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Theatre Lab at FAU Announces 2022-23 Season

Boca Raton, FL – Theatre Lab, the professional resident company of Florida Atlantic University, is pleased to announce the 2022-23 season of new work including a southeastern premiere Heckscher Theatre for Families production, a three-play MainStage series of world premieres, and the annual Theatre Lab New Play Festival. All events will take place in the Heckscher Stage theater space in Parliament Hall, 777 Glades Road, Boca Raton campus. Tickets and season subscriptions go on sale on Monday, April 11 at www.fauevents.com or by calling 561-297-6124. Individual tickets will be on sale in August.

Theatre Lab will once again begin the season with their Heckscher Theatre for Families production. This year’s production is the Southeastern premiere of “Red Riding Hood by Allison Gregory. The show is a two-person, fast-paced, high-energy comedy with original music that turns the classic tale we know on its head and uses it to explore the magic of theater itself.

“The first Heckscher Theatre for Families production was the U.S. premiere of Allison’s play, ‘Ronia the Robber’s Daughter,’ and we are thrilled to have her return with her newest play  fresh off its world premiere at Seattle Children’s Theatre,” said Matt Stabile, producing artistic director of Theatre Lab. “These productions are meant for kids from ages 8 to 88, are filled with imagination and fun, and they are some of my favorite of our past productions.”

The production will serve as the centerpiece for Theatre Lab’s acclaimed educational outreach program, The Future PAGES Project. It runs from Saturday, Sept. 17 through Monday, Oct. 10, and in addition to performances for school groups during the week, Theatre Lab will offer public performances of the show on Saturdays at 2 and 6 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. Tickets are $25 for adults and free to all students under 18 with a paid adult admission. The show can also be added on to a MainStage subscription for an additional $10.

Free creative writing workshops for students ages 8 to17 will be offered one hour prior to matinee performances on Saturday and Sunday. All students who attend the show, whether with a field trip or at a public performance, are eligible to submit a piece of original writing for the opportunity to be included in Theatre Lab’s annual Future PAGES Project educational outreach program.

“Theatre Lab’s mission to develop, create and produce new work, artists and audiences for the American theater continues and deepens with our upcoming 2022-23 MainStage season.” said Stabile.  “We continue our commitment to new work by bringing a MainStage season of world premiere productions, including a National New Play Network (NNPN) Rolling World Premiere, to the South Florida theatrical community.”

The MainStage season will begin in November with the world premiere of “Dorothy’s Dictionary” by E.M. Lewis. The two-person show tells the story of Dorothy, an ailing librarian, and Zan, a 15-year-old boy, who has been sentenced to community service for a violent act he committed at school. Zan visits Dorothy daily to read to her and the two form an unexpected bond as they explore some of the great books. Ultimately, it’s a story about how literature and friendship can open new worlds.

“After joining us for our 2018 Playwright’s Forum & MasterClass, we are thrilled to welcome E.M. Lewis back to the lab for a full production of this beautiful play,” said Stabile.

The second production in the MainStage series, which will be staged in January 2023, features another world premiere, “Last Night In Inwood,” by Alix Sober. This comedy about the end of the world, which was featured in the 2021 virtual reading series “New Plays for a New Year,” will be directed by Stabile.

“It was heartbreaking to have to postpone the originally scheduled production of ‘Last Night in Inwood’ due to the omicron surge in January of 2021,” said Stabile. “So we feel incredibly fortunate to still have the opportunity to present the world premiere and share this incredibly funny and insightful show with our audiences.”

The final production in the MainStage series features an NNPN Rolling World Premiere, “Refuge,” which was co-created by Satya Jnani Chávez and Andrew Rosendorf, with translations by Mari Meza-Burgos. Originally commissioned by Curious Theatre Company in Denver, the play uses puppetry and original music to tell the bilingual tale of a young Honduran girl crossing the border into Texas and was a hit at Theatre Lab’s 2020 New Play Festival. This production will mark the third and final production of the rolling world premiere process after productions in Denver and Kansas City, Missouri. Founding director Louis Tyrrell has a lengthy history with Rosendorf and is elated to be able to produce this new work. 

“‘Refuge’ is such an important play for Theatre Lab, not only because of the subject matter, but because of what it means for us as a company,” said Tyrrell. “The joy of producing new work is that it enables us to be a place where audience members from all backgrounds feel welcomed and represented on our stage.”

Mainstage season subscriptions are $115 for all three plays. Existing subscribers can purchase subscriptions now, and new subscribers can purchase subscriptions beginning Monday, April 11. Individual tickets will go on-sale in August.

In addition, visiting playwrights will offer workshops throughout the season and the annual New Play Festival (March 10-12, 2023) offers a weekend of readings of new works with playwrights in attendance. The festival will include a new play from Theatre Lab’s Fair Play Initiative, a commission and development program for LGBT plays and stories made possible by generous funding from Our Fund Foundation.

