CINCINNATI, OHIO: Know Theatre has announced its 2016-17 season, featuring six productions, an immersive event, and the 14th annual Cincinnati Fringe Festival.
“In season 19, we maintain that rigorous production schedule, and dig deep into stories that make us who we are, as individuals, as families, as friends, as artists, as humanity,” said producing artistic director Andrew Hungerford in a statement. “And we’ve assembled an eclectic collection of plays that includes gender parity in our playwrights, our directors, our creative teams, and our performers.”
The season will start with the musical Girlfriend (July 24-Aug. 22), with a book by Todd Almond, and music and lyrics by Matthew Sweet, about two teenage boys in the 1990s who explore a relationship together during a summer of self-discovery after high school. Lindsey Augusta Mercer will direct.
Next up will be Joseph Zettelmaier’s Pulp (Oct. 9-24), a National New Play Network rolling world premiere, about a private investigator in 1930s Los Angeles who takes on the murder case of a noted literary agent. Hungerford will direct.
Following will be the world premiere of The Darkest Night at the Gnarly Stump (Nov. 20-Dec. 19), with book by Lauren Hynek and Elizabeth Martin, and music and lyrics by Paul Strickland. The story follows a group of people in a secluded Appalachian town who gather at a pub to share ghost stories on the darkest evening of the year. Brant Russell will direct.
The season will continue with Jenny Connell Davis’s The Dragon Play (Jan. 29-Feb. 20, 2017), a dark comedy about a teenage boy and a dragon who fall in love in rural Texas. Tamara Winters will direct.
Next will be Steve Yockey’s Heavier Than… (April 15-May 14, 2017), a dark comedy inspired by Greek mythology about a Minotaur turning 30 who could use some friends.
Following will be the world premiere of Kara Lee Corthron’s Listen for the Light (June 24-July 16, 2017), about the collision of faith and freedom in 1844 when Mormon prophet Joseph Smith shares his beliefs to the town of Nauvoo, Ill. Winters will direct.
The season will also include the world premiere of The Other Rhine: A Lovecrafian Horror (Oct. 22-31), created by Hit the Lights! Theater Co., an immersive show featuring the use of light and shadow.
Also part of the programming will be the 14th annual Cincinnati Fringe (May 30-June 10, 2017).
Know Theatre, founded in 1999, produces new works and develops new voices with year-round short play festivals.
