HARRISBURG, PA.: Open Stage of Harrisburg has announced its 2018-19 season, the company’s 33rd, which will include eight productions surrounding the theme “Coming of Age.”
“The community of Harrisburg and the theatre audience…want to see a reflection of themselves and their world,” said producing artistic director Stuart Landon in a statement. “The things that are happening now. That’s what theatre has been since its creation. This year, we want to give voice to the youth that yearn to be heard, and in doing that I think that every patron that comes through our doors will find their story on our stage in one way or another.”
The season opens with Carrie the Musical (Sept. 29-Oct. 21), by Lawrence D. Cohen, Dean Pitchford, and Michael Gore, based on Stephen King’s horror novel about a young girl with a secret power who is bullied by her classmates and abused by her zealot mother. Landon will direct.
Next will be Open Stage’s annual holiday production of A Christmas Carol (Dec. 1-23), by Rachel Landon and Stuart Landon, adapted from Charles Dickens’s classic. Ebenezer Scrooge will be played by local favorite Nicholas Hughes.
Following will be for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf (Jan. 19-27, 2019), by Ntozake Shange, a historic piece of theatre that tells the stories of black women, which will be produced in partnership with the local Sankofa African American Theatre Company. Sankofa’s managing director, Sharia Benn will direct.
Next will be The Wolves (Feb. 16-March 3, 2019), by Sarah DeLappe, a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, about the complex lives of teenage girls on a championship indoor soccer team. Rachel Landon will direct.
Following will be The Diary of Anne Frank (March 12-16, 2019), adapted by Wendy Kesselman from Frances Goodrich and Albert Hacket, which will be Open Stage’s 20th production of the historic story of Anne Frank. To commemorate the momentous occasion, Open Stage will host a gala dinner on March 16, 2019 to celebrate and honor Anne Frank and those in the community that reflect her spirit.
Next will be A Wrinkle in Time (April 11-14, 2019), based on Madeleine L’Engle’s beloved science fiction story about the adventures of the Murry family. The production will be presented by the Alsedek Theatre School, OpenStage’s training program.
Following will be The Kids You Read About in Textbooks (April 7, 14, 28, and May 5, 2019), a devised piece of theatre that will be created by local teenagers and will feature viewpoint on social issues. Improv artist Jennie Adams will helm the piece.
Closing out the season will be the musical Ragtime (May 25-June 16, 2019), written by Terrence McNally, Lynn Ahrens, and Stephen Flaherty. It is set in the early 20th century and weaves together stories of fictional and historical figures.
Open Stage of Harrisburg is Harrisburg, Pa.’s oldest professional theatre company. It is committed to the cultural education of its community and artistic freedom, presenting high quality professional theatre in intimate settings.
