Our 70th Season brings three huge musicals, two first-class comedies, and our most successful family title ever to the ACT Mainstage for 2015-16!
October 2-25, 2015
Young Frankenstein
Book by Mel Brooks and Thomas Meehan * Music and Lyrics by Mel Brooks
Directed by Jerry Crouch
Auditions: July 25-26, 2015
OPENING MUSICAL The electrifying musical adaptation of Mel Brooks' monstrously funny cult comedy film is scientifically-proven, monstrously good entertainment. Grandson of the infamous Victor Frankenstein, Frederick Frankenstein inherits his family's estate in Transylvania. With the help of a hunchbacked side-kick, Igor, and a leggy lab assistant, Inga, Frederick finds himself in the mad scientist shoes of his ancestors. "It's alive!" he exclaims as he brings to life a creature to rival his grandfather's. Eventually, of course, the monster escapes and hilarity continuously abounds.
December 4-20, 2015
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever
By Barbara Robinson
Directed by Lori Hilliard
Auditions: October 5-6, 2015
HOLIDAY SPECIAL A re-invention of our most popular holiday show EVER! The six Herdman children are the terror of their town. When they end up as the leads in the annual Christmas pageant, their interesting interpretation of the story (which they have never heard before) helps everyone rediscover the meaning of the holiday.
February 12 – March 6, 2016
Seussical
Book by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty * Music by Stephen Flaherty * Lyrics by Lynn Ahrens * Co-Conceived by Eric Idle
Directed by TBD
Auditions: December 7-8, 2015
SPRING MUSICAL "Oh, the thinks you can think" when Dr. Seuss's best-loved storybook characters collide and cavort in an unforgettable musical caper! The Cat in the Hat is the host and emcee (and all-around mischief-maker) in this romp through the Seuss classics. When the sweet, good-natured elephant Horton hears a small cry for help coming from a small speck of dust, he promises to rescue and guard it because "a person's a person, no matter how small." An incredible crazy-quilt adventure that champions the power of imagination and the benefits of inclusivity!
April 8 – 24, 2016
The Man Who Came to Dinner
By George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart
Directed by TBD
Auditions: February 15-16, 2016
AMERICAN CLASSIC Snooty critic Sheridan Whiteside, having dined at the home of the Stanleys, slips on their doorstep, breaking his hip. A tumultuous six weeks of confinement follow. The Stanley living room is monopolized by the cranky and demanding invalid; ex-convicts are invited to meals; transatlantic calls bring a $784 phone bill; and the arrival of strange gifts from his friends (penguins in the library, an octopus in the cellar) all cause further chaos and hilarious hijinks.
June 3-26, 2016
La Cage Aux Folles
Book by Harvey Fierstein * Lyrics and Music by Jerry Herman
Directed by Jerry Crouch
Auditions: April 11-12, 2016
SUMMER MUSICAL This Tony-award winning musical was made into the Robin Williams' hit movie The Birdcage. After twenty years of un-wedded bliss Georges and Albin, two men partnered for better-or-worse get a bit of both when Georges' son announces his engagement to the daughter of a conservative politician. Further complicating the situation is the 'family business': Albin and Georges run a drag nightclub where Albin is the star performer. Georges reluctantly agrees to masquerade as "normal" when he meets the family of the bride-to-be. But Albin has other plans, with hilarious results.
August 12-28, 2016
Crimes of the Heart
By Beth Henley
Directed by TBD
Auditions: June 6-7, 2016
PULITZER PRIZE WINNER Warm-hearted, irreverent, zany and brilliantly imaginative, the play teems with humanity and humor as it examines the plight of three young Mississippi sisters who have reunited to await news of their dying grandfather. Lenny, the oldest sister, is unmarried and facing diminishing marital prospects; Meg, the middle sister, who quickly outgrew their small town, is back after a failed singing career on the West Coast; while Babe, the youngest, is out on bail after having shot her husband in the stomach. The play is the story of how its young characters escape the past to seize the future—with a telling so true and touching and consistently hilarious that it will linger in the mind long after the curtain has descended.
