The Asolo Theatre Company NEWS
March 9, 2005
Media contact: Julia Guzman / 941-351-9010 Ext. 4800 / Julia_guzman@asolo.org
Asolo Announces 2005-2006 Season
Theatregoers Gather for the 47th Annual Season Announcement Event
SARASOTA, FL – Howard J. Millman, producing artistic director of the Asolo Theatre Company, and Greg Leaming, director of the Florida State University/Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training, announced their respective 2005-2006 seasons on Monday evening at the Asolo’s Season Announcement event.
The Asolo Theatre Festival’s 47th Season of Plays: Join The Asolo Theatre Festival on a fabulous journey of living, loving and laughing as Sarasota’s only professional rotating repertory company presents – An Unforgettable Season. Celebrate the human experience with a series of plays that brings to life on stage the courage, charm and comedy that make up this little thing we call “life.”
In the Harold E. and Esther M. Mertz Theatre
Laughing Stock by Charles Morey
Will Have You Rolling In the Aisles
(Nov 11, 2005-Feb 2, 2006) Take an entertaining and evocative visit to the back stage world of summer stock in a rustic barn theatre. It’s a hilarious farce based on the author’s many years of producing and directing summer theatre.
Laughing Stock is ... wildly funny as a pure farce full of great comic types.” - Salt Lake Weekly
Enchanted April by Mathew Barber
Charming, Uplifting Story of Friendship
(Nov 18, 2005-Feb 26, 2006) Fall in love with this charming story of four Englishwomen whose friendship and lives blossom in the beauty of an Italian villa. Their optimistic tale of renewal inspires a conscious desire for joy and romance. This uplifting romantic comedy enjoyed great success on Broadway.
“Enchanted April is that rarity: … leaves you positively glowing” - NY Theatre.com
A Christmas Carol
by Charles Dickens – adapted by Barbara Redmond & Eberle Thomas
Beloved Family Holiday Tradition
(Nov 25-Dec 29, 2005) Few holiday events are as eagerly anticipated or as warmly received. Discover the true spirit of Christmas along with Scrooge, Tiny Tim, and a host of other wonderfully familiar characters and share the joy of this celebrated play with a new generation.
Where better to see such a historic play than in our own historic theatre!
Trying by Joanna McClelland Glass
Award Winning, Off-Broadway Hit
(Jan 6-April 8, 2006) Fresh from the Canadian prairie Sarah becomes the assistant to cantankerous Francis Biddle, former Attorney General under FDR. Based on a true story, this moving new drama explores the bewildering nature of friendships, communication and aging. Loaded with humor and wisdom!
"… a glittering, diamond hard script that is all but flawless" - Chicago Sun-Times
Anything to Declare? by Pierre Veber & Maurice Hennequin
translation by Greg Leaming
A Rambunctious French Sex Farce
(Jan 20-April 27, 2006) On the night train to his honeymoon, a young man is left impotent by the untimely interruption of a customs officer. His desperate and zany quest to consummate and thereby save his marriage takes him to the bordello of Madame Zeze where comedic chaos ensues!
”… (the playwrights) manage to keep it up here for more than two hours… great fun!” – London Guardian
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
dramatized by Christopher Sergel
A Much-loved, Critically-acclaimed, Classic
(Feb 24- May 6, 2006) Attorney Atticus Finch defends an unjustly accused young black man in a racially divided 1930’s Alabama town. The play’s rich, engaging story and compelling characters bring to life powerful examples of integrity, fairness and quiet courage.
This Pulitzer Prize winning story is a must see for all generations!
Lady Windermere’s Fan by Oscar Wilde
Wilde-ly Witty Comedy of Manners
(Mar 10-May 6, 2006) Gossip has it that Lady Windermere’s spouse is spending too much time with a mysterious older woman… Wilde’s comic masterpiece sparkles with sardonic wit, clever paradoxes, humorous quips and jealous snits.
"What is a cynic? A man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing." - from Lady Windermere's Fan by Oscar Wilde
Crowns by Regina Taylor, from the book by Michael Cunningham and Craig Marberry
Off-Broadway Sensation with Hattitude!
(May 13-June 4, 2006) Delight in this joyous celebration of African-American women and their church hats as adapted from the best-selling book of the same title. The play features the rich and lustrous stories of family, love, loss and self awareness told through compelling oral histories and glorious gospel music.
Crowns is a joyous celebration…” – Talkin Broadway.com
Asolo Theatre Company Shows in the Jane B. Cook Theatre
Performing in rotating repertory from May 6-June 18, 2006
Rounding Third by Richard Dresser
A Laugh-out-loud Home Run
When it comes to Little League, nothing is little. Join two mismatched father/coaches – a seasoned veteran and a rookie newcomer – comically struggling between opposing philosophies about the game, parenthood and the true meaning of success.
"Dresser embodies the ability to channel the voices of real people...” – nytheatre.com
"HILARIOUS" – Variety
String of Pearls by Michele Lowe
A Gem of a Play
Love, loss and destiny threaded together in an alluring and powerful play. The journey of one radiant strand of pearls links the stories of 27 women as four actresses play the many colorful characters that over time covet, steal, bestow and misplace the singular necklace.
“Highly satisfying, hilarious blend of sex, satire, poignancy and absurdism…” New York Times
The FSU/Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training 2005-2006 Season
An Exciting Season Ahead!
Presenting the 2005-2006 Conservatory Season. In it you will have the opportunity to see our second-year Conservatory students stretch their muscles in an exciting range of material, from classical work to the freshest voices writing for the theatre today. Plans are still underway, but these are the projects under consideration.
Pericles by William Shakespeare
Shakespeare's glorious romance about love, family and "the music of the spheres.”
What the Butler Saw by Joe Orton
One of the 20th Century's wildest sex farces by England's great voice of comic anarchy.
Five by Tennessee by Tennessee Williams
Five brilliant sketches by our country's premiere playwright. Each presents a lyrical, tender and bittersweet gem.
Mirandolina by Carlo Goldoni
A commedia masterpiece about one very strong woman juggling her admirers.
All dates and plays are subject to change. Subscriptions are on sale now; single tickets go on sale in October. For more information about the Asolo Theatre Company or Conservatory seasons, please call the box office at 941-351-8000 or toll-free at 800-361-8388, or visit our website at WWW.ASOLO.ORG.
The Florida State University Center for the Performing Arts is home to the Asolo Theatre Company, the FSU/Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training and Sarasota Ballet of Florida.
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The Asolo is funded in part by the Division of Cultural Affairs, Florida Department of State, The Florida Arts Council, the City and County of Sarasota and the Sarasota County Tourist Development Tax through the Board of County Commissioners, the Tourist Development Council, and the Sarasota Arts Council. Funding is also received through the efforts of support groups including the Asolo Angel Association, the Asolo Theatre Guild, The Directors Emeritus and the generosity of individuals, corporations and foundations.