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HELLO! I AM THRILLED TO PRESENT MY FIRST S E A S O N AT WAT E R T O W E R T H E AT R E !
This season reflects and builds off the 20-year tradition of WTT, presenting exciting contemporary plays, musicals, and new looks at classics. As the theatre finds itself in its 21st year, with my new vision at the helm, we are also creatively stretching ourselves with innovative works that are each, in their own way new to the DFW area. Our theatre will be buzzing with excitement over these unique theatrical experiences that will each be so special and different at WTT. Moreover, each production has been carefully chosen to speak to each other, creating a dynamic conversation that unfolds throughout the year. Our season next year includes a fresh and theatrical new adaptation by Kate Hamill of the Austen classic Pride and Prejudice; a regional premiere from the first of a trilogy of Pulitzer Prize-Winning plays Elliot, a Soldier’s Fugue, by Quiara Alegría Hudes; a world premiere play, Bread, written by the esteemed playwright, actress, and Dallas native, Regina Taylor that looks into the changing life of an Oak Cliff family; the unique contemporary musical The Last Five Years by Jason Robert Brown; and a play that took Broadway and our country by storm, Hand to God written by Texas native and Baylor graduate, Robert Askins, produced in a unique, immersive style. Each of these experiences brings new, innovative, exciting storytelling from diverse points of view and in a variety of ways. And yet, even with the exciting differences between these plays, each play we are doing this year touches on family. Our families, both by birth and by choice, are so much a part of who we are: what we fight for and against, and who we will become. And what better way to consider our own family dynamics and inheritance than to laugh, cry, and contemplate these very different and vital family stories? A theatre is so much more than one play. It is a meeting place where audiences and artists share space and time, and for a moment live in a creative space of imagination. Even looking back to the Ancient Greeks, the theatre has been a place for us to step outside of our daily lives to indulge and contemplate our world, our emotions, and our beliefs, with the gift of storytelling, music, and play. We at WaterTower Theatre are working to make each night in the theatre a special event that provides that connection, fills you up, and leaves you with something to talk about. I hope that you will join us, and get in on the ground floor of a series of memorable plays, in this historic season, that you won’t want to miss.
joanie schultz
S E E YO U AT T H E T H E AT R E !
J OA N I E S C H U LTZ
A R T I S T I C D I R E C T O R , WAT E R T O W E R T H E AT R E 2
T H E C A N T E R B U RY FA M I LY M A I N S TAG E
2017-2018 SEASON S O M E T H I N G T O TA L K A B O U T ! PRIDE AND PREJUDICE ELLIOT, A SOLDIER’S FUGUE BREAD THE LAST FIVE YEARS HAND TO GOD
T H A N K YO U T O O U R S P O N S O R S :
Board of Directors
SUBSC R I B E TODAY! 9 7 2 - 4 5 0 - 6 2 3 2 // WWW.WATERTOWERTHEATRE.ORG
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A DA P TAT I O N O F A CLASSIC
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REGIONAL PREMIERE
OCTOBER 13 NOVEMBER 5, 2017 PRIDE AND PREJUDICE
W R I T T E N BY
Calling all Jane Austen fans – and everyone else who loves a sparkling comedy about the entanglements of family, love, marriage, and money. Following the runaway success of her adaptation of Sense and Sensibility, playwright Kate Hamill returns to the immortal English writer with a fresh take on Austen’s most famous novel. As the story of the Bennet daughters and their formidable social ladder-climbing mother unfolds, strong-willed Lizzie charts an independent course as she negotiates very mixed feelings about the aloof and seemingly snobbish Mr. Darcy. Hamill’s imaginative and irreverent version of this literary classic makes Austen’s deep insights into the foibles of human nature a theatrical treat you won’t forget.
Kate Hamill
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A DA P T E D F RO M T H E N OV E L BY
Jane Austen D I R E C T E D BY
Joanie Schultz
S P O N S O R E D BY
I feel this immense responsibility and honor as a female artist to help reclaim the classics for everyone.” – K AT E H A M I L L
Guaranteed seats for each show! Never miss an experience. ( 972 ) 45 0 - 62 32
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REGIONAL PREMIERE
JANUARY 26 FEBRUARY 18, 2018 W R I T T E N BY
E L L I O T, A S O L D I E R ’ S F U G U E
Quiara Alegría Hudes
Pultizer Prize-winning dramatist Quiara Alegría Hudes takes a poignant look at the way war permeates young men’s lives in a play spanning three generations of the same Puerto RicanAmerican family. Elliot is a Marine Corps hero back from Iraq with an injured leg and a Purple Heart. His Pop was wounded in Vietnam; his flute-playing Grandpop fought in Korea. In a fugue-like form, different wars and different tales are strung together as Ginny, his mother, seeks to reconcile the disparate parts and heal emotional wounds. Hudes’ spare, intense, and poetically resonant play speaks to the personal cost of war across the ages.
