Taproot Theatre Announces The Lineup For Its 34th Season With Regional Premieres, Musicals & More

Taproot Theatre is excited to announce the lineup for its 34th season, a year packed with wonder, imagination and the magic of theatre. The season features three regional premieres, an exciting new staging of a beloved musical featuring a literary author and one of his most well-known characters, and a production of a hilarious Victorian farce. Taproot Theatre Company's 2010 Season runs from January through October. The re-subscription period is currently underway, with subscriptions opening to the general public on October 1.

Taproot Theatre's 2010 Season opens with C.S. Lewis' The Great Divorce, in an adaptation by George Drance and the Magis Theatre Company (NY). Considered by many to be one of the great literary minds of the 20th century, C.S. Lewis first took readers on this journey through realms beyond our vision in the 1940s. Over six decades later, The Great Divorce still fascinates readers-and now theatregoers-with its characters who take a bus ride between heaven and hell. Taproot Theatre's production will soar with theatricality, with ten actors playing 25 characters.

Next comes the coming-of-age story of the middle-aged novelist Eric Weiss, in Donald Margulies' Brooklyn Boy. Margulies, who won the 2000 Pulitzer Prize in Drama for Dinner with Friends, takes his character Eric on a trip home to Brooklyn and his Jewish roots in this story that's full of exploration, reflection and laughs. Comedy runs through this play, but it's also a sweet story about returning home, rediscovering one's roots, and defining who one is.

In the spring, Taproot Theatre takes a trip to the Victorian era with its production of Charley's Aunt. BranDon Thomas' farce was a huge hit when it opened in London in 1892, with an original run of 1,466 performances. Now, after countless revivals and film adaptations, this enduring classic is still entertaining audiences with its shenanigans, masquerading and mischief.

Then, it's Man of La Mancha like you've never seen it before. This Tony Award-winning musical by Dale Wasserman, with music by Mitch Leigh and lyrics by Joe Darion, gets a new staging and an acoustic touch in this exciting production.

Taproot Theatre wraps up its 2010 Season in the fall with the regional premiere of Wedding Belles, a delightful comedy packed with southern hospitality. Alan Bailey-creator of Smoke on the Mountain-and Ronnie Claire Edwards have teamed up for this sweet story of the four women of the Eufala Springs Garden Club, who get thrown into a tizzy with wedding planning when a young bride shows up in town. They're having a wedding that day... that is, if the groom ever shows up. Wedding Belles was nominated for the American Theatre Critics Association Best Play Award.

Taproot Theatre Company's 2010 Season:

The Great Divorce - Regional Premiere

By C.S. Lewis, adapted by George Drance & The Magis Theatre

January 29-February 27, previews January 27 & 28

C.S. Lewis' fantastical work springs to life in this electrifying regional premiere. One drizzly afternoon our author embarks on a supernatural voyage with a cast of eccentric, humorous characters that bear a remarkable resemblance to us. Theatrical, imaginative and thought provoking. It's a bus ride through heaven and hell that, in the grand C.S. Lewis tradition, leaves you breathless and wanting more.

Brooklyn Boy - Regional Premiere

By Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Donald Margulies

March 19-April 17, previews March 17 & 18

Can we ever go home... and do we want to? Eric Weiss has finally made it big with a best seller and a shot at a Hollywood film. An inconvenient phone call brings him back to the Brooklyn neighborhood he grew up in and happily left behind. Witty and deeply touching, this story of growing up, coming home and making sense of it all is sure to warm your heart.

Charley's Aunt

By BranDon Thomas

May 14-June 12, previews May 12 & 13

By George! This is splendid! A quiet afternoon luncheon turns into a hilarious masquerade when college chums attempt to woo a pair of charming young ladies. After persuading a classmate to impersonate their missing aunt (and chaperone), mischief, high jinks and shenanigans ensue. This hilarious classic has been delighting audiences for over 100 years.

Man of La Mancha

A Musical Play by Dale Wasserman

Music by Mitch Leigh & Lyrics by Joe Darion Original Production Staged by Albert Marre

Originally Produced by Albert W. Selden and Hal James

July 9-August 7, previews July 7 & 8

Don Quixote is mad... mad enough to dream an impossible dream while tilting after windmills with his trusty sidekick, Sancho Panza. Taproot's adventurous new staging of Cervantes' immortal classic reunites you with a story and songs that will capture your imagination and set you dreaming again. Quixote's romantic quest is as crazy as he is. But is his impossible dream madness or vision? The trial is about to begin.

Wedding Belles - Regional Premiere

By Alan Bailey & Ronnie Claire Edwards

September 24-October 23, previews September 22 & 23

When a bedraggled bride is found stranded at an East Texas bus station in 1942, the determined ladies of the Eufala Springs Garden Club leap into action! Lemonade, wedding cake and a gown are easy enough to come by... but where's the groom? This side-splitting comedy overflows with love, laughter and southern hospitality at its best! From the creator of Smoke on the Mountain.

Ticket and Subscription Information:

Performances take place Wednesday through Saturday evenings, with matinees on Saturdays. Ticket prices range from $22 to $35; plus, we offer a $10 ticket for ages 25 and under, discounts for students and seniors, group rates for parties of eight or more, and one pay-what-you-can performance for each production.

Taproot Theatre is currently in its resubscription period; subscriptions open to the public on October 1, and single tickets go on sale in January 2010.

Subscribers save up to 18% over single ticket prices, plus enjoy great benefits like priority seating, discounts on additional tickets, free ticket exchanges, a subscriber rewards card and more. Subscribers have a number of packages to choose from, including three- and five-play season subscriptions and a Flex Pass subscription, which gives patrons more flexibility when scheduling their tickets.

For more information about subscriptions and single tickets, visit www.taproottheatre.org or contact the box office at 206.781.9707 or box@taproottheatre.org. The box office is open Tuesday through Saturday from noon to 5:00 p.m., and until show time on performance nights.

All performances are held at Taproot Theatre, located at 204 N. 85th St. in Seattle's Greenwood neighborhood. The 226-seat theatre is wheelchair accessible and is equipped with assisted listening devices.

Support for Taproot Theatre's 2010 Mainstage season is generously provided by The Charles Simonyi Fund for Arts and Sciences, ArtsFund, 4Culture, Washington State Arts Commission, PONCHO and Nesholm Family Foundation.

Taproot Theatre Company is a professional, non-profit theatre company with a multi-faceted production program. Founded in 1976, Taproot Theatre serves the Pacific Northwest with Mainstage Productions, Touring Productions and Acting Studio. Taproot exists to create theatre that explores the beauty and questions of life while bringing hope to our search for meaning. Taproot Theatre Company is a member of Theatre Communications Group (TCG), Theatre Puget Sound (TPS), and the Greenwood-Phinney Chamber of Commerce.

 

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