For Immediate Release:  February 6, 2019

Media Contact:  Julie Vance, Marketing Director

(520) 626-2686 | julievance@email.arizona.edu

University of Arizona School of Theatre Film & Television Arizona Repertory Theatre Announces 2019/2020 Season

TUCSON, AZ – Arizona Repertory Theatre (ART) announces an outstanding line up of productions for the 2019/2020 season. The season assures the School’s long tradition of outstanding training for University of Arizona theatre students and advances its commitment to offering exceptional programming to the public.

Arizona Repertory Theatre is thrilled to present a season filled with joy, intellect, drama, heart, and most of all, a genuine reflection of humanity. It is a reflection that can be both beautiful and sad, but is always powerful and moving.

The Legend of Georgia McBride kicks off the theatrical journey with the funny and heartwarming story of an Elvis impersonator turned drag queen. After that, Stephen Schwartz’s modern musical classic, Pippin tells of a young prince and his quest for true happiness and fulfillment. The year comes to a close with The Last Night of Ballyhoo, a Tony Award winning play which finds the Freitag family confronting their own prejudices, desires and beliefs as they prepare for the social event of the year.

A finalist for the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for drama, The Wolves is a ferocious, smart and fun look into the world of young female competitors, their relationships to one another and the world around them. Shakespeare’s The Two Gentlemen of Verona tells the comedic tale of two long lost friends in love with the same woman. The season ends on a beautiful note with another Tony Award winner, The Light in the Piazza. Set in Italy, this romantic location is the perfect backdrop for exquisite songs and a delightful love story.

“Audiences and students will find the season is exciting in its clear intent toward diversifying representation on our stages,” said Deanna Fitzgerald, Interim Co-Director of the School of Theatre, Film & Television and Producer of Arizona Repertory Theatre. “Some of the productions may be familiar and some may be new, but we expect all of them to be entertaining and provide audiences with a theatrical experience they will not forget.”

Fitzgerald also noted, “The training of our students in the classics like Pippin and The Two Gentlemen of Verona continues to be a high priority, while newer works like The Legend of Georgia McBride and The Wolves provide them with the opportunity to challenge themselves with more contemporary and ambitious scripts. As an educational institution with a professional faculty and rigorous standards, we believe that all of these productions will positively shape the lives of our students, as they learn to create impact for our audiences, and prepare them to transition successfully into the theatre and entertainment fields.”

Ticket Information

Subscription renewals and new subscriptions on sale March 25, 2019. Subscriptions available at the College of Fine Arts Box Office by phone at (520) 621-1162 or in person at 1025 N. Olive Road, inside the Marroney Theatre on the University of Arizona campus. Hours of operation are Monday – Friday from 12-4pm.

Single tickets on sale Monday, August 26, 2019. Tickets may be purchased by phone at (520) 621-1162 or online at tickets.arizona.edu.

Learn more about Arizona Repertory Theatre at theatre.arizona.edu.

Arizona Repertory Theatre 2019-2020 Season

The Legend of Georgia McBride

by Matthew Lopez

September 21 – October 6, 2019 | Tornabene Theatre

Casey works as an Elvis impersonator at a local bar and life is good. He even has a new sequin jumpsuit for his act. But in one evening he loses his job, his landlord demands the rent and his wife announces that a baby is on the way. So when a drag show moves into his old place of employment “The King” transforms himself into a queen and with the help of his new friends, he finds a family he never expected. Filled with humor, love and more than a few production numbers, this comedy takes us on a delightful journey that will warm the heart.

Pippin

Book by Roger O. Hirson, Music & Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz

Originally produced on the Broadway stage by Stuart Ostrow

Originally directed on the Broadway stage by Bob Fosse

2013 Broadway revival directed by Diane Paulus

Theo Ending Originally Conceived In 1998 by Mitch Sebastian

October 19 – November 3, 2019 | Marroney Theatre

With an infectiously unforgettable score from four-time Grammy winner, three-time Oscar winner and musical theatre giant, Stephen Schwartz, Pippin tells the story of one young man’s journey to be extraordinary. Heir to the Frankish throne, the young prince Pippin is in search of the secret to true happiness and fulfillment. He seeks it in the glories of the battlefield, the temptations of the flesh and the intrigues of political power, but none of them supply him with the treasure he seeks. In the end Pippin finds that happiness lies not in extraordinary endeavors, but rather in the simple, ordinary moments that happen every day.

The Last Night of Ballyhoo

by Alfred Uhry

November 9 – 24, 2019 | Tornabene Theatre

The year is 1939 and while Hitler is invading Poland, Atlanta’s close-knit Jewish community is preparing for Ballyhoo, the social event of the year. The Freitag family hopes that the party will be a chance for their daughters to meet their future husbands–but when their uncle brings home his new employee, a handsome Eastern European bachelor from Brooklyn, everyone must confront their own prejudices, desires and beliefs. By turns heartbreaking and uplifting, The Last Night of Ballyhoo won the 1997 Tony Award for Best Play.

The Wolves

by Sarah DeLappe

February 8 – 23, 2020 | Tornabene Theatre

The Wolves offers an unflinching, intimate glimpse into the world of a high school women’s soccer team. Nine diverse teammates navigate questions of identity, community, and society all while warming up for the last few games of their season. Playwright Sarah DeLappe’s unique, overlapping dialogue moves from moments that are deadly serious to awkwardly hilarious, but always true to life. With an ensemble of distinct female characters, this fast moving play offers audiences a window into the intense world of female adolescence. The Wolves was a finalist for the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

The Two Gentlemen of Verona

by William Shakespeare

March 16 – 29, 2020 | Marroney Theatre

Best friends Valentine and Proteus embark on different paths in life only to run into each other again when they both fall in love with the same woman. The Two Gentlemen of Verona is one of Shakespeare’s earliest plays, his first comedy and also one of the most rarely performed plays in the canon. The play centers on a host of themes that Shakespeare would spend the rest of his career wrestling with, betrayal, disguise and love. Featuring one of his most beloved clowns, The Two Gentlemen of Verona provides an opportunity to see a master playwright just beginning to flex his genius.

The Light in the Piazza

Book by Craig Lucas, Music and Lyrics by Adam Guettel

Produced by arrangement with Turner Entertainment Co.

Owner of the original motion picture “The Light In The Piazza”

Based on the Novel by Elizabeth Spencer

April 11 – 26, 2020 | Tornabene Theatre

This Tony Award winning musical whisks you away to Italy for a captivating tale of passion and romance. It’s the summer of 1953, and Margaret Johnson is travelling the Tuscan countryside with her daughter Clara. When a handsome young Florentine captures Clara’s heart, Margaret must decide if she will risk revealing the truth that could threaten her daughter’s happiness and force her to confront her own choices and dreams. The Light in the Piazza features an intensely romantic score and a heartwarming story of love.

About Arizona Repertory Theatre

Arizona Repertory Theatre (ART) is a unique theatre company within the University of Arizona College of Fine Arts School of Theatre, Film & Television. ART presents six productions each season designed to educate and train theatre students while providing an incredibly entertaining experience for audiences. ART performs over 100 performances each season from September through May. ART is modeled after professional theatre companies and consists of students from the Acting and Musical Theatre program with students from the Design and Technology program providing production support. Arizona Repertory Theatre invites you to experience the future of theatre and “See Tomorrow’s Stars Today!”

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