June 15, 2015 For Immediate Release Main Street Theater Launches 40 th Anniversary Season in 2 New Theaters Main Street Theater s 40 th Anniversary Season will unfold in the company s 2 new residences: the completely renovated Rice Village space on Times Blvd. and the MATCH (Midtown Arts & Theater Center Houston) on Main Street. Founded in 1975 on Main Street, the company has operated out of its Rice Village home since 1982 and is currently completing a total renovation of that space. The organization will also become an anchor tenant of the MATCH for MST s Theater for Youth. Beginning in November for the new season, all MainStage performances (for adults) will take place at the Rice Village location, and in October, all Theater for Youth performances (for families and school groups) will take place at the MATCH. 2015 2016 MainStage Season Silent Sky Texas Premiere By Lauren Gunderson Directed by Rebecca Greene Udden November 7 29, 2015 A new play about Henrietta Swan Leavitt and the real women computers working at Harvard Observatory at the dawn of modern astronomy. In this exquisite blend of science, history, family ties, and fragile love, a passionate young woman must map her own passage through a society unaccustomed to strong women in a man s world. A celestial romance and true story of discovery. Finalist for the Jane Chambers Award 2013. http://silentskyplay.tumblr.com/ Lauren Gunderson s luminously beautiful play A lovingly crafted period piece that imagines Leavitt s inner world against the backdrop of World War I, Einstein s discoveries and the suffragette movement, Silent Sky is an intellectual epic told on an intimate scale. Bottom line: Heavenly. Atlanta Journal Constitution
Main Street Theater 40 th Anniversary Season Page 2 Love and Information Regional Premiere By Caryl Churchill Directed by Philip Hays February 13 March 6, 2016 Someone sneezes. Someone can t get a signal. Someone won t answer the door. Someone put an elephant on the stairs. Someone s not ready to talk. Someone hates irrational numbers. Someone told the police. Someone got a message from the traffic light. Someone s never felt like this before. Playwright Caryl Churchill (Cloud Nine, Top Girls) has been pushing theatrical boundaries for over fifty years. Her newest acclaimed work, Love and Information, features 57 brief yet memorable scenes that make up a world where data inspires obsession and FaceTime conversations and selfies threaten to replace human contact. In this fast moving kaleidoscope of scenes, more than a hundred characters try to make sense of what they know and how they love. Exhilarating! Dizzying... thought churning, deeply poignant. Leave it to Ms. Churchill to come up with a work that so ingeniously and exhaustively mirrors our age of the splintered attention span. New York Times 1946 World Premiere By Thomas Hagemann Directed by Patti Bean March 26 April 17, 2016 1946 chronicles the lives of a Texas family in the aftermath of World War II. Joyful, funny, and infused with music throughout the play, 1946 is also powerfully mournful and reflective. Inspired by Hagemann s own family, it plays out against the background of notable historical figures such as Vernon Baker, Hank Greenberg, and Frank Sinatra. Main Street produced the world premiere of Houston playwright Thomas Hagemann s Breakfast at Eight in 2010 as well as the staged reading of 1946 in 2014. Mr. Hagemann is currently finishing a trilogy (the third of which is still in progress): 1946, Breakfast at Eight, and The End (or, Fluke s Last Chance). Working 2012 Revised Version Adapted by Stephen Schwartz and Nina Faso With additional contributions by Gordon Greenberg Songs by Craig Carnelia and Micki Grant and Lin Manuel Miranda and Mary Rodgers and Susan Birkenhead and Stephen Schwartz and James Taylor From the book by Studs Terkel Directed by Andrew Ruthven May 21 June 12, 2016
Main Street Theater 40 th Anniversary Season Page 3 Based on Studs Terkel's best selling book of interviews with American workers, Working paints a vivid portrait of the people the world so often takes for granted: the schoolteacher, the phone operator, the waitress, the millworker, the mason, and the housewife, just to name a few. Nominated for 6 TONY Awards, this classic has been updated for a modern age featuring new songs by TONY Award winning Lin Manuel Miranda, as well as favorites by Stephen Schwartz, Craig Carnelia, and James Taylor. This new 2012 version of Working is a musical exploration of 26 people from all walks of life. While most of the professions have been updated, the strength of the show is in the core truths that transcend specific professions; the key is how people's relationships to their work ultimately reveal key aspects of their humanity. (Music Theatre International) Main Street Theater will continue its Part of the Art Series for its third season. PSC at MST Prague Shakespeare Extras Fresh off their wildly successful runs in Prague, Twelfth Night and Venus in Fur come to Main Street Theater. Twelfth Night By William Shakespeare Directed by Main Street Theater Artistic Director Rebecca Greene Udden December 31, 2015 January 10, 2016 If music be the food of love, play on A sprightly new production of Shakespeare s mischievous and glorious romantic comedy of desire and mistaken identity featuring Her Majesty s Ambassador to the Czech Republic Jan Thompson, OBE as Olivia, Jessica Boone as Viola, and Guy Roberts as Sir Toby Belch. Venus in Fur By David Ives Directed by Guy Roberts January 14 24, 2016 Vanda, a wildly talented young actress, is determined to land the lead in Thomas new play based on the classic erotic novel, Venus in Fur. Vanda s emotionally charged audition for the demanding playwright/ director becomes an electrifying game of cat and mouse that blurs the lines between fantasy and reality, submission and domination and enters into an increasingly serious game of seduction and power which only one of them can win. Featuring Jessica Boone and Guy Roberts. 2015 2016 Theater for Youth Season Goodnight Moon Based on the book by Margaret Wise Brown Directed by Vivienne St. John Oct. 11 Nov. 7, 2015
