SYRACUSE, N.Y.: Syracuse Stage has announced its 2019-20 season, featuring seven productions.
“We’re crafting a season of plays and musicals that celebrate diverse and powerful voices,” said artistic director Robert Hupp in a statement. “Our 47th season brings to life rich stories that entertain and delight; it’s a poignant season of love and loss, of justice and jealousy. We sought works that make you stand up and take notice..”
The season will open with Reginald Rose’s Twelve Angry Men (Oct. 9-27), co-produced with Indiana Repertory Theatre, about a teenager accused of murdering his father whose fate rests in the hands of a jury. James Still will direct.
Next up will be Disney’s Beauty and the Beast (Nov. 22-Jan. 5, 2020), with music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice, and book by Linda Woolverton. The musical, co-produced with the Syracuse University Department of Drama, will feature choreography by Anthony Salatino and Flying Effects by ZFX Inc. Brian Cimmet will provide musical direction, and Donna Drake will direct.
The season will continue with The Wolves (Jan. 22-Feb. 16, 2020), by Sarah DeLappe, about the challenges a soccer team of high school girls face both on and off the field. Melissa Rain Anderson will direct this co-production with Syracuse University Department of Drama.
Following will be Peter Shaffer’s Amadeus (March 11-29, 2020), about the artistic rivalry between Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Antonio Salieri. Mickey Rowe will star as Mozart. The show is a co-production with the Syracuse University Department of Drama. Hupp will direct.
Next will be the musical Once (April 15-May 3, 2020), with book by Enda Walsh, music and lyrics by Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová, based on the film by John Carney. It follows a musician in Ireland whose passion for music is rekindled when he falls in love. Mark Cuddy will direct.
The season will close out with Dipika Guha’s Yoga Play (May 27-June 14, 2020), a comedy about the CEO of a high-end athleisure brand, who is accused of using child labor for its clothing. Hupp will direct.
The programming will also include the world premiere of Keenan Scott II’s Thoughts of a Colored Man (Sept. 4-22). The play, produced in association with Brian Moreland, blends language, music, and dance to explore the inner life of being Black in the 2st century. The show will feature music composed by Madison McFerrin and choreography by Jenny Parsinen. Shannon Stoeke will be the associate director, and Taye Diggs will direct.
Also part of the programming will be Cold Read: A Festival of Hot New Plays (April 1-5, 2020). Curated by Kyle Bass, the festival will include works by playwright-in-residence Octavio Solis and Write Here Features Author Charles Martin.
Syracuse Stage, founded in 1974, is dedicated to producing new plays, musicals, and new interpretations of classics.