* Mature Language
S P O N S O R E D BY
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Elliot, A Soldier’s Fugue is that rare and rewarding thing: a theater work that succeeds on every level, while creating something new.” – N E W YO R K T I M E S
Discounts on individual tickets. Bring a friend for $3 off. W W W.WAT E R T O W E R T H E AT R E . O R G
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( 972 ) 45 0 - 62 32
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WORLD PREMIERE
APRIL 13 MAY 6, 2018 BREAD
W R I T T E N BY
Bread is nourishment. Bread is legacy. Bread is life itself. And bread is money. This world premiere by award-winning Dallas-born actress and playwright Regina Taylor weaves a compelling family drama of hopes, fears, thwarted dreams, and dark secrets against a turbulent backdrop of racial tension and social upheaval. It is late 2016; a time of change. James and Ruth are a middle class couple from Oak Cliff, a historic south Dallas neighborhood on the verge of gentrification. They plan a bright future for their teenage son and his soon-to-be-born brother. But when James’ brother Jeb returns home, buried family tensions resurface and the past casts a troubling shadow across an uncertain future. Taylor’s stirring, timely story of identity and family asks: How can we prepare the next generation for what’s to come?
Regina Taylor
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* Mature Language & Themes
S P O N S O R E D BY
I’m very proud to be from Dallas, Texas. I think a place is what names you and you have to hold on to what first names you.” – R E G I N A TAY L O R
B E ST P R I C E S & F R E E T I C K E T E XC H A N G E :
Subscribers get seating priority and save up to 25% off single ticket prices! Schedule conflict? Exchange tickets! ( 972 ) 45 0 - 62 32
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A S T R I K I N G LY H E A R T- F E LT L OV E S T O RY
JUNE 8 - JULY 1, 2018 THE LAST FIVE YEARS
Think about where you were five years ago. Think about who you were with. Think about that idealized image you had of yourself in five years time. Now think about where you are today. Is this where you thought you’d be? The universality of this question resonates through Jason Robert Brown’s intimately observant, and often funny, The Last Five Years. Through opposing, intersecting chronologies, this award-winning musical follows the story of Jamie and Cathy, two 20-something artists in New York, as their relationship blossoms and sours. They meet, fall in love, and marry. Jamie’s career blossoms. Cathy’s career stalls. The beginning, the end, and everything in between is put into perspective in this touching and sympathetic tale of love, loss, and timing.
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WRITTEN AND C O M P O S E D BY
Jason Robert Brown D I R E C T E D BY
Kelsey Leigh Ervi * Mature Language
S P O N S O R E D BY
...an emotionally powerful and intimate modern musical about two young New Yorkers who fall in and out of love.” – N E W YO R K T I M E S
LOST TICKET INSURANCE:
No need to worry if you’ve lost or forgotten your tickets! ( 972 ) 45 0 - 62 32
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REGIONAL PREMIERE
AUGUST 3 - 26, 2018 HAND TO GOD
W R I T T E N BY
Public piety and seething lust, family dysfunction and repressed anxiety interact with explosive results in Texas native and Baylor graduate Robert Askins’ darkly unsettling, foul-mouthed, and uproarious dissection of the troubled currents that roil a Christian puppet ministry in suburban Texas. With wildly imaginative flair, Askins thrusts us into an almost surreal world where hand puppets (meant to impart moral lessons) take on frightening lives of their own. As Jason grieves the loss of his father, his devilish, and possibly possessed puppet, Tyrone, is relentless in causing havoc, revealing secrets, and exposing the hypocrisy around him. With a theatrical magic that makes puppets seem as real and immediate as human actors, this immersive production will have audiences holding up a mirror to their deepest fears and imperfect natures, all with side-splitting laughter. Director Joanie Schultz’s Studio Theatre production of Hand to God was nominated for six Helen Hayes Awards including Best Director.
