ADDISON, TEXAS: WaterTower Theatre has announced the details of its 2019-20 season of programming, including two musicals, two Pulitzer Prize-winning plays, and a holiday co-production with Lone Star Circus.
“I’m delighted to present to you my first season as the producing artistic director for WaterTower Theatre,” Shane Peterman said in a statement. “Our goal is simple: to build community through diverse storytelling that is both thought-provoking and entertaining. Our 24th season focuses on unique stories across generations, emphasizing the importance of diverse backgrounds and the communities from which these stories are told.”
The season will open with Sister Act (Oct. 24-Nov. 10), featuring music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Glenn Slater, and book by Cheri and Bill Steinkellner. The musical follows a disco diva who’s put in protective custody in a convent after witnessing a murder. Cheryl Denson will direct, with music direction by Adam C. Wright.
Next up will be Cirque Holiday (Dec. 5-22), a co-production with Lone Star Circus. The event celebrates holidays from around the world through a magical collaboration of theatre and circus arts.
The season will continue in the new year with Mary Chase’s Harvey (Feb. 6-20, 2020). The Pulitzer Prize-winning play follows a polite man with a socialite sister and a very strange best friend: a six-foot, three-and-one-half-inch invisible rabbit. Dick Monday will direct.
Doug Wright’s I Am My Own Wife (April 16-May 3, 2020) will follow. Based on a true story, the solo play tells the fascinating story of an elegant and eccentric 65-year old German transgender woman who, against all odds, managed to survive both the Nazi onslaught and the repressive East German Communist regime. Ashley Puckett Gonzales will direct the Pulitzer Prize-winning play.
The season will close with The Bridges of Madison County (June 11-28, 2020), with music and lyrics by Jason Robert Brown and book by Marsha Norman. The musical, based on the novel of the same name, recalls the unexpected affair of a devoted Italian-born housewife and a roving National Geographic photographer. The production will be directed by John De Los Santos, and music directed by Vonda K. Bowling.
Founded in 1996, WaterTower Theatre’s mission is to create innovative, diverse theatre that builds community by fostering empathy and dialogue.
