Town Hall Theatre Announces Dynamic 2018/19 Season: Lost & Found

Town Hall Theatre Company (THT) is excited to announce four powerhouse productions for its 2018/19 Season: LOST & FOUND. Town Hall's LOST & FOUND Season opens with the Bay Area premiere of Lauren Gunderson's seriously smart comedy The Revolutionists; continues with Great Expectations, the West Coast premiere of Grace Childs Daly's high-energy adaptation of Dickens' beloved novel; followed by Brooklyn Bridge, a captivating play for the whole family by Melissa James Gibson; and closes with the sizzling musical farce Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, based on Pedro Almodóvar's film, with book by Jeffrey Lane, music and lyrics?by David Yazbek. Subscription package sales are now available.

"Playwrights throughout history have written about immeasurable 'losts'," Artistic Director Evans says: "Lost love, lost time, lost faith or, the big one, loss of life - sometimes asking why, or how, or what now? The plays this Season all explore how apparent losses may lead to discoveries and happy accidents: from four very different French women forging solidarity, to a young man learning what matters in life, a little girl finding community right next door, and finally to a little nervous breakdown, or two, leading to female liberation."

Town Hall Theatre Season 2018/19 kicks off in September with the Bay Area premiere of Lauren Gunderson's The Revolutionists -- Liberté, égalité... sororité! American Theatre magazine named Gunderson the most popular playwright in the country for the 2017-18 season, with 27 productions; and Town Hall is thrilled to introduce our audiences to yet another new work from the playwright. In The Revolutionists, Gunderson concocts a comedic quartet about four real-life badass women during the French Revolution's Reign of Terror - Olympe de Gouges, activist playwright and feminist; Charlotte Corday, country girl and assassin; Marie Antoinette, fascinating former queen; and Marianne Angelle, black free woman from the Caribbean, a spy. These four may have lost their heads but they found their voice. Directed by THT Artistic Director Susan E. Evans. Starts in September 2018.

THT's 2018 holiday offering is by Dickens - but it's not that Dickens! On a bleak Christmas Eve, in a marshy churchyard, an escaped convict grabs a young lad at knife point, and his life is forever altered. In Gale Childs Daly's high energy adaptation of Charles Dickens' classic novel, Great Expectations, six quick-changing actors portray dozens of characters as we follow our young hero's coming-of-age journey -- through love and loss, revenge and redemption -- as he comes to realize his great expectations. Directed by Dennis Markam. Starts November, 2018.

Brooklyn Bridge, a play full of heart and humor for the whole family, arrives at Town Hall in March 2019 in a California premiere. Melissa James Gibson's charming, witty and thoughtful story centers on 10-year-old Sasha, a latchkey kid with a big homework assignment, a report on the Brooklyn Bridge. It's due tomorrow, and the problem is... she can't find a pen! One little girl's procrastination helps her meet her extraordinary brownstone neighbors, and connect with quirky and caring community all around her. Brooklyn Bridge is a play that will resonate with audiences of all ages. Directed by M. Graham Smith. Starts February, 2019.

Closing out the Season is the sizzling, exhilarating musical farce, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown with book by Jeffrey Lane Music and lyrics?by David Yazbek, based on the Academy Award-nominated film by Pedro Almodóvar. Newly revised for the London West End, the musical whisks us off to sexy 1980s Madrid, and to the unravelling world of Pepa, Pepa's wandering lover, the lover's nutty ex-wife, their son and his fiancée, Pepa's ditzy friend and that friend's suspicious boyfriend, plus a lawyer, and a talkative taxi driver. All this comedic chaos is served up with a very specially laced gazpacho, and an irresistible Spanish beat. Directed by Dawn Monique Williams with music direction by Lindsey Schmeltzer. Starts May, 2019.

This 2018/19 Season THT launches two new programs: In the Wings, staged readings of provocative and compelling pieces by emerging theatrical voices, and Playwrights' CageMatch, a competition for playwrights from far and wide. We'll pick a theme, send it out into the playwright's universe and narrow the field to a few short plays presented as staged readings. The audience takes part in the action by voting for its favorite play.

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. This Season THE expands into adult education with a new Wine and Improv night called: Yes, And Wine

At Town Hall's Music & Comedy events, audiences enjoy the musical power of an arena with the intimacy of a private concert. This year will see the return of some of hottest music and comedy in the East Bay, including the hilarious political satirist Will Durst and bands Petty Theft, Foreverland, Forejour, Zebop!, Fleetwood Mask and The Sun Kings, and the annual Lafayette Community Music Festival.

Subscribers to Town Hall Theatre get substantial savings, and enjoy free ticket exchange privileges, by phone or text messaging, as well as priority seating. THT's 4-play Full Season package guarantees tickets for the full slate of shows with prices ranging from $72 to $100; 3-show Main Season packages range from $54 to $75; and 2-show packages range from $36 to $55. As an added bonus, subscribers enjoy free admission to Lit Up at Town Hall, In the Wings and Playwrights' CageMatch. Additional subscription discounts are available for senior citizens and youth. New this Season: 35 & Under all seats, all Main Stage shows, for any and all patrons 35 years and under.

Established in 1944 as the Dramateurs, Town Hall Theatre turned 74 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 two regional 2017 Theatre Bay Area Awards, including best play for An Ideal Husband. 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 103-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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