Robert Askins
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D I R E C T E D BY
Joanie Schultz * Mature Situations & Language
S P O N S O R E D BY
S E S A M E S T R E E T M E E T S T H E E XO R C I S T ” – T H E N E W YO R K E R
A DVA N C E P R I O R I T Y O R D E R I N G F O R S P E C I A L E V E N T S
Get first dibs on special event seating! ( 972 ) 45 0 - 62 32
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SEASON EXTRAS
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A S FA R A S ‘ D E T O U R S ’ A R E C O N C E R N E D, T H E Y ’ R E A LWAY S M O R E I N T E R E S T I N G T H A N T H E M A I N R OA D. ” – M A R Y K E L LY
(MARCH 1 - 4, 2018) DETOUR is WaterTower Theatre’s renewed investment in the creation and development of new work. A 4-day Festival which will consist of public performances and readings of new and devised work written by local and national artists, DETOUR is sure to inspire audiences while fostering opportunities for the innovative, daring, and relevant. Add a DETOUR Festival Pass to your Season Subscription order and get priority seating while saving money! $ 4 0 F O R S U B S C R I B E R S / / $ 4 5 F O R R E G U L A R PA S S H O L D E R S
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T H E AC H E F O R H O M E L I V E S I N A L L O F U S . ” – M AYA A N G E L O U
( D E C E M B E R 1 - 1 7, 2 0 1 7 ) C R E AT E D A N D C O N C E I V E D B Y K E L S E Y L E I G H E RV I
This winter, we invite audiences to come home to WaterTower Theatre. In a limited engagement, multidisciplinary theatrical event audiences will be immersed in a story of joy, love, and the warmth you feel upon returning home after a long absence. At WaterTower this holiday season, home really is where the heart is. Only $20! 18
W H Y SU BSCRIB E T O WAT E R T O W E R T H E AT R E ?
LOWE ST P R IC E S BY AS M U C H AS 2 5% BE ST S EATS – A LWAYS ! GUARA NTEED SA M E S EATS EAC H S EAS O N OR PRI ORI TY UPGRADE FR EE TICK ET EXC HAN G E S* * ENJ OY F IV E EXC EPT I O N AL E N T E RTAI N ME NT EX PE RI E N CE S MAKIN G A COM M I T M E N T I S F U N ! BUY A NOTH ER SUB S C R I PT I O N AN D B R I N G F RI E N DS! PRIOR ITY OR D ER IN G FO R S P E C I AL EVE N TS SU BSCR IB ER S SAVE $ 3 O N AD D I T I O N AL I NDI V I DUAL TI CK E TS
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T H E S E R I E S W I T H T H E B E S T T I C K E T P R I C E S A N D S E AT I N G !
5 S H O W M A I N S TA G E PA C K A G E
SERIES
A D U LT *
ST U D E N T/ S E N I O R *
PR E VIEW (FR I O R SAT)
$100
$100
OP EN IN G
$100
$100
W E DN E S DAY
$135
$120
T H UR SDAY
$135
$120
FRI DAY
$135
$120
SATUR DAY M ATINEE
$135
$120
SATUR DAY
$185
$185
S U NDAY
$135
$120
Saturday matinees on the 3rd and 4th Saturday of the run. Opening night is on a Monday. * Per Package Price ** Reasonable restrictions apply including upgrade fees for higher priced performance dates. Exchanges must be made before the original date of your tickets.
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PLEASE CONSIDER
A TAX-DEDUCTIBLE CONTRIBUTION I N A N Y A M O U N T W I T H YO U R S U B S C R I P T O N O R D E R . YO U C A N H E L P M A K E A B I G D I F F E R E N C E ! T H A N K Y O U F O R Y O U R S U P P O R T.
WaterTower Theatre’s annual budget is based on the premise that box office receipts alone can never cover the expenses associated with productions of live theatre. Professional theatre is a labor intensive craft, with each production custom made by scores of artists, craftspeople, and other professionals. Thus, the cost of presenting these live performances is much greater than what can be earned solely through ticket sales (40% of its budget). WaterTower Theatre relies on contributed income (60% of its budget) to make up the difference in order to keep ticket prices affordable to ensure as many people as possible can have the opportunity to enjoy and learn from a live theatre production. The same is true for the host of arts education programs WaterTower Theatre produces for students and adults in our community, most of which are offered free of charge or at a nominal tuition. 20
THE SERIES WITH THE GREATEST FLEXIBILITY DYO – D E S I G N YO U R OW N S E R I E S
Choose the Plays you want to see when you want to see them! D E S I G N YO U R OW N - M A I N S TAG E
SERIES
A D U LT
ST U D E N T/ S E N I O R
PR E VIEW (FR I O R SAT)
$22 ea.
