~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ PRESS RELEASE Wednesday, April 15, 2015 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Media Contact: Sasha Patane 801-581-7222 sasha.patane@ptc.utah.edu ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Pioneer Theatre Company announces 2015-2016 season:
Ambitious line up includes four musicals and a slate of premieres ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Salt Lake City, UT—Pioneer Theatre Company, Utah’s premier professional theatre, has announced its 2015-2016 season. The season is bookended by two blockbuster musicals, Fiddler on the Roof and the professional U.S. premiere of the new Frank Wildhorn musical The Count of Monte Cristo. The season also includes two more musicals and three plays, two of which are world premieres and one of which is a Utah premiere.
The season opens with the beloved family musical Fiddler on the Roof, which runs September 18 through October 3, 2015. Fiddler will be followed October 30 through November 14 by the Utah premiere of Outside Mullingar, an Irish romantic comedy by John Patrick Shanley, the author of the Pulitzer-prize winning play Doubt and the Academy Award-winning movie Moonstruck.
From December 4 through December 19 the theatre will produce the world premiere of a holiday musical, It Happened One Christmas, created by PTC Artistic Director Karen Azenberg just for PTC audiences. The world premiere of a riveting drama set in the academic world, Two Dollar Bill by T.J. Brady, will run January 15 through January 30, 2016. The classic British mystery-drama, An Inspector Calls by J.B. Priestley, will follow February 19 through March 5, 2016. Cowgirls, a musical the New York Times called “a joyous slapstick hoe-down,” will run March 25 through April 9, 2016.
The season will close with the professional U.S. premiere of the Frank Wildhorn musicalThe Count of Monte Cristo, which will run May 6 through May 21, 2016.
In addition, PTC will reprise its successful concert version of Richard O’Brien’s cult hit musical The Rocky Horror Show for a limited four performance run on Thursday, October 22 at 8 PM, Friday, October 23 at 8 PM, and Saturday, October 24 at 5 PM and 10 PM.
PTC will continue with its third season of Play-By-Play, a new play reading series, in the spring of 2016. Dates and titles are still to be determined, but the theatre will present readings of three brand new plays, with the playwright and director in residence for a week working with a cast of mostly local actors. The readings are offered to the public at a very modest cost ($5 – $10), and give theatre lovers a chance to witness the development of new work in an intimate environment.
PTC Artistic Director Karen Azenberg said of the season, “You can’t find theatre that gets any more spectacular than the two musicals that open and close our season. Fiddler on the Roof is one of the most beloved musicals ever written, and we have not produced it here at PTC in over twenty years. Frank Wildhorn’s The Count of Monte Cristo recently played for long sold-out runs in Europe and Asia, and I’m delighted that Frank has asked us to produce the professional U.S. premiere of this epic musical.” Wildhorn is best known as the composer of the musicals Jekyll & Hyde, The Scarlet Pimpernel and The Civil War.
“On the dramatic side, we’re producing the world premiere of a play, Two Dollar Bill by T.J. Brady, with a storyline that has a ripped-from-the headlines hook and a setting, in an elite American University, which should be of particular interest to our audience. T.J. is a West Point graduate turned television writer whose credits include Army Wives and Lie To Me; he has a terrific ear for dialogue and plot, and Two Dollar Bill just crackles with electricity. We’re also producing the Utah premiere of John Patrick Shanley’s Outside Mullingar, which recently enjoyed a successful run in New York. If you cross Shanley’s play Doubt with his movie Moonstruck, you’ll get a good idea of the romantic comedy at the heart of Outside Mullingar.”
In the December holiday slot, Azenberg is collaborating with playwright Kenneth Jones, author of last season’s Alabama Story, to create It Happened One Christmas, a new musical. “We want to give our audiences the kind of family friendly, razzle-dazzle entertainment, complete with some of our favorite holidays songs and some good old fashioned singing and dancing, that’s perfect for the season and will warm the heart of even the scroogiest Scrooge,” says Azenberg.
“An Inspector Calls, by British playwright J.B. Priestley, is generally regarded as a major play in the canon of twentieth century drama,” says Azenberg. “It’s taught to English schoolchildren the way The Crucible is taught in America, and it’s a fascinating cross between an old-fashioned mystery and a compelling plea for social responsibility-for the moral idea that we are all responsible to look after our fellow man.”
