Relevant, timely, and deliriously funny. This clever new adaptation of Moliere’s classic satire on the medical profession prescribes hilarity with doses of love triangles, mistaken identities and double entendres. A chronic hypochondriac’s finances fall ill due to his incessant appetite for ailment. His only way out is to marry off his daughter to a doctor, only she has other plans. You’ll laugh till it hurts!
TO BE ANNOUNCED – Play #2 in the Rep season
January 9 – April 16, 2009
Stay tuned; this production title will be announced soon.
THE WINTER’S TALE by William Shakespeare
An Asolo Rep production in the Mertz Theatre
January 23 – May 16, 2009
In this breathtaking masterpiece, Shakespeare transports you on a sweeping journey from mistrust and rage to deliverance and wonder in this inspired celebration of joy and life. King Leontes, convinced of his wife’s infidelity with his best friend, takes matters into his own hands. The bitter consequences of his insecurities lead to neglect, a star-crossed love affair, death and one of the most famous Shakespearean stage directions ever written: Exit, pursued by a bear.
VISITING MR. GREEN by Jeff Baron
An Asolo Rep production in the Historic Asolo Theater
January 30 – February 21, 2009
DIRECTED BY HOWARD MILLMAN AND STARRING DAVID S. HOWARD
Translated into 23 languages and seen in more than 300 productions, this revered two man show imparts a message of caring and acceptance to all who experience it. A young executive’s reckless driving leads to nearly hitting a pedestrian and a sentence of court-ordered weekly visits with his elderly victim. This touching and deeply moving piece travels from comedy to gripping drama through a series of vignette encounters between the two vastly different characters.
MURDERERS by Jeffrey Hatcher
An Asolo Rep production in the Mertz Theatre
March 13 – May 23, 2009
A kooky comedy filled with murderous twists and turns. Join Gerald, Lucy and Minka for a murderous evening at Florida’s Riddle Key Luxury Retirement Community and Golf Course. All three have murder on their minds, but why? An offbeat, killer comedy of greed, revenge, and electric golf carts.
THE DEVIL'S DISCIPLE by George Bernard Shaw
An Asolo rep production in the Mertz Theatre
March 20 – May 24, 2009
DIRECTION, SCENIC & COSTUME DESIGN BY TONY WALTON
A timely, crackling comedy presented in true Shaw style set in New Hampshire during the American Revolution. Self-professed "devil's disciple" Dick Dudgeon rejected Puritan values to follow his will. The Reverend Anderson follows his heart and practices what he preaches. Mrs. Anderson is the picture of piety until British soldiers mistakenly arrest Dick instead of the Reverend. This thoroughly enjoyable production comes to Asolo Rep fresh from a critically acclaimed NY run.
PERFECT MENDACITY by Jason Wells
An Asolo Rep production in the Cook Theatre
WORLD PREMIERE
May 15 – June 14, 2009
Spies, Lies and Polygraphs. Audiences and critics raved about Wells’ Men of Tortuga during its Asolo Rep world premiere last season; Jason is back with a new thriller. Walter works in the world of secrets. His personal and professional lives collide when his past comes back to haunt him. This politically charged thrill ride will leave you on the edge of your seat to the last second.
SOUVENIR: A Fantasia on the Life of Florence Foster Jenkins
A New Play with Music by Stephen Temperley
An Asolo Rep production in the Mertz Theatre
June 5 – June 28, 2009
STARRING JUDY KAYE
Hailed by the NY Daily News as "Hilarious and deeply touching...a loony triumph!” This wildly entertaining play answers the question, “What if you believed in yourself so much that nothing could stand in your way?” It is the true story of Florence Foster Jenkins a socialite so lost in her love of music that in spite of being tone-deaf, she and her pianist, Cosme McMoon enjoyed a successful concert career. It’s a captivating tale of friendship and a joyful musical salute to one woman's unwavering belief in herself.