$22 ea.
OP EN IN G
$22 ea.
$22 ea.
W E DN E S DAY
$29 ea.
$26 ea.
T H UR SDAY
$29 ea.
$26 ea.
FRI DAY
$29 ea.
$26 ea.
SATUR DAY M ATINEE*
$29 ea.
$26 ea.
SATUR DAY
$39 ea.
$39 ea.
S U NDAY
$29 ea.
$26 ea.
Pick 3 to 5 productions you don’t want to miss, and buy tickets to the performances that fit your schedule. Enjoy all the benefits of being a WTT subscriber with even more flexibility. You can exchange your tickets for FREE if you find your schedule changes. Reasonable restrictions apply including upgrade fees for higher priced performance dates. Exchanges must be made before the original date of your tickets. Choose the dates most convenient for you (you need to order the same number of tickets for each play).
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ENRICH YOUR WATERTOWER THEATRE EXPERIENCE C O N V E R S AT I O N S W I T H T H E A R T I S T S E R I E S O N LY $ 1 2 0 - $ 1 3 5
Stay in your seats after the performance to attend a lively discussion of the play you’ve just seen with members of the cast or creative team. This 5-play series works like a standard package in terms of pricing, seating, etc. Simply choose one of our Wednesday night or Sunday matinee performances. SIGN-INTERPRETED PERFORMANCES
At WaterTower Theatre we are committed to making our theatre accessible to all communities. We are happy to announce a sign-interpreted performance every 3rd Thursday of the run. PAY W H AT Y O U C A N
Join us for the Preview Sunday performance of any show and you pay whatever you want! From $1 to $1 million, you pick the price and enjoy an incredible afternoon of live theatre. PWYC performances are general admission, first come first served, and tickets are available one hour before performances begin.
S U B S C R I B E R S A LWAY S G E T T H E B E S T S E AT S !
We have many options to suit your individual needs.
SEASON BROCHURE CREDITS:
Photography: Joe Mazza // bravelux.com Design: Emily Holt // emilyfightscrime.com
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ENG
AG E
GET MORE INVOLVED T O D E E P E N PAT R O N S ' E N J O Y M E N T O F E A C H P R O D U C T I O N , WAT E R T O W E R T H E AT R E O F F E R S A B R O A D R A N G E O F E N G AG E M E N T E V E N T S I N C LU D I N G T H E F O L LOW I N G O P T I O N S :
TA L K B A C K S
Participate in a facilitated discussion with artists, scholars, local experts, and more immediately following select performances. A great way to share your thoughts, learn about the plays, and be a part of the magic. Contact the Box Office for more details. P L AY G U I D E S
Learn more about each play in the season by reading our online Play guides, found on our website under the “Audience Enrichment” Section. W O M E N O F WAT E R T O W E R T H E AT R E ( W O W ! )
The goal of Women of WaterTower Theatre is to offer members the opportunity to connect with an exciting and diverse group of women, a place to expand horizons about the arts with prestigious speakers – often women working in the arts – held at innovative venues and a forum to help build wider community support for WaterTower Theatre. For more information on joining WOW!, please call 972.450.6227. C O R P O R AT E C O U N C I L
Corporate Council is home to dozens of corporate business whose membership allows them to network at exclusive member receptions, support the art and artists of WTT, and hear from highly sought after corporate speakers. CEO’s welcome! For more information on Corporate Council please call 972.450.6227
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Please visit www.watertowertheatre.org or www.addisontx.gov to check out the awesome Town of Addison.
Parking is always free at the Addison Theatre Centre too.
The Town of Addison is an exceptional place to work, live, and visit! There are more than 175 restaurants in Addison, many within walking or driving distance of the theatre.
O F T H E TOW N O F A D D I S O N !
TO THANK THE GENEROUS SUPPORT
WAT E R T O W E R T H E AT R E W I S H E S
Joanie Schultz, Artistic Director Greg Patterson, Managing Director
WAT E R T O W E R T H E AT R E
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S U B S C R I B E T O DAY !
WAT E R T O W E R T H E AT R E . O R G
A D D I S O N , T X 75 0 0 1
1 5 6 5 0 A D D I S O N R OA D
ADDISON, TX PERMIT #106
PA I D
NON-PROFIT ORG U.S. POSTAGE