“Cowgirls is, I have to admit, a guilty pleasure of mine. The storyline of a trio of classical musicians being mistakenly booked in a country-western honky-tonk saloon, and having 48 hours to actually turn themselves into a country-western trio, is just irresistible, and to have a show in which all six cast members play their own musical instruments makes for a special kind of theatrical magic.”
Commenting on the return of a script-in-hand concert version of The Rocky Horror Show,Azenberg said, “I have never seen an audience in this theatre have as much fun as the sold out houses for last year’s Rocky did. I worry that theatre sometimes has this staid, conservative reputation as an art form, and Rocky is a show where you get to dress up, interact with the performers, and really let yourself go. We loved having that energy in Simmons PMT last year, and are looking forward to having it again this year.”
Regarding Play-By-Play, PTC’s new play reading series, Azenberg said, “Offering our audiences a chance to see new work in a developmental stage was one of my artistic priorities when I came here three years ago,” said Azenberg, “and I’m delighted at the way audiences have responded. Attendance increased by over 25% from the first year to the second, to almost 90% of capacity; and, of course, we discovered Alabama Story in the program’s first year, and that play went on to be one of the most popular new plays we’ve ever produced. My dream is to have waiting lists of people hoping to get a ticket to Play-By-Play readings, and to continue to find wonderful new plays that we may be able to produce on our mainstage in a subsequent season.”
Season ticket packages, including full Seven Play, Pick- 5, Rush and Flex Passes, are on sale now. Season ticket prices range from $98 to $323. Notes PTC Managing Director Chris Lino, “For the price of one or two tickets to a Broadway or touring show, theatregoers can have a full season of entertainment at PTC, experience a wonderfully diverse range of shows, and be assured of the best seats and the convenience of exchanging their tickets if they can’t make their regular performance. And, as our long-time patrons know, you’ll be seeing the same actors who appear on Broadway stages, hearing live professional orchestras in our pit, and looking at the same spectacular sets and costumes, built by PTC’s resident staff right here in Utah, that are every bit as lavish and wonderful as the ones you would see on Broadway.” For season tickets contact Pioneer Theatre Company’s Box Office at 801-581-6961 or visit online at www.pioneertheatre.org. [http://www.pioneertheatre.org.]
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Season Ticket Packages
For season tickets contact Pioneer Theatre Company’s Box Office at 801-581-6961 or visit us online at www.pioneertheatre.org.
The Seven-Play Package
Get tickets for all seven shows in our season, and receive a discount of up to 63%, a shot at the best seats before they go on sale to the general public, and a voucher good for free admission to Outside Mullingar, Two Dollar Bill, An Inspector Calls or Cowgirls.
The Pick-5 Package
This option allows patrons to select any five shows in the season and receive both a season ticket discount and preferred seating. Pick-5 patrons may choose from any of the seven productions on PTC’s 2015-2016 season.
The Flex Pass
This season package provides patrons with $250.00 worth of credit redeemable at the discounted season ticket rate for any shows the patron wishes to see.
$98 Upper Balcony Package Patrons can purchase tickets to all seven shows for only $98.00. Seats in this package are in the Upper Balcony section, and can be upgraded to any available Main Floor or Loge seat at the discounted season ticket price. This package does not include a free play voucher.
The $125 Rush Pass
This is a season pass that allows patrons to come to the theatre an hour before any show and get the best available single ticket for that night, based on availability. The pass is good for all shows in the season, including musicals. A
ll packages include a discount on tickets, flexible exchange privileges, priority seating, the ability to purchase additional tickets to individual shows at a discount, and an electronic subscription to eBackstage, PTC’s newsletter.
PIONEER THEATRE COMPANY’S 2015-2016 SEASON
Fiddler On The Roof Based on Sholem Aleichem stories by special permission of Arnold Perl. Book by Joseph Stein. Music by Jerry Bock. Lyrics by Sheldon Harnick. September 18 through October 3, 2015 One of the most beloved musicals of all time, with an enduring score featuring “Tradition,” “Matchmaker,” “If I Were a Rich Man,” and “Sunrise, Sunset.” Fiddler on the Roof is a musical for fathers and daughters, daughters and mothers, husbands and wives-in short, a musical for the whole family!
Outside Mullingar By John Patrick Shanley October 30 through November 14, 2015 The course of true love never does run easy-particularly if you’re Irish! In a tiny rural village in contemporary Ireland, Anthony and Rosemary have grown up on adjoining farms. They’ve known each other since Rosemary was six years old and Anthony pushed her into a ditch, and Rosemary swore eternal hatred-or is it eternal love?
