ROCHESTER, N.Y.: Geva Theatre Center has announced its 2020-2021 season, featuring 10 productions.
“We all want to come together to celebrate the special experience of live professional theatre,” stated artistic director Mark Cuddy in a statement. “The new season holds great joy and hope within its varied selections, and now more than ever it will provide a gathering place to build community once again.”
The season will kick off with Chelsea Marcantel’s Airness (Sept. 1-Oct. 4), about a group of air guitar players vying to win the National Air Guitar Championship. Skip Greer will direct.
Next up will be David Catlin’s Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (Oct. 14-Nov. 15), about Shelley’s process of writing the gothic novel. Cuddy will direct.
Following will be Kitchen Theatre Company’s production of The Chinese Lady (Oct. 28-Nov. 15), by Lloyd Suh, about America’s first female Chinese immigrant and her travels around America as a living exhibit.
The season will continue with Dipika Guha’s Yoga Play (Jan. 19-Feb. 14, 2021), about the newly hired CEO of a corporate yoga company navigating a publicity scandal. Pirronne Yousefzadeh will direct.
Next will be Christopher Rivas’s The Real James Bond…Was Dominican (Jan. 27-Feb. 14, 2021), about Porfirio Rubirosa, the inspiration behind Ian Fleming’s iconic James Bond character. Rivas will star and Daniel Banks will direct.
Following will be Once on This Island (Feb. 23-March 28, 2021), with book and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens and music by Stephen Flaherty. Co-produced with Syracuse Stage, this musical is about a peasant girl searching for her purpose in the world. Steve H. Broadnax III will direct.
The season will continue with Sylvia Khoury’s Selling Kabul (April 6-May 2, 2021), a thriller about a former interpreter for the American military who is hiding from the Taliban in his sister’s apartment in Kabul.
Next will be We Swim, We Talk, We Go to War (April 21-May 9, 2021), by Mona Monsour, about an Arab American woman and her nephew navigating what it means to love your family, even when your politics and priorities threaten to get in the way. Yousefzadeh will direct.
The season will conclude with Ring of Fire (May 12-June 13, 2021), created by Richard Maltby, Jr. and conceived by William Meade. The musical is about the life and career of Johnny Cash, and features hits such as “I Walk the Line,” “Folsom Prison Blues,” “I’ve Been Everywhere,” and, of course, “Ring of Fire.”
In addition to the subscription season, Geva Theatre Center will also present the KeyBank Rochester Fringe Festival (Sept. 15-26), featuring a variety of performances.
Programming will also include the Festival of New Theatre (Oct.), a two-week showcase of new plays and projects currently in development at Geva Theatre Center.
Lastly, the company will present A Christmas Carol (Nov. 25-Dec. 27), adapted by Cuddy from Charles Dickens, with music and lyrics by Gregg Coffin. Produced by KeyBank, this annual holiday tradition follows the classic tale of Ebenezer Scrooge and his journey to discovering the true meaning of the season. Cuddy will direct.
Founded in 1972, Geva Theatre Center is dedicated to creating and producing new and classic works.