Main Street Theater 40 th Anniversary Season Page 4 In the great green room, there was a telephone and a red balloon and a picture of the cow jumping over the moon Published in 1947, Goodnight Moon is the beloved bedtime story that has charmed and comforted generations of children. Brought to life with such characters as the 3 bears and the dish and the spoon, this classic short story is expanded to a fully realized musical production. Lyle, Lyle Crocodile Based on Lyle, Lyle Crocodile and The House on East 88th Street by Bernard Waber Directed by Jimmy Phillips Nov. 22 Dec. 23, 2015 When the Primm family moves into their apartment they find a crocodile in their bathtub, and nobody knows quite what to do. But his singing and dancing soon convince them that Lyle is a perfect addition and is here to stay! Audiences of all ages will be reminded not to judge people (or crocodiles) and to love one another as they are. A tap dancing, high energy holiday spectacular for all families! Bridge to Terabithia Based on the book by Katherine Paterson Directed by Troy Scheid Jan. 31 Feb. 21, 2016 Jess, a farm boy, develops a friendship with new girl Leslie after she beats him in a race at school. Together they create Terabithia, a fantasy kingdom that allows them to escape from the hardships of reality. When tragedy strikes, the adventures from Terabithia help Jess to cope. A powerful story about friendship, imagination, and courage. Junie B. Jones: The Musical Based on the book series by Barbara Park Directed by Meghan Hakes Booth Mar. 6 Apr. 2, 2016 She s baaaack!!! The sassy Junie B. returns to Main Street Theater in a new adaptation from Barbara Park s best selling books. This time she is facing first grade: new glasses? new best friend? Join us for more of Junie s exciting and crazy adventures! Harriet the Spy Based on the book by Louise Fitzhugh Directed by Katie Harrison Apr. 17 May 21, 2016 Harriet M. Welsch is a spy. In her trusty notebook, she writes down everything she sees, thinks, and feels about everyone everything. When her notebook is lost, she must use all her super spy techniques to try to get it back before someone reads it. A heartfelt musical about being true to yourself!
Main Street Theater 40 th Anniversary Season Page 5 ON TOUR: Magic Tree House: A Night in New Orleans Based on the book A Good Night for Ghosts MAGIC TREE HOUSE #42 by Mary Pope Osborne Book & Lyrics by Will Osborne & Murray Horwitz Music & Additional Lyrics by Allen Toussaint Directed by Andrew Ruthven October 19 December 11, 2015 February 8 May 20, 2016 Adventure awaits as Jack and Annie, beloved Magic Tree House characters, take on their next mission in 1915 New Orleans. Their task? To inspire Louis Armstrong to bring jazz to the world. Based on the popular Magic Tree House book, A Good Night for Ghosts, this musical will introduce young audiences to the sounds and history of jazz! Main Street Theater was founded in 1975. The organization currently produces plays at two locations, 2540 Times Boulevard in Rice Village and for the 2014 15 season only, our Theater for Youth is housed at Talento Bilingüe de Houston. Our MainStage is in its 15 th season operating under an Actors Equity Association union contract. The MainStage features new works (including numerous world and regional premieres), rediscovered classics, passionate revivals, works by female playwrights, and neglected musicals in the intimate setting of our Rice Village location. Our Theater for Youth is Houston s most attended theater for young audiences, serving over 138,000 children and families from the greater Houston area in school performances, weekend family matinees and tours to schools and community centers across the state of Texas. Plays are selected based on literature children are reading at home or at school. Our Education Department offers students a performing arts playground where professional theater artists serve as mentors. In support of Main Street Theater s mission, our Education Department provides a significant resource in the community for education in theater and classical theater for children, families and educators and provides classes and camps (on and off site) as well as programs in residential treatment facilities for Harris County youth. Main Street Theater is a member of Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national service organization for not for profit theaters, of Theatre for Young Audiences/USA (formerly ASSITEJ), the world theatre network of theatre for children and young people, and a founding member of Houston Arts Partners. MST s MainStage operates under Actors Equity Association Small Professional Theater contract. Main Street Theater is funded in part by grants from the City of Houston through the Houston Arts Alliance, and the Texas Commission on the Arts. Media Contact Only (not for print publication): Shannon Emerick, Director of Marketing and Development 713.524.3622 ext 106 / shannon@mainstreettheater.com