MALVERN, PA.: People’s Light has announced its 2018-19 season, featuring punk-rock vampires, fierce heroines, and civil rights icons.
“I believe these productions ask the question, ‘Right now, when things seem so difficult in our society, how can we remain hopeful, how can we seize the day and move forward with our best selves?’” explained artistic director and CEO Abigail Adams in a statement. “Through our wide array of surround programming, we invite audiences to explore and exchange ideas with us and each other.”
The season will open with the world premiere Such Things As Vampires: A Punk-Rock Dracula Inoculation (Sept. 20-Oct. 31), by Zak Berkman, Stuart Carden, Jessie Fisher, and Mary Tuomanen, about a mysterious band of punk-folk musicians who tell the tale of Mina, the heroine at the end of Bram Stroker’s Dracula. Carden will direct.
Just in time for the holidays will be Cinderella: A Musical Panto (Nov. 18-Jan. 6, 2019), by Kathryn Peterson with music and lyrics by Michael Ogborn. The pantomime invites audiences to sing along with the magical tale of fairy godmothers and glass slippers. Samantha Reading will direct.
Following will be Sweat (Jan. 16-Fev. 10, 2019), by Lynn Nottage, about a group of friends working at a factory in Reading, Pa., whose bonds are tested when the factory announces lay-offs.
The season will continue with Nina Simone: Four Women (Feb. 27-March 31, 2019), by Christina Ham, about four women who gather amid the wreckage the day after four young black girls are killed in the 1963 16th Street Baptist Church bombing. The play features Nina Simone’s most iconic civil rights anthems, and will be directed by Hayley Finn.
Next will be For Peter Pan on her 70th Birthday (April 10-May 12, 2019), by Sarah Ruhl, an imaginative play about a woman who played Peter Pan years ago and confronts growing up and growing old with her siblings. Adams will direct.
The season continues with Endgame (May 15-June 9, 2019), by Samuel Beckett, a dark comedy about four characters navigating the meaning of life after an apocalyptic disaster. Neal Huff will direct.
Next up will be the world premiere of Mud Row (June 26-July 28, 2019), by Dominique Morisseau, about two generations of sisters in West Chester, Pa., who are protecting and defying the legacy of their foremothers. The play was developed in the New Play Frontiers Residency & Commission Program at People’s Light. Steve H. Broadnax III will direct.
The season will close out with Our Town (July 31-Aug. 25, 2019), by Thornton Wilder, an exploration of the beauty and heartbreak of life as experienced through a small-town community. The play will feature live music, and the cast will include David Lutken. Adams will direct.
People’s Light, founded in 1974, produces a mix of world premieres, contemporary plays, and fresh approaches to classic texts.
