ArtsWest Announces 2013-2014 Theater Season

Artistic Director Christopher Zinovitch has announced selections for the ArtsWest 2013-2014 season, which runs from October 2013 - May 2014.

Shows include the rolling world premiere of Lauren Gunderson's The Taming, a new comedy based on Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew; Little Women the Musical, a poignant and timeless classic perfect for the holiday season; Douglas Carter Beane's scathingly funny comedy, The Little Dog Laughed; Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Wendy Wasserstein's final play, Third; and the legendary story about the search for truth, peace and love in Vietnam War-era America, HAIR.

WORLD PREMIERE
The Taming (October 2 - October 19, 2013)
By Lauren Gunderson
Directed by Tammi Doyle

From the author of Exit Pursued by a Bear comes a new comedy based on Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew. The Taming takes us on a journey into a world populated by misbehaving men and American politics, touching on history, feminism, religion and dignified discourse along the way. This new play is being produced in conjunction with Crowded Fire Theater in San Francisco as a rolling world premiere. At once hilarious and sad, radical and sensible, The Taming promises to engage audiences in challenging questions about what happens when we set aside civility to pursue our convictions.

Little Women the Musical (December 4 - December 29, 2013)
Book by Allan Knee / Lyrics by Mindi Dickstein / Music by Jason Howland
Directed by Christopher Zinovitch / Musical Direction by Josh Zimmerman

This exhilarating musical explores the themes of family, ambition, poverty, and well before its time, the fight for women's rights to work as well as publish books in their own name. This poignant and timeless classic, based on the Louisa May Alcott book, is the perfect holiday show for the whole family.

TONY NOMINATED
The Little Dog Laughed (January 22 - February 8, 2014)
By Douglas Carter Beane
Directed by Christopher Zinovitch

Douglas Carter Beane, author of To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar, reveals the true nature of Hollywood - where no one is exactly who they say they are, and no one reveals exactly what they want, except in private under duress. This hilariously scathing comedy sheds light on the celluloid closet once and for all...or does it?

Third (March 5 - March 22, 2014)
By Wendy Wasserstein
Directed by Peggy Gannon

Wasserstein's final play is full of questions, humor and hard-hitting evidence that neither the issues of education, women's rights nor America itself has come very far in the last 100 years. When Professor Jameson accuses a student, Woodson Bull III ("Third"), of plagiarizing his essay on King Lear, we are forced to ask if her accusation is justified or if she is casting the student as the villain in her own struggle with relationships, age and polarized political views.

HAIR (April 23 - May 31, 2014)
Co-created by Gerome Ragni and James Rado / Composer Galt MacDermot
Directed by Chris Zinovitch / Musical Direction by Zachary Orts / Choreography by Mary Angelo

The exuberant musical about a group of young adults searching for truth, peace and love in a Vietnam War era America has struck a chord with audiences of all ages. The themes and struggles are vital and relevant to the times we live in today, and all the more so when you experience ArtsWest's intimate and unique production.

Tickets
Subscriptions to the full five-play season are $159 - $200 for general audiences and $140 for seniors. For more information, visit www.artswest.org or call the ArtsWest Box Office at (206) 938-0339.

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