THE FSU/ASOLO CONSERVATORY FOR ACTOR TRAINING 2008-2009 SEASON
Greg Leaming, the associate artistic director for Asolo Repertory Theatre and director of the FSU/Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training, also took the stage to announce the 2008-2009 Conservatory season, which features some of this country’s most talented acting students performing in a series of four plays that run from November 2008 to May 2009 in two venues–the Cook Theatre in the FSU Center for the Performing Arts and the Historic Asolo Theater at the Ringling Museum.
WILDER! WILDER! WILDER! Five One-Act Plays by Thornton Wilder
Five one act plays from the Pulitzer Prize winning playwright who transformed the American theatre by combining compassion and enormous heart with a brilliant sense of theatricality. The entire second year class of students will be showcased in this evening of plays that range from bright comedy to moving and heartfelt sentiment. In the Cook Theatre from November 4 through November 23.
BLUR by Melanie Marnich
A charming and moving play by one of the brightest and most original voices writing for the theatre today. 15 year old Dot DiPrima learns she has a degenerative eye condition, but in the process discovers a new way of looking at the world around her and opens the eyes of her circle of friends and family. A quirky and often outrageous comedy about becoming an adult in a complex and confusing world. In the Cook Theatre January 6 through January 25.
MISS JULIE by August Strindberg
The classic play about love, lust and the battle of the sexes. A hot tempered upper class young girl reaches outside of her class to dance and flirt with the footman in her father’s household, and in so doing begins a battle for power that reaches a shattering conclusion. One of the great dramas of the 19th century that still has the power to shock today. In the Cook Theatre March 3 through March 22.
THREE POSTCARDS, a musical play by Craig Lucas with music and lyrics by Craig Carnelia
Three old friends meet for dinner in a quiet restaurant in Greenwich Village and share memories, daydreams and fantasies while being waited on by a very proper waiter and the restaurant’s piano player. As the evening progresses the women begin to move back and forth in time and space, revealing deeper and deeper layers of their lives in scenes and songs until the meal ends and they return to their quiet lives, unaware of just how much of themselves they’ve revealed. A charming and unique chamber musical. In the Historic Asolo Theater April 14 through May 3.
For information on purchasing a subscription or individual tickets to the FSU/Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training 2008-2009 season, please contact the Box Office at 941-351-8000 or toll-free at 800-361-8388, or go to the website at WWW.ASOLO.ORG.
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ABOUT ASOLO REPERTORY THEATRE
Asolo Repertory Theatre, the premier professional theatre of the state of Florida, has become one of the most important cultural forces in the Southeastern United States. Now in its 49th season, Asolo Rep continues its mission to entertain, engage, and inspire audiences through the highest quality productions of classical, contemporary, and newly commissioned work all performed in rotating repertory. We also strive to connect with our community through top-notch educational programming. Asolo Rep is one of only four theatres in the country to still operate in true rotating repertory all year long, and is among the small number of theatres that still employs a core resident acting company. Both of these elements allow us to provide our audiences with a unique and dynamic experience in the theatre. There are few other locations where it is possible to see such a talented and accomplished resident company -- complemented by distinguished guest artists -- perform in four different plays over the course of one weekend. This combination of versatility and excellence is Asolo Rep’s trademark.Producing Artistic Director Michael Donald Edwards completes his second year, continuing the journey begun in his powerful and critically lauded first season. Yet Asolo Rep’s legacy of excellence remains the cornerstone of its identity. Having built its reputation as a center for theatrical excellence, Asolo Rep takes another bold step toward the future with a steadfast commitment to its core mission – to Entertain, Engage and Inspire individuals of all ages and backgrounds for generations to come.
