NEW REP ANNOUNCES THE 2007-2008 SEASON!

New Rep announces a season of life-changing moments and inspiring, strong characters for the 2007-2008 season.

Mainstage SHOWS in the Mosesian Theater

A Streetcar Named Desire, A Drama by Tennessee Williams
Directed by Rick Lombardo
September 11 – October 7, 2007.  Press opening: September 14, 2007 at 8:00 PM

The long-awaited return to Boston of Tennessee Williams’ tale of repression, carnality, and loneliness comes to New Rep on the 60^th Anniversary of its Broadway debut. Winner of the 1948 Pulitzer Prize, this masterpiece centers on the story of Blanche DuBois, a fragile relic of the Old South, and her brother-in-law, Stanley Kowalski, a steel brute trying to make it in the post-industrial age. Blanche arrives in New Orleans, claiming fatigue, but her concealed and manipulative neuroses play on Stanley’s animalistic jealousy until the situation reaches a sweltering heat.

A House With No Walls, A Drama by Thomas Gibbons
Director TBA
October 23 – November 18, 2007.  Press opening: Friday, October 26, 2007 at 8:00 PM
An NNPN (National New Play Network) Rolling World Premiere

The grounds of George Washington’s presidential home erupt into an emotional minefield when two opposing African-American politicos weigh in on how to honor both American liberty and the memory of the nine slaves who lived in the eight-by-eight foot square quarters on site. Their debate is juxtaposed against the experience of Ona Judge, one of President Washington’s slaves, whose quest for freedom came at a great price. Based on real events, A House With No Walls exposes a modern challenge of successful African-Americans while revealing still-hidden prejudices.

Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol
Adapted by Rick Lombardo    
December 9 – December 23, 2007.  Press opening: Wednesday, December 12, 2007 at 7:00 PM

Following the success of last year’s production, New Rep revives its popular adaptation of Dickens’ classic holiday story, which has all the trimmings of a lavish Victorian Christmas.  The production offers a feast for the senses, ranging from a pre-show caroling concert to luxurious period costumes, from singing and dancing – the performers accompany themselves on over a dozen different instruments – to ghosts that fly through the air and evaporate into the London fog.  For audience members of all ages, Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol is the perfect holiday celebration.

The Misanthrope, A Comedy by Molière
Translation by Richard Wilbur
Directed by Adam Zahler
Featuring Austin Pendleton
January 15 – February 10, 2008.    Press opening: Friday, January 18, 2008 at 8:00 PM

Aghast and appalled by the current conventions of the hypocritical society that surrounds him, the self-righteous Alceste vows to speak with nothing but total honesty. Unfortunately, he is blinded by love and falls for the vain coquette Celimene, who embodies all that he despises. Despite his pleas to the contrary, Celimene continues to receive suitors, creating the perfect breeding ground for jealousy and gossip in Molière’s intelligent and sharply written comedy, The Misanthrope.

The Clean House, A Comedy by Sarah Ruhl
Directed By Rick Lombardo
February 27 – March 23, 2008.  Press opening: Friday, February 29, 2008 at 8:00 PM
Boston Area Premiere

When all you want is a clean house, beware! Someone just may air your dirty laundry.  Lane and her husband Charles, a pair of busy, high-powered doctors hire Matilda, a young Brazilian woman, to clean their home.  The problem is that Matilda hates to clean, she would much rather spend her time thinking up the funniest joke in the world. Matilda makes a secret arrangement with Lane’s sister Virginia, who loves to clean, but the arrangement is too good to last. Soon, the pair begins to unearth the personal mess behind Lane’s pristine life in this irreverently funny and heartfelt play. Praised all over the country for her work, Sarah Ruhl received the prestigious Susan Smith Blackburn Prize and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

Dessa Rose, A Musical by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty
Based on the novel by Sherley Ann Williams
Directed by Rick Lombardo
April 22 – May 18, 2008.  Press night: Friday, April 25, 2008 at 8:00 PM
New England Premiere

Two outcasts, one a fallen lady of society abandoned by her husband, the other a pregnant slave sentenced to death on the gallows, are thrust together. As they attempt escape, they form an uneasy alliance, securing them both their freedom and that of their infant children. The journey proves treacherous, and their lives become further intertwined. The women are forced to transcend racial barriers. They forge a true friendship that makes them realize they have far more power together than they ever would alone.  Based on imagined details of real events, this dangerous adventure of a musical brings with it laughter, love, hope, and a pair of unlikely heroes.

