The Alliance Theatre announced Monday the shows for its 2018-19 season, a time that will mark both a homecoming and a major anniversary.
The 50-year-old group, which spent a season on the road while its theater space at the Woodruff Arts Center underwent a complete renovation, will open its new performance space — Coca-Cola Stage — in October. The renovation project also includes upgrades to the theater's rehearsal, education and artist support spaces.
“Our hope at the Alliance is that audiences will join us in a yearlong celebration of all that is messy, wonderful, dark and magical about being human,” Alliance Theatre artistic director Susan V. Booth said in a statement. “I can’t think of a better way to celebrate a 50th anniversary than that.”
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The shows of the new season include five world premieres, musicals and a one-woman show:
• "Winnie-the-Pooh," Rich Auditorium at the Woodruff Arts Center (1280 Peachtree St., Atlanta), June 7-July 8, 2018: Based on A.A. Milne's stories, the play is produced in collaboration with the High Museum of Art's "Winnie-the-Pooh: Exploring a Classic" exhibition.
• “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” Atlanta Botanical Garden (1345 Piedmont Ave., Atlanta), Sept. 5-Oct. 21, 2018: The world premiere adaptation of Shakespeare’s masterpiece will be directed by David Catlin, a founding ensemble member of the Lookingglass Theatre Company in Chicago.
• “Nick’s Flamingo Grill,” Hertz Stage at the Alliance Theatre (1280 Peachtree St., Atlanta), Sept. 29-Oct. 28, 2018: This world premiere musical by Phillip DePoy is inspired by the true story of the first integrated nightclub in Atlanta.
• “Paige in Full,” Rich Auditorium at the Woodruff Arts Center, Oct. 6-13, 2018: Written and choreographed by Paige Hernandez, the Alliance’s fall production for middle school audiences premiered in May 2010.
• “Knead,” Hertz Stage at the Alliance Theatre, Nov. 13-Dec. 9, 2018: The world premiere, written by and starring Atlanta’s Mary Lynn Owen, originally developed as a project from the 3rd Reiser Atlanta Artists Lab.
• “A Christmas Carol,” Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre (2800 Cobb Galleria Parkway, Atlanta), Dec. 12-24, 2018: Written by Charles Dickens and adapted by David H. Bell, this musical is a holiday tradition at the Alliance, to be presented for the second time at the Cobb Energy Centre.
• “Ever After,” Coca-Cola Stage at Alliance Theatre, Jan. 19-Feb. 17, 2019: The musical based upon the 20th Century Fox motion picture is directed by Booth.
• “Goodnight, Tyler,” Hertz Stage at the Alliance Theatre, Feb. 16-March 10, 2019: Written by B.J. Tindal, the world premiere is a “contemporary and unexpectedly humorous drama” about Tyler Evans, who was remembered as either “a beloved best friend, grandson, mentor, and fiance,” or “a young black man killed by a police officer.”
• “The Wizard of Oz,” Rich Auditorium at the Woodruff Arts Center, March 9-April 14, 2019: Directed by Rosemary Newcott, the Alliance’s version of the musical draws inspiration from American Folk Art to create a production for all ages.
• “Angry, Raucous and Shamelessly Gorgeous,” Coca-Cola Stage at Alliance Theatre, March 20-April 14, 2019: Also directed by Booth, Pearl Cleage’s work tells of two former activists setting out to find a candidate they can back in an upcoming congressional race.
• “Approval Junkie,” Hertz Stage at the Alliance Theatre, April 5-28, 2019: Faith Salie has returned home to Georgia to adapt her memoir into a one-woman show. The world premiere from the comedian and Emmy Award-winning journalist “reflects on a lifetime of looking for validation in all the wrong places.”
• “Ride the Cyclone,” Coca-Cola Stage at Alliance Theatre, May 1-26, 2019: The regional premiere of Jacob Richmond’s book as a musical involves a high school choir, an ill-fated roller coaster ride and a mechanical fortune teller.
Tickets and information: 404-733-4650, alliancetheatre.org.
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