptation combines the iconic words of both Martin Luther King, Jr. and Anne Frank. Born during the same year, living on continents 5,000 miles apart, these two historical figures shared parallel experiences living in the shadow of hatred and prejudice. This production uses their own letters to illustrate the similarities between their stories.

Orlando's favorite rock band for children and families takes the stage for Mr. Richard & The Pound Hounds Halloween Concert (October 25 & 26, 2019). With sing-along tunes about fish, trucks, and Halloween fun, Mr. Richard & The Pound Hounds play great music for hip families, who can preview their own costumes by wearing them to the concert before the big night!

By popular demand, award-winning magician and comedian Tony Brent returns with Pip-Squeak: An Anti-Bullying Magic Show (January 13 - 18, 2020). Because of his small size as a child, Tony was bullied in the cafeteria, in the gymnasium, on the playground, and generally anywhere there were no adults present. Now using comedy, amazing magic tricks, juggling, and a coat-rack loaded with costumes, Tony gently and humorously teaches children how to cope with being bullied.

Theatre for the Very Young comes to Orlando REP for the very first time with When Pigs Fly! Theatre for the Very Young is created specifically for young people, ages infant - 6 years old, and is an interactive, multi-sensory experience that invites audience members to become part of telling a story through creative play. Based on a concept by Maria Katasdouros, join a pig named Avery and his friends on the farm as they explore what it means to fly through elements of play, discovery, whimsical movement, and a few surprises along the way! Multiple dates throughout 2019 and 2020 announced soon.

Orlando REP participates in the 6th Annual UCF Celebrates The Arts at The Dr. Phillips Center in spring of 2020.

The 2019-2020 Season includes three professionally-produced shows featuring students of Orlando REP's Youth Academy, including Li'l Abner (July 12 - 28, 2019), Disney's The Lion King Jr (December 6 - 8, 2019), and the new musical, Pickle Chiffon Pie (May 1 - 3, 2020). For the first time in Orlando REP history, its Youth Academy is embarking on the development of a brand-new musical! Students will be the world premiere cast and have a direct influence on the growth of the script, score, and story of this tale based on the children's book Pickle Chiffon Pie by Jolly Roger Bradfield.

In addition to the Youth Academy productions, Orlando REP's education department produces a plethora of community engagement programs. Some programs include the 17th Annual Writes of Spring: How Can Your Life Change In Just Five Minutes, comprised of winning entries from school children throughout Central Florida; The Giver, which is annually performed for all 8th grade students of Orange County Public Schools; and introducing the new Teen Perspectives Lab, comprised of readings and devised productions focusing on relevant issues.

Orlando REP continues programs with groups such as Edgewood Children's Ranch, Girl Scouts of America, and the Orlando Union Rescue Mission. Orlando REP expands its Engaged Learning Through the Arts program, in partnership with The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and Orange County Public Schools, focused on training teaching artists for school residencies and its work in dual language classrooms in partnership with the Helios Education Foundation, Childsplay, and Arizona State University.

Orlando REP's 7th Annual Holiday Family Celebration is a party created specifically for families featuring a catered dinner, themed photo booth, visits with Santa, and opportunities to win gift baskets before an exclusive performance of Miracle in Bedford Falls in December. Details on this event will be forthcoming.

Orlando REP provides ASL-Interpreted shows and Sensory-Friendly performances, designed for children with autism or other sensory processing sensitivities and special needs.

Backstage Tours are held on select dates throughout the season, and may be booked by calling the box office.

Public performances of Orlando REP's professional season productions are Saturdays and Sundays at 2:00pm and 5:30pm with tickets starting at $15. School Field Trip Performances are Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays.

Subscriptions are available for renewal beginning June 3, 2019 and new subscriptions are available beginning July 1. Subscribers and donors receive presale access throughout the year.

Single tickets go on public sale for the first production on August 12, 2019. All other single ticket on-sale dates can be found on our website, as well as information regarding presale access.

For more information about Season Subscriptions, on-sale dates, School Field Trip Reservations, or Orlando REP's 2019 - 2020 season, please call 407.896.7365 or visit www.orlandorep.com. Auditions for Orlando REP's professional shows are announced soon.

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