Announcement
Boston, MA —
Emerson Stage, the producing organization of the Department of Performing Arts at Emerson College, announces its 2011 to 2012 season, which kicks off on October 20 with the 30th anniversary of the American premiere of Cloud Nine. Written by Caryl Churchill, the play addresses topics of gender and sexuality that continue to be debated in contemporary society. The season will wrap up April 13 through 22 with the annual spring musical, which will be a collaboration with professional theater group SITI Company for the world premiere of Café Variations, directed by Anne Bogart.
The upcoming Emerson Stage season will showcase eight productions and cover a variety of genres—from musicals and dramas to comedies and dance performances. Part of the season is the annual NewFest contest, in which the Performing Arts faculty and community theater professionals select a student-submitted script for production. “It’s always exciting to see a student’s vision come to life, and for faculty and other students to be part of the process of creating an original production from start to finish,” said Melia Bensussen, chair of Emerson’s Performing Arts Department.
Emerson Stage performances take place at one of the following theaters on Emerson College’s campus: the stadium-style, 218-seat Semel Theater; the intimate, 108-seat Greene Theater; the beautifully restored, 1,200-seat Cutler Majestic Theatre; the 590-seat, art-deco style Paramount Mainstage in the Paramount Center; and the Jackie Liebergott Black Box Theatre, also located in the Paramount Center, which seats 150. Single tickets and Flex Passes go on sale on August 1, 2011 (see “TICKETS” for more information).
The Emerson Stage 2011–2012 Season
Cloud Nine
Written by Caryl Churchill
Directed by Maureen Shea
Semel Theater, 10 Boylston Place, Boston
October 20–23, 2011
A landmark play that challenges our preconceptions of gender and sexuality launches the season as we celebrate the 30th anniversary of its American premiere.
Paraffin and Nursing – New England premiere
Written by Adam Rapp
Directed by Shawn LaCount, Artistic Director of Company One
Greene Theater, 10 Boylston Place, Boston
October 27–30, 2011
Two new, critically acclaimed plays by Adam Rapp from his The Hallway Trilogy, which had its world premiere in February 2011. Paraffin and Nursing are two connected stories that grapple with suffering and redemption.
Robin Hood
Written by Greg Banks
Directed by Courtney O’Connor and Ted Hewlett
Paramount Mainstage at the Paramount Center, 559 Washington Street, Boston
November 10–19, 2011
A modern twist to a classic tale. Robin Hood, our Theatre for Young Audiences production, will engage students and families in this fresh retelling full of humor, grand fight sequences, and friendship.
She Loves Me
Book by Joe Masteroff, Music by Jerry Bock, and Lyrics by Sheldon Harnick
Based on a play by Miklos Laszlo
Directed by Stephen Terrell
Greene Theater, 10 Boylston Place, Boston
November 30–December 4, 2011
A charming musical that chronicles the anonymous romantic pen pal relationship between two bickering coworkers.
X Dance
Artistic Director Marlena Yannetti
Greene Theater, 10 Boylston Place, Boston
February 9–12, 2012
The annual student–choreographed dance concert brings grace, agility, and beauty to the stage.
Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992
Written by Anna Deavere Smith
Directed by Benny Sato Ambush
Semel Theater, 10 Boylston Place, Boston
February 23–26, 2012
Presented in recognition of the 20th anniversary of the 1992 Los Angeles Riots. Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992 chronicles the unrest that followed the acquittal of four white Los Angeles police officers in the beating of Rodney King, an African American, as perceived by witnesses and others affected by the events.
NewFest 2012
Winner of the Rod Parker Playwriting Award
Directed by Joe Antoun
Jackie Liebergott Black Box Theatre at the Paramount Center, 559 Washington Street, Boston
March 22–24, 2012
Through the generosity of alumnus Rod Parker ’51, Emerson College student playwrights are given the opportunity to submit original plays to NewFest in the fall (deadline November 4, 2011). The chosen play is fully produced in the spring.
Café Variations – World Premiere
Written by Charles Mee
Directed by Anne Bogart
Co-produced with ArtsEmerson
Cutler Majestic Theatre, 219 Tremont Street, Boston
April 13–22, 2012
Members of the SITI Company will join Emerson students to create a musical featuring songs from the Great American Songbook.
Programming, artists, and dates are subject to change.
Tickets
Tickets to individual performances start at $10. A four-ticket Flex Pass is also available and may be redeemed for any Emerson Stage production.
Single tickets and Flex Passes go on sale on August 1, 2011 at the Paramount Center Box Office, 559 Washington Street, Boston 02111 or the Cutler Majestic Box Office, 219 Tremont Street, Boston 02116, Monday through Saturday, from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm.
About the College
Based in Boston, Massachusetts, opposite the historic Boston Common and in the heart of the city’s Theatre District, Emerson College educates individuals who will solve problems and change the world through engaged leadership in communication and the arts, a mission informed by liberal learning. The College has 3,780 undergraduates and 670 graduate students from across the United States and 50 countries. Supported by state-of-the-art facilities and a renowned faculty, students participate in more than 90 student organizations and performance groups. Emerson is known for its experiential learning programs in Los Angeles, Washington, DC, the Netherlands, London, China, and the Czech Republic as well as its new Global Portals, with the first opening last fall in Paris. The College has an active network of 51,000 alumni who hold leadership positions in communication and the arts. For more information, visit Emerson.edu.