The beginning of the 2011-2012 theater season will be rich, offering a wide variety of classics, new plays and novel approaches to production.
The season begins at Signature Theatre with a first for American theater: two world premieres presented in rotating repertory: “The Boy Detective Fails” and “The Hollow.”
“We started developing these musicals two years ago,” explains Associate Artistic Director Matthew Gardiner. “By chance, they worked well together. They’re both mysteries. Watching them side by side was fascinating, so Eric Schaeffer, our artistic director, decided to present them together.”
The third production of the season is Theater J’s “Imagining Madoff,” which finds Bernard Madoff in prison, recounting his life and his relationship with Holocaust survivor Solomon Galkin.
The Shakespeare Theatre Company opens its 25th-anniversary season with David Ives’ adaptation of a 1708 comedy, Jean-Francois Regnard’s “The Heir Apparent.” The play centers around a young couple who must be sure the boy will inherit his uncle’s fortune before they can marry.
After a run of Alan Bennett’s intriguing “The Habit of Art,” Studio Theatre opens “Lungs,” a world premiere by Duncan Macmillan. Macmillan wrote the play about his anxiety, in his own words, “at turning 30, considering parenthood and the state of the world.” “Lungs” inaugurates the Studio Lab Series, whose shows will focus on productions of thought-provoking new works.
“Trouble in Mind” is Arena Stage’s first production of the season. Written by Alice Childress in 1955, the play takes place in 1957 and chronicles the power struggles that exist within a newly integrated theater company as it prepares for a Broadway opening of a show about race.
This fall Synetic Theater is bringing back three of its most popular works: “Macbeth,” “Othello” and “Romeo and Juliet.” “This is the first time we’ve been able to bring ‘the best of the best’ in the ‘Speak No More’ series,” explains Artistic Director Paata Tsikurishvili.
“I’ve seen many people coming back to see these plays a second time. When you see them twice, you appreciate them very differently, you find new life in them. Also, many people have never seen our productions.”
Tsikurishvili is also adding a “European repertory” structure to his season. Instead of running single shows for a long period, there will be several productions running for short engagements. “This is good for the cast members, who can rotate in and act in different shows,” he explained.
While Synetic is performing “Othello,” the Folger Shakespeare Theatre will open its own production of “Othello,” directed by Robert Richmond.
In October, the Kennedy Center will start an exciting season with a new production of “Les Miserables,” followed by performances by Chinese theater companies, and a reimagining of Henrik Ibsen’s “A Doll’s House” by Mabou Mines.
