CENTERSTAGE Announces Full Slate for 2007–08

 The entire season of shows has been announced for CENTERSTAGE'S 2007-2008 season.  It looks to be an eclectic mix of classics and newer works, but always interesting.

The season begins with a little good-natured poisoning. Abigail and Martha Brewster, the spinster heroines of Joseph Kesselring's Arsenic and Old Lace, love to have lonely gentlemen over for company; one glass of spiked elderberry wine and they add another to their collection of deceased guests. Their nephew Mortimer—famously played by Cary Grant in Frank Capra's beloved 1944 film—tries to avoid the family insanity as delusions and homicide contribute to this uniquely American black comedy. Directed by Irene Lewis, Arsenic and Old Lace plays The Pearlstone Theater from September 14th through October 14th.

Following our comedic season kickoff, Willy Holtzman's Hearts explores the hidden scars of World War II veterans. Donald Waldman and his friends get together to play cards and reminisce, but what about the memories that can't be shared, yet won't go away? We're pleased to welcome back Holtzman, whose play Something You Did began as a First Look commission during the 2004–05 Season and recently received its world premiere at Pennsylvania's People's Light & Theatre. Returning to direct Hearts—which was shortlisted for the 2003 Pulitzer Prize—is former Resident Director Tim Vasen, in his first CENTERSTAGE production since The Rainmaker in 2003. Hearts plays The Head Theater from October 26th through December 2nd.

Master playwright August Wilson's epic cycle has given us rich theatrical experiences over the years, and CENTERSTAGE has decided to revisit his poignant Joe Turner's Come and Gone—CENTERSTAGE's first Wilson presentation, during the 1988–89 Season. Former convict Herald Loomis makes his way North during the African American diaspora known as the Great Migration. His search for his family, his life, and his song is an odyssey that only Wilson could write. His magic returns to The Pearlstone Theater, December 7th through January 13 th.

CENTERSTAGE's love affair with Shakespeare continues with theatrical lion Tom Stoppard's classic twist on Hamlet, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead. In their copious down-time, these two unfortunate courtiers question the meaning of life and the dubious nature of their mission while the melancholy Dane and company carry on in the background. Stoppard's pitch-perfect blend of wry intellect and chaotic humor has been a hit for 40 years, and it's we're pleased to finally bring it to CENTERSTAGE. Irene Lewis directs CENTERSTAGE's first production of Stoppard's seminal work—and only the second Stoppard ever—which plays The Head Theater from February 1st through March 9th.

Shall we dance? That's the question asked throughout Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler's timeless A Little Night Music, where a houseful of mixed-up couples try to find their proper mates during one weekend where the sun never quite sets, but the night still smiles on the young, old, and foolish alike. Trial-and-error has never been so beautifully orchestrated; we know you'll be singing along with this mature love story. Musical revelry returns to The Pearlstone Theater, March 14th through April 13th.

The season concludes with one of the plays workshopped during this season's First Look series: Melanie Marnich's These Shining Lives. Four young women find independence and friendship in their work as radium dial painters during the Roaring Twenties, but it may end up costing them more than they imagined. Marnich's re-creation of this forgotten story brings history to life with shimmering clarity, and CENTERSTAGE is thrilled to offer its world premiere in The Head Theater from April 25th through June 1st.

Subscriptions for the 2007–08 Mainstage season are available now with prices ranging from $60 to $300 for the full season. For more information, visit the CENTERSTAGE Box Office, call 410.332.0033, or go online to centerstage.org.

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