THEATRE PERFORMANCES

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

A play by Simon Stephens
Based on the novel by Mark Haddon

Oct 11-20, 2019  |  Black Box Theatre
Oct 11, 12, 18, 19 at 7 pm
Oct 13 & 20 at 2 pm
Oct 18 at 10 am  |  Learn about matinee progam

Fifteen-year-old Christopher has an extraordinary brain: He is exceptional at mathematics but ill-equipped to interpret everyday life. He has never ventured alone beyond the end of his road, he detests being touched, and he distrusts strangers. Now it is 7 minutes after midnight, and Christopher stands beside his neighbor’s dead dog, Wellington, who has been speared with a garden fork. Finding himself under suspicion, Christopher is determined to solve the mystery of who murdered Wellington, and he carefully records each fact of the crime. But his detective work, forbidden by his father, takes him on a thrilling journey that upturns his world.

Awards
Winner of the Tony Award for Best Play (2015), Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Play (2015), and Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Play (2013).

Silent Sky

By Lauren Gunderson

Nov 22-Dec 8, 2019  |  Black Box Theatre
Nov 22 & 23, Dec 6 & 7 at 7 pm
Nov 24 & Dec 8 at 2 pm
Dec 6 at 10 am  |  Learn about matinee progam

The true story of 19th century astronomer Henrietta Leavitt plays out against a landscape of fierce sisterly love, early feminism, universe-revealing science, and a time when humans who processed vast amounts of data were called “computers.” When Henrietta begins work at the Harvard Observatory in the early 1900s, she isn’t allowed to touch a telescope or express an original idea. Instead, she joins a group of women “computers,” charting the stars for a renowned astronomer who calculates projects in “girl hours” and has no time for the women’s probing theories. As Henrietta, in her free time, attempts to measure the light and distance of stars, she must also take measure of her life on Earth, trying to balance her dedication to science with family obligations and the possibility of love. The true story of 19th-century astronomer Henrietta Leavitt explores a woman’s place in society during a time of immense scientific discoveries, when women’s ideas were dismissed until men claimed credit for them. The play shows Henrietta coping with work-life tension and tradeoffs, and the expectations society and family have of women and how greatly they can pull one away from what they are passionate about. However, the play at its heart is lyrically expressive in capturing the great love of Henrietta’s life: the sky and all its riches.

Romeo and Juliet

By William Shakespeare
Adapted by Brian Gill

Apr 3-26, 2020  |  Main Stage Theatre
Apr 3, 11, 18, 24 at 7 pm
Apr 3 & 24 at 10 am  |  Learn about matinee progam
Apr 26 at 2 pm

In the streets of Verona, violence reigns. An age-old vendetta between two noble houses reignites. When two star-crossed lovers turn their backs on their parents' intolerance to seek their own way, they are thrown into a world of extremes where everyone has chosen sides and no one is willing to budge. When the adults have left the room and tribalism and politics are the guiding forces of the day, how might love and tolerance find a way to challenge hate and distrust? Written in 1595, Shakespeare's famous play is both delightfully comic and intensely tragic. Romeo and Juliet remains a shockingly relevant mirror to our own contemporary issues of identity, rebellion, family loyalties, and the right to love.

The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged)

By Adam Long, Daniel Singer, and Jess Winfield

Apr 4-25, 2020  |  Main Stage Theatre
Apr 4, 10, 17, 25 at 7 pm
Apr 5 & 19 at 2 pm
Apr 23 at 10 am  |  Learn about matinee progam

Three actors attempt to perform everything written by Shakespeare in one evening’s worth of entertainment. In the first act there are short versions of Romeo & Juliet, Titus Andronicus, Macbeth, Julius Cesar, Othello, and Antony & Cleopatra. The comedies are discovered to have such similar plot lines that they can be lumped all together in one story treatment, while the history games are covered as if they were a football game, and Troilus & Cressida is presented as a performance art piece. By the time act one ends all that truly remains is the masterpiece: Hamlet. Unfortunately, the emotional requirements of putting on that play appear too much for one of the actors and he runs out of the theater, pursued by another one, leaving the third to fend for himself. He calls for an intermission and prays his colleagues will return.

Act two begins and there’s still no sign of the other two actors. The remaining actor decides to use this time to go over the sonnets with the audience, but fortunately that activity is cancelled when the others return and can go on with performing what is arguably the greatest play in the English language: Hamlet, the Prince of Denmark. They perform it so hard they do a 40-minute version (complete with a full audience participation workshop of one of the characters), a 5-minute version, a 40-second version, and then (don’t try this at home, folks) they do Hamlet BACKWARDS!