30 Seasons of Entertaining, Challenging, Innovative, and Thought-Provoking Theatre.
Lines: The Lived Experience of Race
a new ethnography devised by Stephanie Sandberg and Company
September 30 and October 1,2, 7,8 & 9
Lines, the latest ethnographic piece of theater by Stephanie Sandberg (Seven Passages: The Stories of Gay Christians) and her team of devisors, will give voice to the lived experience of race in West Michigan.
Founded in the actual, based on the possible, Lines brings the words of over 150 individuals from our community to life as they discuss the dimensions of diversity. This Actors' Theatre world premiere is sure to be a powerful work of theater.
[Explore Lines:The Lived Experience of Race]
MAJOR PRODUCTION SPONSOR:
Distracted
By Lisa Loomer
December 2-4, and December 9-11, 2010
What’s the matter with nine-year-old Jessie? He won’t sit still, he curses, he raps and no one can seem to get him in (or out of) pajamas. Teachers think it's A.D.D., Dad says, "He's just a boy!" Mom is on a quest for answers in this hilarious, provocative and poignant look at the modern family which asks the question: Are we so tuned into our world that we've tuned out what really matters?
Opus
By Michael Hollinger
January 27-29, and February 3-5, 2011
The world-class Lazara String Quartet is struggling to prepare for their highest-profile performance when they decide to fire their brilliant, yet mercurial, violist. When a young woman is hired as the replacement, her gifts inspire them to attempt a musical feat of epic proportions.
The rehearsal room becomes a pressure cooker as passions rise, personalities clash, and the musicians are forced to tackle life, love, and the ephemeral nature of their work.
The Sweetest Swing in Baseball
By Rebecca Gilman
March 24-26 & 30th, April 1-2, 2011
Artist Dana Fielding is in a slump in her career and her personal life. Her boyfriend has lost patience, her latest gallery opening is a flop and her anxiety for it all turns her into a recluse. When Dana attempts suicide she lands in a mental ward, but finds she enjoys it so much she wants to stay.
With her insurance running out, her solution arrives from an unlikely source: Darryl Strawberry. The Sweetest Swing in Baseball is an inventive and hilarious look at the demands and tremendous costs of creating art.
[Explore The Sweetest Swing in Baseball]
Reefer Madness! - the Musical
Book by Kevin Murphy, Dan Studney | Music by Dan Studney | Lyrics by Kevin Murphy
May 26-28 & June 2-4, 2011
It's 1936 and Jimmy becomes a murderous fiend after being led astray by the "devil weed" Marijuana. He mouths off to his parents, steals from the poor box, brutalizes small animals and (GASP!) even tries to tongue kiss his shocked girlfriend!
Attempted interventions and pleas by Mom and Jesus (accompanied by backup angels) go unheard and soon Jimmy's on the lam in a stolen Packard in this campy, over-the-top new musical. It's safe to say that "with Reefer, there are no happy endings."
