MINNEAPOLIS: Guthrie Theater has announced its 2017-18 season, which will feature a total of nine productions.
“With this season we’ve curated an extraordinary combination of dynamic classics alongside vigorous new plays from a diverse range of voices,” said artistic director Joseph Haj in a statement. “This mix of plays has such relevance today, and allows us to hold a mirror up to society and address timely questions about ourselves and our world.”
The season will kick off with Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet (Sept. 9-Oct. 28), directed by Haj.
Next up will be Watch on the Rhine (Sept. 30-Nov. 5), by Lillian Hellman, a thriller about a wealthy widow who opens her home to family members who have fled Europe due to their role in the anti-Nazi resistance movement.
Following will be Noël Coward’s Blithe Spirit (Nov. 25, 2017-Jan. 14, 2018), about a writer who hosts a séance as research for his latest novel.
Next, the Guthrie will present a new play by a contemporary female playwright and directed by a female director (Feb. 17-March 24, 2018). The title and team will be announced on April 17.
The season will continue with Danai Gurira’s Familiar (March 10- April 14, 2018), about a Zimbabwean-American family preparing for a wedding in Minnesota.
Following will be Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (April 7-May 27, 2018), adapted by Todd Kreidler from the screenplay by William Rose, about a progressive couple in San Francisco in the 1960s whose ideals are put into question when their daughter brings her African-American boyfriend to dinner.
Next will be the world premiere of Kia Corthron’s An Enemy of the People (April 28-June 3, 2018). Based on Henrik Ibsen’s 1882 play, the story follows a doctor who threatens to expose dangerous water pollution in a Norwegian spa town’s public baths.
Haj will direct a musical (June 16- Aug. 26, 2017), which will be announced on April 17.
Following will be The Legend of Georgia McBride (July 14-Aug. 26, 2018), by Matthew Lopez, about an Elvis impersonator who loses his gig and begins performing as a drag queen to support his family.
In addition to the subscription season, the Guthrie will present the 43rd annual production of A Christmas Carol (Nov. 14- Dec. 30), adapted by Crispin Whittell from Charles Dickens.
The Guthrie Theater, founded in 1963, brings classic and contemporary plays and musicals to Minneapolis.
