Arizona Theatre Company Announces 2019-20 Season Lineup: 'The Curtain Rises'

Arizona Theatre Company's (ATC) 2019/2020 season, under the theme, "The Curtain Rises," offers an entertaining, thoughtful lineup of six shows including Lauren Gunderson's Silent Sky; the powerful musical love story Cabaret; Athol Fugard's story of South Africa in the early years of apartheid, Master Harold...and The Boys; and The Legend of Georgia McBride, an hilarious and heartwarming story of Casey, a broke Elvis impersonator with a baby on the way, a co-production with Milwaukee Repertory Theater.

The final two shows of the season will be selected by ATC's new artistic director. A national search is underway.

"The 2019/20 season will capitalize on our continual engagement with our Arizona communities," said Artistic Director David Ivers. "As the company continues to reflect back to where we live and who we are, the 53rdseason celebrates the individual in all of its forms. A rich tapestry weaves its way across these four productions bringing a breadth of genre, diversity and celebration even as we entertain."

Subscription renewals start on February 18 for full season, 6-Play renewing subscribers. Renewals for the 3,4,5 and Flex subscriptions will start on March 11. Renewing subscribers may call the box office in Tucson at (520) 622-2823 or in Phoenix at (602) 256-6995. Single tickets will go on sale later this year.

"With this new season, we continue our commitment to bring to Arizona of the world quality productions that celebrates the many different ways stories can be told in the theatre," said ATC Managing Director Billy Russo. "It's what makes a season at Arizona Theatre Company constantly surprising, awe inspiring and exciting. And Uniquely Arizonan."

The lineup for 2019/2020 includes:

• Silent Sky (Tucson: Oct. 22-Nov. 9; Phoenix Nov. 14-Dec. 1): A celebration of discovery, originality and curiosity. By Lauren Gunderson. Based on the true story of 19th-century astronomer Henrietta Leavitt, astonishing discoveries await as she maps distant stars in galaxies beyond our own. But this brilliant, headstrong pioneer must struggle for recognition in the man's world of turn-of-the-century astronomy.During this time of immense scientific discoveries, women's ideas were dismissed until men claimed credit for them. In this exquisite blend of science, history, family ties, and fragile love, a passionate young woman must map her own passage through a society determined to keep a woman in her place. "Bottom line: Heavenly." - Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

• Cabaret (Tucson: Nov. 30-Dec. 20; Phoenix: Jan. 4-26, 2020): Wilkommen! Bienvenue! Welcome! Music by John Kander, Lyrics by Fred Ebb, Book by Joe Masteroff. Cliff Bradshaw, an American author working on a novel in Berlin, encounters Sally Bowles, a talented cabaret performer, at the seedy Kit Kat Klub where she sings. When she is fired by the club's owner, also her jealous boyfriend, she moves in with Cliff and the two fall in love. As the Nazis begin taking control of the German government, the atmosphere of the Kit Kat Klub and the lives of Cliff and Sally begin to change dramatically. At its core, Cabaret isa big, award-winning musical critique of apathy, and a chilling look at totalitarianism."...a masterpiece of musical theatre..." - Chicago Tribune

• Master Harold...And the Boys (Tucson: Jan. 18-Feb. 8, 2020; Phoenix: Feb. 13-March 1). The semi-autobiographical masterwork. By Athol Fugard. Master Harold...and The Boys may take place in South Africa during the early years of apartheid, but its depiction of the ways in which people are capable of hurting even those they love transcends the political landscape of bigotry and oppression that inspired it. An ordinary rainy afternoon in 1950s South Africa turns into a profound and life-changing experience for young, white Harold and his beloved black servants. A stunning masterpiece, one of the most powerful coming-of-age plays ever written, and still timely, still compelling, still unbearably moving. "...a blistering fusion of the personal and the political." - New York Times

• The Legend of Georgia McBride (Tucson: March 7-28; Phoenix: April 2-19). A big-hearted, FIERCE music-filled comedy. By Matthew Lopez. A co-production with Milwaukee Repertory Theater. Casey is an Elvis impersonator with everything going for him, including a flashy sequin jumpsuit. But just like that he loses his gig, rent is overdue and his wife announces a baby on the way. So when Elvis leaves the building and a drag show moves in, "The King" transforms into an all-out queen with the help of some new friends who become the second family Casey never saw coming. With snappy zingers and dance-worthy numbers, this wildly entertaining story will challenge your assumptions with extraordinary humor and depth. "Stitch-in-your-side funny! Full of sass and good spirits." - New York Times

New subscriptions packages for the 2019/2020 season will be available for sale to the general public starting April 1.

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