ADDISON, TEX.: WaterTower Theatre has announced its 2017-18 season, the first under newly appointed artistic director Joanie Schultz. The season will include five shows, including a world premiere from Regina Taylor.
“I am thrilled to present my first season at WaterTower Theatre,” said Schultz in a statement. “This season reflects and builds off two decades of tradition at WTT, presenting exciting contemporary plays, musicals, and new looks at classics. With my new vision at the helm, we are creatively stretching ourselves with innovative works that are each, in their own way, new to the Dallas/Fort Worth area. I’m confident that our community will be buzzing with excitement over these unique theatrical experiences that will each be so special and different at WTT.”
The season will open with Kate Hamill’s adaptation of Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, directed by Schultz (Oct. 13-Nov. 5).
Then in January, WTT will present Elliot, a Soldier’s Fugue by Quiara Alegría Hudes (Jan. 26-Feb. 18, 2018). The show is about a Marine veteran who returns home from Iraq.
After that will be the world premiere of Bread by Regina Taylor (April 13-May 6, 2018). The play is set in 2016 in Dallas, where buried family tensions among a couple named James and Ruth resurface when James’s brother Jeb returns.
Then WTT will present Jason Robert Brown’s musical The Last Five Years (June 8-July 1, 2018). It tells the story of a couple from their first meeting to their divorce. Kelsey Leigh Ervi will direct.
The season will close with Hand to God by Robert Askins (Aug. 3-26, 2018). The dark comedy is about a boy and his sock puppet, who becomes possessed by the devil. Schultz will bring her production to WTT, which previously played at Studio Theatre.
In addition to the mainstage productions, WTT will host Detour: A Festival of New Work (March 1-4, 2018), with public performances and readings of new plays. For the holidays, it will present The Great Distance Home, a multidisciplinary theatrical event created by Ervi (Dec. 1-17).
