The Alliance Theatre continuously brings Atlanta a diverse array of theatrical performances and this season is no different. The Alliance Stage season kicked off just last week with the production Bull Durham, the story of three lives brought together by America’s two favorite pastimes – baseball and romance.
What we’re going to do is give you the rundown of the entire season. That’s right, the schedule for the whole season right here. Why? Because experiencing the arts is extremely important. The arts often get overlook and underfunded on many levels (elementary school, middle school, high school, college, theaters around the country) but we definitely support creativity, so you’ll see us there for sure, and hopefully we’ll see you!
All productions have hyperlinks with them so if you have any questions you can go straight to their site for more information. So now, take a gander at this deliciously diverse menu of productions for 2014/15!
ALLIANCE STAGE SERIES
BULL DURHAM (world premiere, musical)
Book by Ron Shelton
Music & Lyrics by Susan Werner
Directed by Kip Fagan
Performance Dates: September 3 – October 5, 2014
BULL DURHAM, loosely based on Ron Shelton’s experiences on and off the field with a Minor League Baseball team, tells the story of three lives brought together by America’s two favorite pastimes – baseball and romance. Veteran catcher “Crash” Davis has been brought to the Durham Bulls to prepare rookie Ebby Calvin “Nuke” LaLoosh, a hot rod pitcher with a “million dollar arm and a five cent head,” for the majors. Annie Savoy, self-appointed high priestess and muse of the Bulls, has a hard decision to make – every season she transforms one lucky player from an also-ran to an all-star by sharing with them her wisdom, experience and bed. The love triangle heats up quickly as they struggle with their own desires and hopes for what the future holds. A pitch perfect blend of comedy, drama, and steamy romance, BULL DURHAM will leave you cheering from the stands. For tickets and information, visitwww.alliancetheatre.org/bulldurham or call 404.733.5000.
STEEL MAGNOLIAS
By Robert Harling
Directed by Judith Ivey
Performance Dates: October 22 – November 9, 2014
The celebrated Southern classic of family and friendship, STEEL MAGNOLIAS is the story of a group of strong and beautiful women who cluster around Truvy’s Beauty Parlor in a small parish in Louisiana. The story centers on Shelby, who moves from wedding to childbirth to medical complications with a love of life and a willingness to face its possibilities bravely. Adapted for the screen, see the play that started it all. STEEL MAGNOLIAS is directed by legendary two-time Tony Award® winner Judith Ivey (Designing Women). For tickets and information, visit www.alliancetheatre.org/steelmagnolias or call 404.733.5000.
TUCK EVERLASTING (world premiere, musical)
Book by Claudia Shear
Music by Chris Miller; Lyrics by Nathan Tysen
Based on the Novel Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt
Directed and Choreographed by Casey Nicholaw
Performance Dates: January 21 – February 22, 2015
A young girl dreaming of adventure meets a family with a fabulous secret. Their chance encounter will change them all forever. Take an exhilarating journey you’ll never forget in this new musical about everlasting love, never-ending life, and discovering what it means to truly feel alive. Based on the beloved, best-selling, award-winning novel by Natalie Babbitt,TUCK EVERLASTING comes to life on stage in a wholly original production, directed and choreographed by Tony Award® winner Casey Nicholaw (The Book of Mormon, The Drowsy Chaperone, Spamalot), featuring a book by Tony Award® nominee Claudia Shear (Dirty Blonde) and music and lyrics by Chris Miller and Nathan Tysen (The Burnt Part Boys). For tickets and information, visitwww.alliancetheatre.org/tuckeverlasting or call 404.733.5000.
BLUES FOR AN ALABAMA SKY (20th Anniversary)
By Pearl Cleage
Directed by Susan V. Booth
Performance Dates: April 15 – May 10, 2015
Harlem, New York, 1930. The harsh realities of the Great Depression have devastated the bright decade of the Harlem Renaissance. Disease and poverty have overshadowed the creative euphoria that fueled a surge of African-American artists, writers and luminaries. A story with a rich cast of characters, scrambling to survive and make sense of their overlapping personalities, politics, and love. A classic by Atlanta’s own Pearl Cleage, as timely today as its Alliance Theatre world premiere 20 years ago. For tickets and information, visit alliancetheatre.org/blues or call 404.733.5000.
Recommended for ages 12+.
HERTZ STAGE SERIES
NATIVE GUARD (world premiere)
By U.S. Poet Laureate Natasha Trethewey
Directed by Susan V. Booth
Performance Dates: September 26 – October 19, 2014
Winner of the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for poetry, U.S. Poet Laureate Natasha Trethewey’s NATIVE GUARD will be adapted for the stage for the first time in this special Hertz Stage world premiere. NATIVE GUARDjuxtaposes the deeply personal experiences of Trethewey, a child of a then illegal marriage between her black mother and white father living in 1960s Mississippi, with the experience of a soldier in the Native Guard, the first African-American Union troop in the Civil War who was charged with guarding white Confederate captives. Years after her mother’s tragic death, Trethewey reclaims her memory, just as she reclaims the voices of the black soldiers whose service has been all but forgotten. This piece will be a revelatory way to experience this Emory professor’s work again or for the first time. Part of the National Civil War Project – a national partnership between major theaters and universities to create original theatrical productions and innovative academic programming inspired by the 150th anniversary of the American Civil War. For more information and tickets, visit www.alliancetheatre.org/nativeguard or call 404.733.5000.
