The Acrosstown Repertory Theatre’s
2016-2017 Season
Sep 16-Oct 2, 2016
These Shining Lives
By Melanie Marnich
Directed by Laura Jackson
Auditions: Jul 17 & 18
Catherine, a wife and mother of two, is hired for what seems like a dream job: decent wages, newfound independence, and bonding with her female coworkers. The job? Paint glow-in-the-dark numbers on watch dials… using a radium compound. When the women begin to glow themselves, the company assures them radium poses no health risks and is even beneficial. Denied a proper diagnosis and eventually fired, they find the strength to fight all the way to court, refusing to be discarded and paving the way for the safer working conditions we all enjoy today. Based on a true story, These Shining Lives is joyful, funny, empowering and very moving.
BANNED?! Sept 25-Oct 1, 2016
By C.M. Salt
Locations/Times TBA
A strange, silly & unexpectedly educational look at children’s books banned for the most ridiculous of reasons… in celebration of Banned Books Week.
Oct 14-30, 2016
Commander
By Mario Correa
Directed by Karelisa Hartigan
Auditions: Aug 21 & 22
Is America ready for the first openly gay President? Is his partner? Commander centers on the complicated relationship between Ned Worley, a former college professor-turned-unlikely Governor of Rhode Island, and his possibly alcoholic partner, Richard. In this darkly comic play, an ambitious politician battles public doubts, personal demons and his own partner in a troubled quest to be President. Winner, Best Play & Best Production – 2015 Baltimore Playwrights Festival; Semi-Finalist, Eugene O’Neill Theater Center – 2016 National Playwrights Conference; Runner Up, 2014 National Latino Playwriting Award – Arizona Theatre Company
Dec 8-11, 2016
Gainesville Homegrown Local Playwrights’ Showcase
Join us for our third annual celebration of area playwrights! Previous showcases have included world premiers of staged script readings, and performances, and we expect this year to be the best ever. Did we mention that exceptional new plays have the potential to be fully produced as mainstage shows? If you know of an aspiring local playwright, direct them to acrosstown.org to submit their work for consideration. See the hottest new plays in town here, first, only at the ART.
Dec 17-18, 2016
ARTY: Herschel & the Hanukkah Goblins
The Baker’s Dozen, A Saint Nicholas Tale
By Eric Kimmel/Aaron Shepard
Directed by Kate Osbron
Auditions: October 23 & 24
The Acrosstown’s Youthtroupe is sure to delight children of all ages in cheerful adaptations of these timeless and beloved children’s books. Regardless of whatever holiday(s) you celebrate, come celebrate with the Acrosstown!
Jan 20-Feb 5, 2017
Waiting for Godot
By Samuel Beckett, Directed by Jessica Arnold
Auditions: Oct 16 & 17
Two men, loitering by a withered tree, wait… perhaps they wait there still. Brilliant in its use of metaphor and rhythm, Godot is as much a poem as a play. In turns witty, bitter, tragic and comic, this absurdist masterpiece is an enigma, wrapped in a mystery and tied with riddles. “…moving, often funny, grotesquely beautiful and utterly absorbing.” —NY Post. “…at once pathetic and hilarious.” —NY World-Telegram
Feb 17-Mar 5. 2017
The Who’s Tommy
By Pete Townshend & Des McAnuff
Directed by Ted Lewis
Auditions: Nov 13 & 14
Produced in conjunction with After Hours Theatre, this production is gonna blow your mind, man. Based on the iconic 1969 rock concept album, The Who’s Tommy is an exhilarating story of hope, healing, and the human spirit. This five-time Tony Award-winning musical has inspired, amazed, and puzzled audiences for more than 40 years. The exhilarating score is timeless in its youthful appeal, and a cross-generational smash hit.
Apr 7-23, 2017
columbinus
By Stephen Karam & PJ Paparelli
Directed by Susan Christophy
Auditions: Jan 29 & 30
Sparked by the April 1999 massacre at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo., columbinus is a meeting of fact and fiction that explores the events surrounding the shootings. The play weaves together excerpts from discussions with parents, survivors and community leaders in Littleton as well as police evidence to bring to light the dark recesses of American adolescence. Winner of five Helen Hayes Award nominations including the Charles MacArthur Award for Outstanding New Play, columbinus will challenge how and what you think— and feel.
May 12-28, 2017
UMMU
By Tom Miller, Directed by Michael Bobbitt
Auditions: Mar 5 & 6
A brilliant artist lost in a world of his own imagination. A brilliant psychologist trapped by his unusual cure. A beautiful woman who may be an angel, an alien, or may not even exist. World premiere of a Gainesville play that received its first staged reading here, last year. It will leave you questioning who you are, where you are and whether, indeed, any of this actually exists.
Jun 30-Jul 16, 2017
Summer Shakespeare
Much Ado About Nothing
By William Shakespeare
Directed by Carolyne Salt
Auditions: Apr 9 & 10
If you caught last year’s Twelfth Night and thought things couldn’t get more ridiculous, you couldn’t be more wrong! Mistaken identities, naughty bits and a masquerade ball– along with more serious meditations on honor, shame and politics– hey, what’s not to love? The ART makes Shakespeare accessible to all, in every sense.