It Happened One Christmas Conceived by Karen Azenberg and Kenneth Jones. December 4 through December 19, 2015 Created just for PTC audiences! This family friendly, razzle-dazzle holiday entertainment will include your favorite holiday songs, some theatre magic, good old fashioned singing and dancing, and maybe even a visit from the man in the red suit! A healthy dose of yuletide spirit to tame even the scroogiest of Scrooges.
World Premiere! Two Dollar Bill By T.J. Brady January 15 through January 30, 2016 In a world where knowledge is prized above all, how much should a simple piece of paper matter? At an elite university, a distinguished professor of history has just been nominated for a prestigious award, but the attention over that nomination has cast a confusing light on his academic credentials, with career-changing consequences for the professor, the dean of faculty, his graduate assistant and a student he teaches. A riveting examination of personal and professional ethics, as well as of the proper mission of higher education in America, Two Dollar Bill has the ripped-from-the-headlines timeliness that is sure to inspire water cooler conversations and dinner table debates among audiences who see it.
An Inspector Calls By J.B. Priestley February 19 through March 5, 2016 If an inspector calls on you, is your conscience clear? In turn-of-the-twentieth century England, a prosperous family is gathered to celebrate the engagement of their daughter when a mysterious inspector arrives to investigate the death of a young woman from the nearby town. None of the family members believe they know the victim, but over the course of the evening the inspector’s investigation reveals to each of them that they may be connected to the young woman’s life, and death, in ways they never imagined.
Cowgirls Conceived by Mary Murfitt. Book by Betsy Howie. Music and Lyrics by Mary Murfitt. March 25 through April 9, 2016 Jo has twenty-four hours to save Hiram Hall, her father’s once famous country western saloon. She thinks she has booked a country music trio that is sure to save the day, but there’s been a little misunderstanding: can the classical Coghill Trio turn themselves into the country Cowgirl Trio in time to put on a rip-roaring show that will save Hiram Hall from foreclosure?
The Count of Monte Cristo Music by Frank Wildhorn. Book and Lyrics by Jack Murphy. May 6 through May 21, 2016 The swashbuckling classic of romance, betrayal, and revenge! On the very day of his wedding to the beautiful Mercedes, young Edmund Dantes is framed by three men, arrested and thrown into the notorious prison Chateau d’If. Befriended by a fellow prisoner, he plots a daring escape, unearths a secret fortune and returns to Marseilles and Paris disguised as the mysterious Count of Monte Cristo, determined to seek vengeance on the men who framed him. Following long sold-out runs in Europe and Asia, Pioneer Theatre Company presents the professional U.S. premiere of this new musical by composer Frank Wildhorn.
Add-ons for the 2015-2016 Season:
The Rocky Horror Show Book, Music and Lyrics by Richard O’Brien Four Performances Only! Thurs, Oct. 22nd at 8 PM, Friday October 23 at 8 PM Saturday October 24th at 5 & 10 PM, 2015 A fun-loving tribute to horror and science fiction B-movies of years ago, The Rocky Horror Show tells the wacky tale of innocent couple Brad and Janet. Newly engaged, their car breaks down in the woods on the proverbial dark-and-stormy night. They soon meet Dr. Frank N. Furter, the “Sweet Transvestite” mad scientist about to reveal his latest Frankenstein-esque creation. With a little help from drive-in usherettes, creepy sidekicks, and, of course, the “Time Warp,” Brad and Janet usher in the Halloween season. Contains strong themes, sexual content and language.
Play-By-Play New Play Reading Series We don’t know the titles or dates yet, but for those of you who loved this year’s readings, we invite you to join us for 2016. No sets, no costumes, scripts in hand-this is play development happening right in front of you.
Pioneer Theatre Company operates under an agreement between the League of Resident Theatres (LORT) and Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of professional actors and stage managers in the United States. Pioneer Theatre Company, Utah’s premier professional theatre, performs at the Roy W. and Elizabeth E. Simmons Pioneer Memorial Theatre, located on the University of Utah campus at 300 South and 1400 East, Salt Lake City UT 84112-0660. The theatre is equipped with an elevator, hearing assistance devices, and handicapped parking. Free parking within a block of the theatre is available for all performances. Pioneer Theatre Company | Simmons Pioneer Memorial Theatre | 300 South 1400 East | Salt Lake City | UT | 84112