Downstage @ New Rep SHOWS IN THE BLACK BOX THEATER
After the success of its inaugural season, New Rep is pleased to introduce the second season in our Black Box Theater, located below the Mosesian Theater in the Arsenal Center for the Arts.  Focusing on experimental, edgy, and new works, the Downstage @ New Rep season is sure to inspire audiences through its thought-provoking and bold programming. 

tick, tick…BOOM!, A Musical by Jonathan Larson
Director TBA
September 22 – October 21, 2007.  Press opening: Sunday, September 23, 2007 at 3:00 PM

In this precursor to his ground-breaking masterpiece, Rent, Jonathan Larson weaves an autobiographical account of a 30-year-old waiter struggling to survive in New York. As Jon attempts to write the great American musical, all of his friends seem to be finding easy success in their careers, leaving him behind. Written with contemporary music and inspirational lyrics, tick, tick…BOOM! explores the difficult themes of self-doubt and fear of failure while celebrating the determination of following your dreams in spite of all odds.

The Santaland Diaries, A Comedy by David Sedaris, adapted by Joe Mantello
Director TBA
December 19 – December 30. 2007.  Press opening: Wednesday, December 19, 2007 at 7:30 PM

After a sold out run, Downstage @ New Rep last season, Crumpet, the wickedly funny Macy’s Elf returns to the Black Box Theater in this strange-but-true account of adventures in holiday retailing. If you’ve had enough of the usual heartwarming holiday fare, it’s the perfect antidote.

An Evening with Pinter: The Lover and Ashes to Ashes
Directed by Rick Lombardo
January 19 – February 10, 2008.  Press opening: Sunday, January 20, 2008 at 3:00 PM

This duet of Pinter one-acts begins with The Lover, a tale of the necessity and danger of fantasy. A husband and wife discuss their affairs openly and playfully, in this erotically charged story of how elegant lives can be shaken by sexual jealousies. The second half of the evening presents a darker side of jealousy with Ashes to Ashes, another account of a husband and wife discussing adultery, only this time the game is fun for neither. These intensely sadistic and pleasurable pieces give us two unique looks at how deeply our passions run and how cold they turn our blood, potentially polluting memory and perception.

Their Voices Will Be Heard: My Name is Rachel Corrie, A Drama based on the letters of Rachel Corrie Edited by Alan Rickman and Katherine Viner
New England Premiere
AND Pieces by Zohar Tirosh
Directed by David Gammons
March 8 – March 30, 2008.  Press opening: Sunday, March 9, 2008 at 3:00 PM

The first of these two plays, which will perform in repertory with each other, introduces Rachel Corrie, a 23-year-old American killed while attempting to stop an Israeli bulldozer from demolishing a civilian home on the Gaza Strip. Through her journals and e-mails, hear her compelling quest to find truth and understanding in a complex situation.  Then, jump to the other side of the barbed-wire fence with Pieces, the autobiographical account of Zohar Tirosh as she recounts her three years in the Israeli army.  When she was 23, she wrote this play to document her emotional and intellectual path during these turbulent years of her life.  Performed by the author, this play expertly complements My Name is Rachel Corrie.

NEW REP ON TOUR
The Crucible, A Drama by Arthur Miller
Directed by M. Bevin O’Gara
Tours beginning October 22, 2007
Cyrano, by Jo Roets, Greet Visser and Audrey Van Tuyckom
Tours beginning March 3, 2008
New Rep On Tour brings professional theatrical productions onto the stages of local high schools and middle schools.  Following each performance, the artists lead a talkback session, allowing students to ask questions and discuss the important topics of the play.  The Tour was founded to provide in-school performances of the highest quality. In the 2006-2007 season alone, the programming reached over 14,000 students, many of them in under served communities.  Teachers have come to rely on the Tour as an annual event in their schools, and student testimonials describe the widespread enthusiasm for these productions.

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