FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 23, 2011
Media Contact: Sarah Pressler
240.644.1387
press@roundhousetheatre.org
Round House Theatre announces 2011/12 season
SIX PRODUCTIONS ONSTAGE AT ROUND HOUSE THEATRE BETHESDA
FAHRENHEIT 451
REENTRY
PRIDE AND PREJUDICE – Area Premiere
NEXT FALL – Area Premiere
CROWN OF SHADOWS: the wake of odysseus – World Premiere
DOUBLE INDEMNITY – East Coast Premiere
(Bethesda, MD) Round House Theatre Producing Artistic Director Blake Robison has announced the company’s lineup for its 2011/12 mainstage season in Bethesda. The season is a mix of recent or new plays and adaptations, of comedy and drama. The six-play season includes a World Premiere, an East Coast Premiere, and two Area Premieres.
Robison said, “Our new season affirms our commitment to bring work by today’s most exciting playwrights as well as compelling adaptations of modern and classic novels to our Bethesda stage. From the genius of Ray Bradbury, Jane Austen, and James M. Cain to compelling contemporary dramas and the debut of a remarkable young talent, this season promises to be packed with theatrical thrills.”
Fahrenheit 451
By Ray Bradbury, based on his novel
Directed by Sharon Ott
September 7 – October 9, 2011 • Round House Theatre Bethesda
Bradbury’s masterpiece about a future without books comes chillingly to life in an adaptation by the legendary author himself. Firemen in this futuristic world burn books and hunt down anyone who risks reading them. Free-thought and intellectualism are discouraged, questioning authority is dangerous, and the masses are spoon-fed a diet of interactive reality shows on their huge TVs. Montag, a fireman in charge of burning the forbidden volumes, befriends a young woman who dares to read. Suddenly a hunted fugitive, he must choose between safety and intellectual freedom. Bradbury’s message still resonates today in this production utilizing cutting-edge special effects and projections. “Bradbury’s account of this insane world, which bears many alarming resemblances to our own, is fascinating.” ‑ New York Times
(Recommended for age 13 and up)
ReEntry
By Emily Ackerman & KJ Sanchez
Directed by KJ Sanchez
October 18 – 30, 2011 • Round House Theatre Bethesda
Honest, poignant, inspirational, and surprisingly funny, ReEntry is an unflinching look at the lives of Marines returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. It’s about stepping off that plane and coming home, re-entering ones life, family, and country – again. Based on interviews with privates and colonels, combat vets and clerks, and one particularly memorable family, ReEntry tells the stories you haven’t heard. It puts politics aside to probe the unvarnished, powerfully personal truths of those who serve and sacrifice. How do you shift from battlefields to backyard barbecues? What is the price paid by families when husbands, mothers, sons, and sisters go to war? “Provocative and powerful” – New York Times
(Recommended for age 13 and up)
Pride and Prejudice
Area Premiere
By Joseph Hanreddy and J. R. Sullivan
Adapted from the novel by Jane Austen
Directed by Blake Robison
November 23 – December 31, 2011 • Round House Theatre Bethesda
Mr. and Mrs. Bennet are desperate. With no sons, they are determined to arrange profitable marriages for their five daughters. However, when two eligible young men arrive in the neighborhood, excitement and passion begin to rule. The Bennet household is in danger of being tipped firmly on its end as the willful, witty Elizabeth is taunted and tantalized by the disciplined, dashing Mr. Darcy. Join us in Jane Austen’s delicious world of desperate spinsters, determined bachelors, nosy neighbors, embarrassing relatives, and a smarmy cad or two. Fully capturing the spirit of the classic book, it’s delightful, romantic fun for the entire family. “Robison’s smooth and stylish direction is perfectly in sync…Austen lovers will admire this adaptation’s faithfulness to the spirit of the original and its ability to maintain our emotional involvement.” – Salt Lake City Tribune
(Recommended for age 11 and up)
Next Fall
Area Premiere
By Geoffrey Nauffts
Directed by Mark Ramont
February 1 – 26, 2012 • Round House Theatre Bethesda
Next Fall captured the hearts and minds of Broadway, winning a 2010 Outer Critics Circle Award as Best New American Play and a Tony Award nomination for Best Play. Weaving a tale that’s as funny, infuriating, and unpredictable as life itself, Next Fall is a contemporary love story that will make you smile, laugh, and perhaps even cry. The characters have irrational phobias, conflicting religious beliefs, and lingering secrets. They are two men in love, two parents in denial, and two friends on speed dial. Bring someone you care about, take a deep breath, and enjoy this “artful, thoughtful and very moving” (New York Times) new drama. “Ample heart and snappy humor…speaks in a quiet voice of momentous things.” ‑ New York Times
