PROVIDENCE, RI: Trinity Repertory Company has announced its 2016–17 season, “Ghosts of the Past, Dreams of the Future.” It will include a Dave Malloy musical, and works by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins and Deborah Salem-Smith. Next year will also be the 50th anniversary of its Project Discovery student matinee program.
“The driving force of this season is the 50th anniversary of our Project Discovery program,” said artistic director Curt Columbus in a statement. “We knew we wanted to inspire, challenge and delight our student audiences, while presenting the thought provoking and timely work we’re known for. The result is a powerful selection of plays that asks us to face the past while dreaming into the unknown of the future.”
The season will begin with Beowulf: A Thousand Years of Baggage by Jason Craig with music by Dave Malloy, directed by Columbus (Sept. 8–Oct. 9). The piece retells the story of Beowulf with pop music. Charlie Thurston will play Beowulf.
Next up will be Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ Appropriate, directed by Brian Mertes (Oct. 6–Nov. 6). The play is about a set of siblings who return to their family home in Arkansas, only to discover a dark secret about their late father.
In time for the holidays will be Trinity Rep’s annual production of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol (Nov. 7–Dec. 31).
Kicking off 2017 will be Katori Hall’s The Mountaintop (Jan. 12–Feb. 12, 2017). The play takes place the night before Martin Luther King Jr.’s death and is a two-hander between King and a hotel maid. Joe Wilson Jr. will play King.
In honor of the 50th anniversary of Trinity Rep’s Project Discovery program, Trinity Rep associate artistic director Tyler Dobrowsky will direct Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Feb. 9–March 26, 2017). It was the play that launched the long-running education program. Rachael Warren will play Puck and Fred Sullivan Jr. will play Bottom.
Next will be the world premiere of Faithful Cheaters by Trinity Rep resident playwright Deborah Salem Smith (April 20–May 21, 2017). The farce follows a married couple who discovers a nose spray that enhances their desire to be monogamous. The cast will include Annie Scurria.
The season will close with Lope de Vega Carpio’s Fuente Ovejuna (The Sheep’s Well) (May 11–June 11, 2017). The play takes place in 1476 Spain, where a small town has been overtaken by an oppressive commander, and the townspeople’s efforts to band together.
Trinity Rep was founded in 1963 and is the state theatre of Rhode Island. It features the last permanent resident acting company in America and programs a mix of world premiere, contemporary, and classic works for an estimated annual audience of approximately 145,000.
