Encore Theatrical Company unveils 2009 Mainstage Season

Encore Theatrical Company, the Lakeway Area's newest performing arts organization located in Morristown, is pleased to announce its Mainstage season for 2009. The 2009 Mainstage season combines an excellent mixture of musicals and non-musicals, comedies and dramas, traditional and newer works. The Encore 2009 Mainstage season has something for everyone.

Inherit the Wind
February 20, 21, 27, 28, March 6, 7 at 8:00 p.m.
February 22, March 1, 8 at 2:00 p.m.
Hamblen County Courthouse

By Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee Produced through special arrangement with Dramatists Play Service, Inc.

General tickets on sale January 26.
Season subscription holders may reserve their seats beginning January 12.

The first production of the season will be “Inherit the Wind” by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee. Inherit The Wind is a fictionalized retelling of the famous 1925 “Monkey Trial,” in which science teacher John Scopes was tried and convicted for teaching Darwin’s theory of evolution, violating a Tennessee law that forbade teaching any theory that conflicted with the Biblical teaching of Divine Creation. The Scopes trial was aptly dubbed the “trial of the century.” The play explores what happens when a small town turns the incident into a national debate between science and religion.

Inherit The Wind, often considered one of the great plays of the twentieth century, first played on Broadway in 1955 at the National Theatre, with Paul Muni and Ed Begley earning Tony Awards® for their performances as Drummond and Brady, respectively. The popular 1960 movie version starred Spencer Tracy, Frederic March and Gene Kelley, and three television adaptations have also been filmed.

Encore is pleased to offer “Inherit the Wind” as its first show of the season in a unique performance venue. The play will take place in the Hamblen County Courthouse and will run February and March of next year.

The Sound of Music
May 1, 2, 8, 9, 15, 16 at 8:00 p.m.
May 2, 3, 9, 10, 16, 17 at 2:00 p.m.
Walters State Community College Inman Humanities Theatre

Music by Richard Rodgers; Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II; Book by Howard Lindsay, Russel Crouse Produced through special arrangement with Rodgers and Hammerstein Theatricals

General tickets on sale April 6.
Season subscription holders may reserve their seats beginning March 23.

Next in the season is a well known favorite from the writing team that brought us classics like “South Pacific,” “Oklahoma,” and “The King and I.” With music and lyrics by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russell Crouse, “The Sound of Music” is one of the most well-known and loved musicals of all time. Winner of five 1959 Tony Awards, “The Sound of Music” takes place just before World War II, where aspiring nun Maria is sent to be a governess for World War I hero and widower Captain von Trapp and his seven children. The Captain, both strict and stoic, does not approve of Maria's unconventional ways; however, he and Maria both begin to fall in love with one another, despite his engagement to another woman, and her vows to the church. After fleeing the von Trapp home and reaching deep into her soul, Maria returns to the von Trapp family and the Captain just in time to find out the Captain has been summoned to duty for the Third Reich. Instead, Maria and her new family flee the country for the hills of Switzerland and freedom. One of Rodgers and Hammerstein's most beautiful scores, the musical includes the songs “My Favorite Things,” “Do-Re-Mi,” “Climb Ev'ry Mountain,” “Edelweiss,” and “So Long, Farewell.”

Mary Martin originated the role of Maria, which was later made popular in the film version starring Julie Andrews, along with Christopher Plummer. The film went on to win five Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and see became the highest grossing film in history. “The Sound of Music” remains the most successful movie musical in history.

Encore is also pleased to announce that in conjunction with their production of “The Sound of Music,” they will host a special guest. Bruce Pomahac , Director of Music for the Rodgers and Hammerstein Organization, will be visiting Morristown to work with cast and crew and lead a master class on the composers and the production. Details will be announced at a later date. The production will be presented in April and May.

The Producers
July 31, August 1, 7, 8, 14, 15 at 8:00 p.m.
August 1, 2, 8, 9, 15, 16 at 2:00 p.m.
Walters State Community College Inman Humanities Theatre

Music and Lyrics by Mel Brooks; Book by Mel Brooks and Thomas Meehan Produced through special arrangement with Music Theatre International

General tickets on sale June 29.
Season subscription holders may reserve their seats beginning June 15.