(Recommended for age 15 and up)
Crown of Shadows: the wake of odysseus
World Premiere
By Jason Gray Platt
Directed by Blake Robison
April 11 – May 6, 2012 • Round House Theatre Bethesda
This gripping, modern take on The Odyssey uses contemporary language and leanings to paint a chilling portrait of the family the warrior leaves behind. Penelope and her teenage son Telemachus struggle to maintain control on Ithaca while waiting for Odysseus to return. As Penelope navigates the political waters of countless suitors, Telemachus, in his turbulent youth, chafes against both the bombardment of potential usurpers and his father’s legacy. With pressure for a successor mounting, they battle two outsiders for control over the island, with a shocking ending that can’t be found in Homer’s saga. A world premiere from a major new voice in American theatre. “In his startling debut, Jason Gray Platt unleashes his furtive imagination on a classic tale” – Blake Robison
(Recommended for age 15 and up)
Double Indemnity
East Coast Premiere
Adapted by David Pichette and R. Hamilton Wright
From the novel by James M. Cain
Directed by Jeff Steitzer
May 30 – June 24, 2012 • Round House Theatre Bethesda
Mystery, lust, intrigue, and murder! When hard-boiled insurance agent Walter Huff meets femme fatale Phyllis Nirlinger, the wife of one of his wealthy clients, he quickly realizes that she wants to get rid of her husband ‑ and decides to help her do it. Accident insurance pays double indemnity on railroad mishaps, so they plot to get Nirlinger on ‑ and off ‑ a train without arousing the suspicions of the police, the insurance company, Nirlinger’s daughter, her mysterious boyfriend, or Nirlinger himself. This crime tale, adapted by Billy Wilder in his snappy film noir, comes to the stage in a delicious new take on the celebrated suspense novel. “This stylish, sexy thriller will be an intriguing and fun change of pace to close out our season.” – Blake Robison
(Recommended for age 13 and up)
Round House Theatre Bethesda is located at 4545 East-West Highway, one block from the Bethesda station on Metro’s Red Line. During the 2011/12 season, Tuesday through Thursday evening performances begin at 7:30 p.m; Friday and Saturday evening performances begin at 8 p.m.; matinees on Saturday and Sunday begin at 3 p.m.
For the fourth year in a row, Round House has not raised prices. Flexible subscription packages of three or more plays are on sale by calling 240.644.1100 or visiting www.roundhousetheatre.org. Subscribers save up to 26% off the regular price and receive priority seating and exclusive benefits. Patrons can subscribe to all six plays for as little as $120. Three-play subscription packages start at just $75.
Tickets for individual performances go on sale in August. Groups of ten or more interested in individual performances can call 240.644.1387 or email groupsales@roundhousetheatre.org.
Round House Theatre Silver Spring
Once again next season, Round House will offer an exciting lineup of performances in its black box theatre in downtown Silver Spring. In its “Silver Spring Series,” Round House will present an eclectic lineup of dance, music, and theatre performances by some of the outstanding artists that call the D.C. metro area home. Forum Theatre returns to Round House Theatre Silver Spring in 2011/12 for its third season as theatre company-in-residence. Contradiction Dance returns as dance company-in-residence. In addition, the black box will be used by Round House’s artistic and community partners for programs and performances of their own. The 2011/12 lineup of performances coming to Round House Theatre Silver Spring will be announced this summer.
Round House Theatre Silver Spring is located at 8641 Colesville Road (next to the AFI Silver Theatre), approximately three blocks from Metro’s Silver Spring station on the Red Line.
Round House Theatre Education Center
Round House will again offer a lineup of fun and fascinating education programs for students of all ages at its Education Center on Wayne Avenue in downtown Silver Spring. Each season, Round House’s education and outreach programs reach over 20,000 students, teachers, and adults in Montgomery County and the Washington, D.C. area.
The Round House Theatre Education Center is located at 925 Wayne Avenue, approximately two blocks from Metro’s Silver Spring station on the Red Line.
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