ARVADA, COLO.: The Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities has announced its 2016–17 season, the company’s 40th, featuring seven productions.
The season will begin with Sister Act (Sept. 9–Oct. 2), with book by Cheri Steinkellner and Bill Steinkellner, music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Glenn Slater, and additional material by Douglas Carter Beane, based on the film by Joseph Howard. The musical comedy is about a disco diva who witnesses a murder, and is put in protected custody in a convent as a disguised nun. Rod A. Lansberry will direct.
Next up will be Molière’s Tartuffe (Sept. 30–Nov. 6), a farce about a man who seeks eternal salvation with the help of a holy man named Tartuffe, but his wife and children believe Tartuffe is a con man and devise a plan to end his reign of terror. Lynne Collins will direct.
Following will be the world premiere of I’ll Be Home for Christmas (Nov. 18–Dec. 23), with book by Kenn McLaughlin and music and lyrics by David Nehls, about a veteran returning home from the war in 1969 just in time to participate in his family’s annual Christmas variety show. Gavin Mayer will direct.
Next will be William Inge’s Bus Stop (Feb. 24–May 14, 2017), about a cowboy and a nightclub singer who seek refuge in a roadside diner when their bus is stranded in a snowstorm. Allison Watrous will direct.
The season will continue with the regional premiere of The Drowning Girls (March 17–May 21, 2017), by Beth Graham, Charlie Tomlinson, and Daniela Vlaskalic, about three women who were drowned in the bathtub by their husband. The women resurface to tell the stories of their lives leading up to their murders. Collins will direct.
Next up will be Jesus Christ Superstar (March 24–April 16, 2017), with lyrics by Tim Rice and music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, a rock opera about Jesus Christ’s final days. Lansberry will direct.
Following will be Beckett’s Waiting for Godot (April 21–May 20, 2017), an absurdist play about two men grappling with existentialism. Geoffrey Kent will direct.
The Arvada Center, founded in 1976, is a cultural hub that brings plays, musicals, children’s theatre, concerts, and art exhibitions to Colorado.