IT’S A WONDERFUL LAUGH (world premiere)
By The Dad’s Garage Ensemble
Directed by Kevin Gillese
Performance Dates: November 28 – December 20, 2014
The award-winning Dad’s Garage Ensemble will be parodying the quintessential Christmas story It’s a Wonderful Life. You’ll see your favorite characters acting in ways that might not be so familiar as Dad’s Garage improvisers create a whole new holiday experience right before your very eyes. Every evening the audience will choose a new “invader” (who is a complete surprise to the cast and can be anything from a big purple monster to Beyoncé) to infiltrate the world of George Bailey and Bedford Falls. What would Christmas be like if George never existed andBeyoncé came to town? It’s up to the cast to keep the story on track, and things are guaranteed to get crazy! For more information and tickets, visitwww.alliancetheatre.org/wonderfullaugh or call 404.733.5000.
THE C.A. LYONS PROJECT (world premiere)
Winner of the 2015 Alliance/Kendeda National Graduate Playwriting Competition
By Tsehaye Geralyn Hébert
Performance Dates: February 13 – March 8, 2015
The 80’s. Black was in. They invented it. The founder of one of the city’s most important African-American dance companies is dying of AIDS, and the three lead dancers must find the strength and individual creative push to keep the company going without their charismatic leader. These are the Three Graces of the 20th Century: Chaos Unit, a tattooed hip hop phenom; Bethlehem Dunning a ballerina raised by a deaf mother; and Amandla Sister Afrika, who seems to be in a continuous state of rebellion. A unique theatrical event where dance and theatre mingle throughout by a writer of amazing talent, this is the 11th winner of the Alliance’s prestigious Alliance/Kendeda National Graduate Playwright Competition. For more information and tickets, visit www.alliancetheatre.org/calyons or call 404.733.5000.
EDWARD FOOTE (world premiere)
By Phillip DePoy
Directed by Chris Coleman
Performance Dates: March 27 – April 19, 2015
A stranger comes to town, looking terribly familiar to the residents of a tiny rugged Appalachian community in the 1930s. Could it be that Edward Foote, a drunken good-for-nothing father, has returned? In this Southern Gothic mystery, a small community is forced to reveal its darkest secrets. This world premiere Appalachian noir features a captivating story told against the backdrop of folk-songs and haunting shape note singing (featured in the film Cold Mountain). Phillip DePoy, a pillar of the Atlanta theatre community with a long tenure directing University theatre programs, marries his love of mystery writing and love of theatrical classics into an exciting new work. For more information and tickets, visit www.alliancetheatre.org/edwardfoote or call 404.733.5000.
ALLIANCE THEATRE FOR YOUTH AND FAMILIES SERIES
COURAGE (world premiere)
Alliance Stage
Written by Scott Warren
Directed by Rosemary Newcott
Performance Dates: November 3, 2014
A middle school dramatic experience, COURAGE collides the contemporary experience of the world with Stephen Crane’s classic tale,Red Badge of Courage. COURAGE tells the story of a young man fighting in the Civil War set against the courageous tales of grown up challenges facing contemporary Atlanta middle schoolers. Portraying a stumbling and heroic journey towards self acceptance, this play explores themes of isolation, respect, duty and courage. Integrating remarkable digital stories with a more traditional theatrical experience, COURAGEwill continue to break new ground for Middle School audiences. For more information and tickets, visit www.alliancetheatre.org/courage or call 404.733.5000.
A CHRISTMAS CAROL
Alliance Stage
Written by Charles Dickens
Adapted by David H. Bell
Directed by Rosemary Newcott
Performance Dates: November 21 – December 24, 2014
Celebrate the Alliance’s 25th anniversary staging of the beloved Dickens classic A CHRISTMAS CAROL and the all-Atlanta cast you’ve come to treasure. On Christmas Eve, miserly Ebenezer Scrooge is visited by three ghosts – the spirits of Christmas Past, Present and Future, who help him see his life more clearly and teach him that it is never too late. A magical tradition for the whole family and a great way to celebrate the season. For tickets, visit www.alliancetheatre.org/christmas or call 404.733.5000.
JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH (musical)
By Timothy Allen McDonald
Music & Lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul
Based on the Book by Roald Dahl
Directed by Rosemary Newcott
Performance Dates: March 14 – 29, 2015
Watch a young English orphan (James) begin to imagine a bright future as he embarks on a journey in a larger-than-life enchanted peach. James’s companions are a zany ensemble of insects, portrayed by actors and by handheld puppets—and don’t forget the hysterically evil villains Spiker and Sponge. Children and adults alike will fall for the magical sweetness of a young boy on a whirlwind adventure to find his chosen family in this one act, family-friendly musical. For information and tickets, visitalliancetheatre.org/giantpeach or call 404.733.5000.
Recommended for ages 5+.
THEATRE FOR THE VERY YOUNG
Discover Theatre for very young audiences. The Alliance will continue its productions developed for ages 18 months to 5 years old. More information about specific productions will be announced soon. www.alliancetheatre.org/tvy
Tickets are on sale now for every show in the 2014/15 season. Visitwww.alliancetheatre.org for more information on the 2014/15 season.
Season Tickets to the Alliance Theatre’s 2014/15 Season may be purchased by visiting www.alliancetheatre.org/seasontickets or by calling 404.733.4600, Monday – Friday, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Season Ticket Benefits
- Save 15-20% versus single tickets
- Discounts on parking, dining and entertainment
- No-fee ticket exchanges
- Show insurance
- Save 15% on all additional tickets
- The Alliance Insider e-Newsletter with special offers and news
- Those who purchase a 4-play package receive 2 guest passes
That ladies and gentleman, is the entire series at your fingertips. We’ve already picked 3 of those (at least) we’ll be attending. Which one (or three) have peaked your interest?
-TPR