New Village Arts Announces 22nd Season Line-Up Includes Award-Winning Plays and Musicals And The Return of Two Favorites

New Village Arts (NVA), North County's cultural hub, is presenting a season filled with Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning plays and musicals. Taken together, the two plays and two musicals included in the subscription season total over eight Tony Awards and two Pulitzer Prizes. The season also includes the holiday production of 1222 OCEANFRONT: A BLACK FAMILY CHRISTMAS which is quickly becoming a Christmas tradition at New Village Arts as well as a return engagement of Herbert Siguenza's A WEEKEND WITH PABLO PICASSO. 

“For our second season in the Conrad Prebys Theater at the Dea Hurston New Village Arts Center, we are showcasing some of the best theatrical productions of the last twenty years. These shows give us the opportunity to share our incredible local artistic talent while also presenting deeply thought-provoking productions which will stay with us long after we have experienced them,” says Founder and Executive Artistic Director Kristianne Kurner.

The company begins the season in  August with a re-mount of Herbert Siguenza's entertaining and enlightening exploration of the complicated genius in A WEEKEND WITH PABLO PICASSO. Originally produced at NVA in 2019, this show has traveled around the world and sold out its previous run. Todd Salovey will return to direct.

In the fall, John Patrick Shanley's Pulitzer-winning DOUBT: A PARABLE, takes audiences to a catholic school in the Bronx where a nun accuses a priest of inappropriate behavior with a student. But did anything actually happen? This timely play leans into how we define truth and seems even more relevant today. Founder and Executive Artistic Director Kristianne Kurner will direct. DOUBT: A PARABLE returns to Broadway in February, 2024

For the holidays, NVA's 2020 commissioned musical written by  Dea Hurston, 1222 OCEANFRONT: A BLACK FAMILY CHRISTMAS, returns as a new holiday favorite.  Named one of the best shows of 2021 by The San Diego Union-Tribune, this year the acclaimed up and coming director Kandace Crystal will lead the way in telling this heartwarming and funny story of the Black family and their Christmas in Carlsbad.

In the new year, Kym Pappas will direct the groundbreaking musical FUN HOME, featuring Rae Henderson-Gray and Lena Palke. FUN HOME follows a woman, Alison, as she delves into her past and seeks to come to terms with the life and legacy of her father who is exactly the same as her, and still so different.  “This musical becomes even more important to produce with the recent attacks on the LGBTQIA+ community,” said Kurner. “ It allows us as the audience to come to a fuller understanding of the journey of coming out and stepping into yourself.”

The hilarious THE 39 STEPS, directed by NVA's own AJ Knox, opens in the spring.  This production is a feat of incredible comedic acting and will have audiences rolling with laughter and thrilling at the ingenuity of turning this Alfred Hitchcock movie into something completely different.

NVA's 22nd  season concludes with the musical adaptation of what is recognized as one of the most important novels of the 20th Century,  Alice Walker's THE COLOR PURPLE. This uplifting musical brings Alice Walker's remarkable coming of age book to life, touching on such themes as domestic violence, female identity and the power of love, which can overcome hatred and selfishness. A new, major motion picture produced by Oprah Winfrey, Steven  Spielberg and Quincy Jones is coming out this Christmas. 

“As with all of NVA's work, our  22nd season will showcase artists working at the top of their game, all in our intimate, 100 seat Conrad Prebys Theater, where the audience is always just a few feet from the magic of live theatre,” said Kurner. 

New Village Arts 22nd Season 2023-2024

 

 

A WEEKEND WITH PABLO PICASSO

Written by Herbert Siguenza

Directed by Todd Salovey

Set and Costume Design by Giulio Perrone

Projection Design by Victoria Petrovich 

Original Musical Score by Bruno Louchoaurn

Previews: August 4-11

Opening Night: August 12

August 12 to September 3

A WEEKEND WITH PABLO PICASSO played to sold out houses across the country. 

DOUBT: A PARABLE 

Written by John Patrick Shanley

Directed by Executive Artistic Director Kristianne Kurner

Previews: September 22-29

Opening Night: September 30 

September 30 to October 22 

Recipient of The Tony Award for Best Play and Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Drama 

1222 OCEANFRONT: A BLACK FAMILY CHRISTMAS

 

Written by Dea Hurston

Created by Dea Hurston, Milena (Sellers) Phillips, Frankie Alicea-Ford, Kevin “Blax” Burroughs  

Original Music by Milena (Sellers) Phillips

Directed by Kandace Crystal

Previews November 17-24; 

Opens November  25 

November 25 -  December  24 

Named as one of the best shows of 2021 by The San Diego Union-Tribune

FUN HOME 

Music by Jeanine Tesori

Book and Lyrics by Lisa Kron

Based on the Graphic Novel by Alison Bechdel 

Directed by Kymberlee Pappas

Featuring Rae Henderson-Gray

Previews: January 26 – Feb 2

Opening Night: February 3

February 3 to March 3

Recipient of the 2015 Tony Award for Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, and Best Original Score. 

THE 39 STEPS 

Adapted by Patrick Barlow

From the novel by John Buchan

From the movie by Alfred Hitchcock 

Directed by AJ Knox 

Previews: April 5-12

Opening Night: April 13

 April 13 – May 12

Olivier Award for Best Comedy  and Tony Award for Best Play

THE COLOR PURPLE 

Based on the novel by Alice Walker

Book by Marsha Norman 

Music and Lyrics by Brenda Russell, Allee Willis and  Stephen Bray

Directed by Kandace Crystal

Previews: June 7-14

Opening Night: June 15

 June 15 - July 21 

A Pulitzer Prize. A National Book Award. Eleven Academy Award Nominations. Four Golden Globe Nominations. Three Tony Awards. 

Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday Matinees at 2:00 pm

Thursday, Friday and Saturday Evenings at 7:30 pm

Subscriptions for the 4 Show Package range from $108 to $207

Subscribers receive a 15% discount on all tickets to  A WEEKEND WITH PABLO PICASSO and 1222 OCEANFRONT: A BLACK FAMILY CHRISTMAS.  

Single Tickets will go on sale in August.  Single tickets range from $30 to $55 for plays and $ 30 to $60 for musicals. 

Celebrating 22 years of award-winning professional theatre and thriving education and outreach programs, New Village Arts (NVA) has truly become the cultural hub of North County San Diego. 

NVA attracts more than 30,000 patrons each year to experience professional theatre, musical and art events in the heart of Carlsbad Village. In addition to full seasons of plays and musicals featuring some of the best artistic talent in Southern California, NVA hosts talkback discussions and other supplementary events designed to create conversation and cultivate community. New this year, the White Family Next Stage in the Dea Hurston New Village Arts Center presents a series of music and spoken word events throughout the year. NVA offers robust theatre programs in partnership with local schools and strongly believes that theatre and arts experiences should be accessible to all people, becoming a recognized leader in equity, diversity, and inclusion in San Diego. NVA has been fortunate to receive support from the City of Carlsbad and other local businesses, who recognize the importance of a resident professional theatre company as a crucial component of an inclusive and creative community. In turn NVA prioritizes serving its community by presenting works that respect its diversity, engaging every citizen with relevant and inspiring stories. 

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