orkhouse Theatre Company (WTC) continues its 2010-11 season with the beloved comedy Sylvia by A. R. Gurney, Jr, opening May 6, and performing through May 22.
Sylvia tells the story of Greg and Kate, a middle-aged couple adjusting to their “empty nest,” and what happens when Greg brings home a stray dog. The urbane comedy brings Twin Cities favorites David Denninger, Erin Duffy, Julie Ann Nevill and Jonathan Peterson to the Workhouse stage for the first time. The show is directed by WTC Artistic Director Cristopher Tibbetts. The stage manager for the show is Alissa Blaeser. The design team includes Lisa Diesslin (costumes), Todd Edwards (sound), Dietr Poppen (set), and Mark Webb (lights).
The New York Daily News called Sylvia “one of the most involving, beautiful, funny, touching, and profound plays I have ever seen.” The New York Times described it as “delicious and dizzy.”
Sylvia plays May 6, 7, 9, 13, 14, 20, and 21 at 7:30 p.m., and May 8, 15, and 22 at 2 p.m. All performances are at The Warren-An Artist Habitat, 4400 Osseo Road. At each performance, all Camden residents can get two tickets for $15. For info call 612-216-1583 or visit www.workhousetheatre.org.
WTC is also pleased to announce its 2011-12 season of shows. According to Tibbetts, WTC is expanding its programming to include more shows, including a holiday show and a family-friendly musical.
The 2011-12 season kicks off with the Pulitzer Prize winning drama, Rabbit Hole, about a suburban couple whose seemingly perfect life is torn apart by tragedy. Directed by Victory resident Diane Mountford (who has directed WTC’s productions of 100 and Proof), the show runs October 7-23. According to Tibbetts, “this show is so beautifully written…I’m so grateful to Diane Mountford for bringing it to my attention, and so happy she’ll be directing for us once again.”
WTC will welcome the holidays with the darkly humorous The Eight: Reindeer Monologues by Jeff Goode, directed and designed by WTC Managing Director Mark Webb. In this decidedly adult holiday tale, Santa’s faithful helpers finally get their turn to speak out about the true story of life at the North Pole! The Eight: Reindeer Monologues runs December 3-18.
Bring the whole family out to see WTC’s first-ever mainstage musical, You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown February 24-March 11, 2012. Directed by Mark Hauck, this perennial favorite features a day in the life of the Peanuts gang. “We hope not only to reach a broader audience,” says Tibbetts, “but also to thank our loyal supporters by giving them a show to which they can bring the whole family.”
Tibbetts will return to the director’s chair to stage Michael Frayn’s international hit Copenhagen April 27-May 13, 2012. With this production, WTC is pleased to welcome back Michael Jurenek, who played Uncle Peck in How I Learned to Drive and directed Apartment 3A, to play German physicist Werner Heisenberg in a searing, provocative drama about why we do the things we do, and the ultimate consequences of our actions.
WTC’s second annual Pride production will be the Twin Cities premiere of the dark comedy Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenaged Blockhead June 22-July 8, 2012. In this acclaimed off-Broadway hit, the beloved Peanuts gang has now grown into their teens, and is struggling with issues of sexual identity, bullying, teen suicide, school violence and rebellion. The show will be directed by Scott Rubsam.
Additionally, WTC will commemorate Patriot Day with a reading of The Guys on September 11, 2011, and celebrate Valentine’s Day 2012 in style with a production of Love Letters. The popular Shakespeare on Sunday reading series, a collaboration with Minnesota Shakespeare Project, will return with three dates to be announced shortly. And, as always, look for WTC at the popular Heritage Day and Holiday on 44 celebrations. Season tickets are available by calling 612-216-1583 or at www.workhousetheatre.org.