More information on the season follows:

2022-23 THEATRE LAB PRODUCTIONS:

Heckscher Theatre for Families Production

‘Red Riding Hood’by Allison Gregory

A Southeastern Premiere

Sept. 17- Oct. 9

Directed by Matt Stabile

Wolfgang, the greatest actor in the world, is interrupted while performing his “one-man extravaganza” by a delivery person with a mysterious package. But the show must go on, and the two of them take on all the roles in this fast, funny and surprising adaptation. The wolf may have dinner plans, but this “Red” is courageous, clever and talented.

Allison Gregory, playwright of the first ever Heckscher Theatre for Families production “Ronia, the Robber’s Daughter,” returns to The Lab with her newest show for families, fresh off its world premiere at Seattle Children’s Theatre.

Performances open to the public on:

Saturdays at 2 and 6 p.m.

Sundays at 3 p.m.

$25 for adults.  Up to four children tickets (under 18) free with adult admission.

Free Creative Writing Workshops for students (grades 3-12) one hour prior to matinee performances.

MAINSTAGE SEASON:

Subscriptions: $115; add on Heckscher Theatre for Families for $10 more

Individual tickets: $35 – $45

‘Dorothy’s Dictionary’ by E.M. Lewis

A World Premiere

Preview Performances: Thursday, Nov. 17 and Friday, Nov. 18

Run: Nov. 19 – Dec. 11

Directed by Matt Stabile

Zan doesn’t want to read to Dorothy, and she’s not too sure she wants him to.  But his community service assignment is not optional.  And book by book, the two of them begin to form an unexpected friendship … just when they need it most.

After joining us for the 2018 Playwright’s Forum, award-winning playwright E.M. Lewis returns to the lab for a full production. This heartwarming story demonstrates the power of friendship and great literature to expand our horizons and belief in what is possible for our lives.

“Last Night In Inwood” by Alix Sobler

A World Premiere

Previews: Thursday, Jan. 26 and Friday, Jan. 27, 2023

Run: Jan. 28 – Feb. 12, 2023

Directed by Matt Stabile

A major disaster in Manhattan has everyone on the island looking for high ground. For Danny’s family and friends, that higher ground happens to be her one-bedroom apartment in Inwood. As the world outside goes to pieces, Danny tries to keep the peace among the assorted characters gathered in her space. They might make it through this crisis, if they can manage to survive each other.

The playwright of “The Glass Piano” returns to the lab with a comedy about the end of the world, one of the hits of our 2021 “New Plays for the New Year” virtual reading series.

‘Refuge’ co-created by Satya Jnani Chávez and Andrew Rosendorf, Translations by Mari Meza-Burgos

A National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere

Previews: Thursday, April 6 and Friday, April 7, 2023

Run: April 8 – 23, 2023

Original music, artistic puppetry, and magical realism allow this bilingual tale to tackle the immigration crisis through a beautiful, unique lens. Chronicling the harrowing journey of one young Honduran girl as she crosses the U.S. border into the inhospitable, barren land of Texas, “Refuge” is an exploration of empathy and of America, who we are and who we say we are.

After joining us for the 2020 New Play Festival, this incredible play with music finally returns to The Lab. Working in conjunction with our partner companies across the country (Curious Theatre in Denver and Unicorn Theatre in Kansas City, Missouri), we are thrilled to complete our season of world premieres with the final installment of this National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere.

ADDITIONAL EVENTS:

New Play Festival

March 10 – 12, 2023

Theatre Lab’s annual New Play Festivals continues the tradition of providing opportunities for emerging and established playwrights to showcase their work.  This event is your opportunity to get a sneak peek at some of the shows that might end up on our stage next season. Each reading is accompanied by a post-show discussion, an opportunity to interact with the playwrights themselves, where they will discuss the process, inspiration and plans for future development.

Friday, March 10 at 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, March 11 at noon, 3:30 and 7:30 p.m.

Sunday, March 12 at noon and 3:30 p.m.

Individual Readings: $20

Six-Play Package: $99

For more information about Theatre Lab, visit www.fau.edu/theatrelab.

About Florida Atlantic University:
Florida Atlantic University, established in 1961, officially opened its doors in 1964 as the fifth public university in Florida. Today, the University serves more than 30,000 undergraduate and graduate students across six campuses located along the southeast Florida coast. In recent years, the University has doubled its research expenditures and outpaced its peers in student achievement rates. Through the coexistence of access and excellence, FAU embodies an innovative model where traditional achievement gaps vanish. FAU is designated a Hispanic-serving institution, ranked as a top public university by U.S. News & World Report and a High Research Activity institution by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. For more information, visit 
www.fau.edu.

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