BIOGRAPHY INFORMATION
MICHAEL DONALD EDWARDS (Producing Artistic Director; Director, A Tale of Two Cities and Equus) begins his third season as producing artistic director at Asolo Repertory Theatre in 2008-2009. Prior to his time at Asolo Rep, he was the associate artistic director for Syracuse Stage and also served as artistic director of Shakespeare Santa Cruz in California for six years. Mr. Edwards has directed at Indiana Repertory Theatre; Geva Theatre; Syracuse Stage; The Shakespeare Theatre; San Jose Rep; Opera San Jose; the Oregon Shakespeare Festival; the Old Globe in San Diego; Virginia Stage Company; the Virginia Opera; the State Theatre of South Australia; Opera Australia; Victoria State Opera; and the Metropolitan Opera. He has received a Garland Award for Best Direction for his production of Shakespeare’s Henry IV, Part I at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. His productions of Shopping and F***ing in San Francisco and Los Angeles also received Garland Awards for Best Production and Best Ensemble. He received a Drama Logue Award for Best Direction for his production of Richard III at Shakespeare Santa Cruz, and his production of Transgressor in Los Angeles also received Drama Logue Awards for Best Play and Best Direction. Mr. Edwards has previously directed The Smell of the Kill, Amadeus, Nobody Don’t Like Yogi, and Darwin in Malibu for Asolo Rep.
LINDA M. DIGABRIELE (Managing Director) joined Asolo Rep in 1973. Prior to her appointment as managing director, she held several other positions with Asolo Rep, including administrative director, director of touring programs and stage manager. During her 12-year tenure with the touring programs, Ms. DiGabriele orchestrated 26 regional and national tours for Asolo Rep's mainstage and educational companies. A graduate of FloridaStateUniversity, her professional theatre experience includes acting and directing. Ms. DiGabriele has served on an advisory panel for the National Endowment for the Arts and, for five years, the JohnF.KennedyCenter’s Theatre for Young Audiences. She also serves on the executive committee for the League of Resident Theatres (LORT), a national organization of regional not-for-profit professional theatres. Ms. DiGabriele is a past president of the Florida Professional Theatre Association. She has served the Florida Division of Cultural Affairs as a member of various panels including the Grant Awards Task Force, Theatre Grants, Arts in Educations Grants, and the Cultural Institution Programs review committee. She has also served on the board of directors for ASSITEJ/USA, an international theatre organization for young audiences, and the Florida Cultural Alliance. Ms. DiGabriele received the Florida Professional Theatre Association Richard G. Fallon Lifetime Achievement Award in 2004.
GREG LEAMING (Director, FSU/Asolo Conservatory for Actor Training; Associate Artistic Director, Asolo Repertory Theatre; Director, The Play’s The Thing and Murder by Poe; Dramaturg, A Tale of Two Cities) directed Pericles and Blue Window for the FSU/Asolo Conservatory and the world premiere of Men of Tortuga and his translation/adaptation of Anything to Declare? for Asolo Rep. Other credits include Associate Director and Producing Director, Hartford Stage Company; Artistic Director, Portland Stage Company; Director of Artistic Programming and Acting Artistic Director, Long Wharf Theatre; Associate Professor of Theatre and Head of Directing, Southern Methodist University. Off Broadway, he directed the world premiere of Constance Congdon’s Lips for Primary Stages. Other productions include: Arms and the Man, Mrs. Warren’s Profession, Intimate Exchanges, Anna Christie, The Illusion, Private Lives, Baltimore Waltz, On The Verge and the world premieres of Constance Congdon’s Losing Father’s Body, Jeffrey Hatcher’s Turn of the Screw, Keith Curran’s Church of the Sole Survivor, Steven Druckman’s Going Native, Theresa Rebeck’s Abstract Expression, Joe Sutton’s The Third Army, Alan Knee’s Syncopation and David Schulner’s An Infinite Ache for theatres including Stage West, Philadelphia Drama Guild, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Merrimack Repertory Theatre, Southwest Shakespeare, Dorset Theatre Festival, Hangar Theatre, and Florida Stage. He has developed new works with New Dramatists, New York Theatre Workshop, New York Stage and Film, Cape Cod Theatre Project, The Gathering at Bigfork and Theatre of the First Amendment.