ST. PAUL, Minn.: Park Square Theatre has announced its Harris Family 2020-21 season, supported by a major gift from the John W. Harris family. The season will feature artistic collaborations, three world premieres, a musical, and more.
In partnership with PRIME Productions, Park Square’s season will open with the regional premiere of The Revolutionists (Oct. 2-25) by Lauren Gunderson. Set during the French Revolution’s Reign of Terror, this comedy driven by women will be directed by PRIME co-founder Shelli Place in her Park Square debut.
Up next will be another piece centered on women—the world premiere of Bad Things, Good Whiskey (Oct. 23-Nov. 22), by Shanan Custer and Carolyn Pool. Directed by Elena Giannetti and featuring music by Rhiannon Fiskradatz, this “comedy on the rocks” is the final installment in a beverage-inspired trilogy from the creators of 2 Sugars, Room for Cream and Sometimes There’s Wine.
November will bring a world premiere presentation of Shaamya – Of Equality (Nov. 5-8) in collaboration with Katha Dance Theatre. Choreographed by Rita Mustaphi, this multicultural dance piece infuses poetry, gospel, R&B, and traditional Kathak dance. This new work, with music composed and performed by J.D. Steele and poetry by Somali poet and playwright Ifrah Mansour, parallels the experiences of today’s communities of color and those of Nazrul Islam’s era.
The regional premiere of Airness (Jan. 29-Feb. 28, 2021) by Chelsea Marcantel will follow. This righteous comedy follows five oddball rock fanatics into dingy bars and cramped stages across the country as they vie for a place at the National Air Guitar Championship.
Next up will be Triangle (Apr. 2-May 9, 2021), presented in collaboration with the Ordway and directed by Rod Kaats. With music by Curtis Moore, lyrics by Thomas Mizer, and book by Moore, Mizer, and Joshua Scher, this musical features two mirroring love stories separated by a hundred years and woven together by the infamous 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in New York City.
The summer will feature two mysteries by local writers, R. A. Shiomi and Jeffrey Hatcher. First Park Square will present the world premiere of Fire in the New World (May 28-June 20, 2021), written and directed by Shiomi. The third installment of Shiomi’s popular noir-style detective stories, Fire in the New World is smart and fun with a sprinkle of social commentary.
The second mystery of the season, while still unannounced, will be written and directed by award-winning playwright Jeffrey Hatcher. It will run July 9-Aug. 15, 2021.
Park Square will also continue with daytime matinees for students in 7th-12th grades. Matinees will include The Revolutionists, Shaamya – Of Equality, Romeo & Juliet, and The Diary of Anne Frank.
Founded in 1975, Park Square Theatre seeks to enrich communities by producing and presenting exceptional live theatre that touches the heart, engages the mind, and delights the spirit.
