Town Hall Announces 75th Season 2019/20: TRANSFORMATIONS

Town Hall Theatre Company (THT) is thrilled to announce four compelling plays and musicals for its milestone 75th 2019/20 Season, entitled TRANSFORMATIONS. Town Hall's TRANSFORMATIONS Season opens with Matthew Lopez's fabulously sassy comedy The Legend of Georgia McBride; continues with the West Coast premiere of an enchanting original new take on the classic Brothers Grimm story Cinderella: A Fairytale; followed by Anton Chekhov's final masterpiece, The Cherry Orchard; and closes with the stirring Tony-nominated musical Violet. Subscription package sales are now available.

"Town Hall Season 2019/20's theme is Transformations because that word seems to get right to the heart of what a theatre is, and does: with and within every production we change the scenery, the costumes, the lights, sounds and props - and actors' performances change from night to night with an experience both ever-transitory and everlasting, " says Artistic Director Evans. "The plays in this 75th Town Hall Season are all plays of transformation: from Elvis to Edith, an orphaned girl to fairytale princess, orchards to industry, a disfiguring scar to inner beauty. Theatres are places where we gather together to watch changes happen on stage, and to collectively be a part of stories of change. As Town Hall Theatre embarks on its amazing 75th Season, we are looking forward with anticipation to many years ahead and changes to come." On October 26, 2019, Town Hall will host a 75th Anniversary Masquerade Gala at the Lafayette Veterans Memorial Center, to pay tribute to past accomplishments and toast the future.

TRANSFORMATIONS, SEASON 2019/20: Town Hall's 75th!

Can a young Elvis impersonator transform himself into a platform-pump-panty-hose-wearing drag queen? Town Hall Theatre Season 2019/20 kicks off in September with THE LEGEND OF GEORGIA McBRIDE, a hilarious, sassy, and heartfelt celebration of divas and difference, by Matthew Lopez. It's showtime at Cleo's Lounge, a dilapidated, small-time club in the Florida Panhandle. Casey's got to get a new act together fast - he's broke and his wife just told him there's a baby on the way. Directed by Cindy Goldfield. Starts in September 2019.

Former Town Hall Artistic Director Clive Worsley returns for our 2019 holiday offering, the West Coast Premiere of CINDERELLA: A Fairytale by Sally Cookson and Adam Peck. Winner of a 2014 Off West End Award in London, CINDERELLA is a delightfully original take on the classic well-beloved Brothers Grimm fairytale. The Guardian called this funny, feisty and enchanting celebration of girl power: " ....not just a great Christmas show, but a great night for all times and all ages." Directed by Clive Worsley. Starts December, 2019.

The Cherry Orchard, Anton Chekhov's final masterwork, arrives at Town Hall in February/March 2020, in a new translation by Richard Nelson, Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky of Chekhov's original 1903 pre-rehearsal script. At once timeless and prescient, The Cherry Orchard channels the "human comedy", with all its loves, losses and privileges past, and the inescapable future. On a chilly morning in May in the Russian provinces, around the turn of the last century, landowner Lyubóv Andréevna returns after a five year absence to her family's estate to find the cherry orchard in bloom. But all is soon to change, and debts must be paid. Directed by Town Hall Artistic Director Susan E. Evans. Starts February, 2020.

Closing out the Season is the heart-stirring Violet, with music by Jeanine Tesori (Fun Home, Shrek The Musical, Caroline, or Change, Thoroughly Modern Millie)

and lyrics and book by Brian Crawley, based on the short story, "The Ugliest Pilgrim" by Doris Betts. Tesori's 1997 award-winning Violet was revived in 2014 to great acclaim with Sutton Foster in the lead role. Blending country, gospel, blues and honky-tonk rock, the musical takes us on a soaring journey with a young woman from a hilltop town in the Blue Ridge Mountains; it's 1964 and she's hopped aboard a Greyhound bus travelling 900 miles, in the hope that a televangelist preacher in Tulsa will heal her facial scar, and transform her life. Directed by Lynda Divito. Starts May, 2020.

This 75th Season THT continues In the Wings, our staged readings series of provocative pieces by emerging theatrical voices; and our second annual Playwrights' CageMatch, a competition for playwrights from far and wide that debuted in 2019 to huge success, where our audience takes part in the action by voting for its favorite play.

Town Hall offers a myriad of opportunities to engage, bringing our artists, audiences and community together:

LIT UP AT TOWN HALL: A literary salon with curated local authors, lecturers, poets, musicians, and artists. Each salon focuses on a special theme expanding upon motifs from one of the four Main Stage productions. See show calendars for dates.

COMMUNITY CRITICS: Ten Community Critics from across generations selected from the Lamorinda community talk about Town Hall Theatre shows on social media.

THEATRE CLUB NIGHTS: Stay after the show for a free talkback with the cast and director, plus complimentary glass of wine. See show calendars for dates.

TOWN HALL THEATRE LOBBY: Come an hour before curtain, enjoy our full bar, live events and gather with friends.

Town Hall Education continues to provide the kind of exceptional training that the Lamorinda community has come to expect over the last 50+ years. Our process-based production classes serve pre-school through high school age students; the adult education program takes us into local schools with performances and workshops, and THEd's popular adult improv class Yes, And Wine, expands with a July 2020 Festival.

At Town Hall's Music & Comedy events, audiences enjoy exciting bands and hot comedy in our intimate venue. This 75th Season will include the biting political satire of Will Durst, bands Stu Allen and Mars Hotel and music of the Grateful Dead, Petty Theft, The Sun Kings, and the 10 Annual Lafayette Community Music Festival.

Subscribers to Town Hall Theatre get substantial savings of up to 20% off our affordable prices, and enjoy free ticket exchange privileges, by phone or text messaging, as well as priority seating and free admission to select Town Hall events such as Lit Up, In the Wings, and Playwrights' CageMatch. THT's 4-play Full Season package guarantees tickets for the full slate of shows with prices ranging from $72 to $105; 3-show Main Season packages range from $54 to $86; and single tickets range from $18 to $35. Additional subscription discounts are available for senior citizens and youth.

Established in 1944 as the Dramateurs, Town Hall Theatre turns 75 this year, making it the oldest continuously active theatre in Contra Costa County. Town Hall Theatre was awarded Best Theatre Troupe 2016 in Diablo Magazines, Best of The East Bay, and is the past recipient of numerous Shellie Awards, and regional Theatre Bay Area Awards. THT is also home to an extensive children's educational program, twice voted the "Best Children's Theatre Company" by Bay Area Parent Magazine. THT's 104-year old historical building is managed by the Lafayette Association (LIA).

Town Hall Theatre Company, 3535 School Street, in Lafayette, CA 94549. The Box Office is open Tuesday through Friday, 4:00 to 6:00PM and Saturday 2:00-4:00 pm and can be reached at 925.283.1557. Information is also available at www.TownHallTheatre.com.

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