PALO ALTO, CALIF.: TheatreWorks Silicon Valley has announced its 2016–17 season, featuring musicals, a holiday romance, and a new works festival.
The season will kick off with the world premiere of Suzanne Bradbeer’s Confederates (July 13–Aug. 7), about a dad running for president, his daughter and her own agenda, and the hungry reporters searching for a scoop on the family.
Next will be the American premiere of The Life of the Party (Aug. 24–Sept. 18). Co-conceived by David Babani, the show is a mash-up of songs by Andrew Lippa, who will also star. Babani will direct.
Following will be John Patrick Shanley’s Outside Mullingar (Oct. 5–30), about neighbors in rural Ireland who set a decades-long family dispute aside to take a chance on love. Artistic director Robert Kelley will direct.
Daddy Long Legs (Nov. 30–Dec. 23) will return to the theatre in time for the holidays. The show previously played at the theatre in 2010. With a book by John Caird and music and lyrics by Paul Gordon, the musical is based on the novel by Jean Webster about an orphaned girl who is sent to a prestigious college by an anonymous benefactor with the stipulation that she must write him monthly letters. Kelley will direct.
Next up will be Beth Henley’s Crimes of the Heart (Jan. 11–Feb. 4, 2017), a comedy about three sisters in disarray who reunite at the family homestead.
Following will be the regional premiere of Velina Hasu Houston’s Calligraphy (March 8–April 2, 2017), about two cousins in Los Angeles and Tokyo who confront tradition, prejudice, and their heritage in their attempt to reunite their aging parents. Leslie Martinson will direct.
Next will be Rags (April 5–30, 2017), with a book by Joseph Stein, music by Charles Strouse, and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, about a Jewish refugee and her son’s journey from persecution to their new lives in a tenement in New York City.
The season will conclude with the regional premiere of Hershey Felder, BEETHOVEN (June 7–July 7, 2017), written and performed by Felder and featuring the music of Beethoven. The show explores the composer’s life through the eyes of Gerhard von Breuning, the son of Beethoven’s best friend. Joel Zwick will direct.
Also part of the season will be the New Works Festival (Aug. 13–21), featuring presentations of new works by playwrights and composers. The festival will also include audience discussions, works-in-progress, and book-in-hand readings.
Founded in 1975, TheatreWorks, produces eight productions annually, ranging from classic musicals to experimental performances, in addition to hosting new-work development programs.