“The Producers” is based on the 1968 film of the same name starring Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder. It's New York in 1959 and a down-on-his-luck Broadway producer and his mild-mannered accountant come up with a scheme to produce the most notorious flop in history thereby bilking their backers (all “little old ladies”) out of millions of dollars. Only one thing goes awry: the show is a smash hit! The antics of Max Bialystock and Leo Bloom as they maneuver their way fecklessly through finding a show (the gloriously offensive “Springtime For Hitler”), hiring a director, raising the money and finally going to prison for their misdeeds is a lesson in broad comic construction.

With a truly hysterical book co-written by Mel Brooks and Thomas Meehan (playwright for “Annie”) and music and lyrics by Mr. Brooks, “The Producers” sets the standard for modern, outrageous, in-your-face humor. It is a true Broadway hit, winning a record twelve Tony® Awards and wowing capacity crowds night after night.

The original Broadway production of The Producers opened at the St. James Theatre on April 19, 2001 and ran for 2,502 performances, closing on April 22, 2007. The director and choreographer was Susan Stroman. The show originally starred Nathan Lane as Max Bialystock and Matthew Broderick as Leo Bloom. It’s sweep at the Tony Awards broke the record held for 37 years by Hello, Dolly!, which had won 10. After the opening, The Producers broke the record for the largest single day box-office gross in theatre history, taking in more than $3 million. It then broke its own record in 2003 when Broderick and Lane's return went on sale, with over $3.5 million in single day ticket sales. Beginning in September 2002 there were two touring companies that played 74 cities in the United States grossing over $214 million.

Steel Magnolias
September 11, 12, 18, 19 at 8:00 p.m.
September 13, 20 at 2:00 p.m.
Walters State Community College Inman Humanities Theatre

By Robert Harling Produced through special arrangement with Dramatist Play Service, Inc.

General tickets on sale August 24.
Season subscription holders may reserve their seats beginning August 10.

For the fall, get ready for a good southern play full of southern wit, humor, and hair. “Steel Magnolias” will be Encore’s fourth offering of the season. Full of life and brimming with laughter, Robert Harling's beloved play (like the award-winning movie that followed it) weaves wit, wisdom, and winning drama into a shining celebration of the incomparable, indomitable female spirit. Through the joys of weddings to the woes of marriage to sorest trials a woman can face, six friends sit in a Louisiana beauty shop and gossip and giggle and give each other the steely resolve they need to survive the best and worst life can bring. “Steel Magnolias” revolves around the lives of six women in modern-day Louisiana who see each other regularly at Truvy’s beauty salon. At the center of the group is M’Lynn and her daughter, Shelby, a serious diabetic whose optimistic outlook on life becomes the focus of the plot. An ensemble cast of six women brings Harling’s characters to life in this tribute to strong women everywhere.

“Steel Magnolias” opened Off-Broadway in 1987 to sold-out audiences and strong reviews. Subsequent national tours, numerous regional productions and an Academy Award-nominated film followed, all attesting to the wide appeal and durability of this emerging classic. The 1989 film starred an all-star cast which included Sally Field, Dolly Parton, Julia Roberts, Darryl Hannah, Olympia Dukakis, and Shirley MacLaine.

Encore’s production of “Steel Magnolias” will be staged in September.

Big
December 11, 12, 18, 19 at 8:00 p.m.
December 12, 13, 19, 20 at 2:00 p.m.
Walters State Community College Inman Humanities Theatre

Music by David Shire; Lyrics by Richard Maltby, Jr.; Book by John Weidman Produced through special arrangement with Music Theatre International

General tickets on sale November 16.
Season subscription holders may reserve their seats beginning November 2.

The final show to wrap up Encore’s third season will be a “big” hit no doubt. “Big: The Musical” will warm the hearts of young and old alike. When frustrated adolescent Josh Baskin wishes he were "big" and wakes up the next morning a 30 year-old man, he discovers there's much more to being an adult than he'd bargained for - and learns we must all grow up at our own pace, in our own time. A witty, moving, insightful book and a dazzling, energetic, heartfelt, contemporary score make this already-classic motion picture fantasy into an unforgettable theatrical experience. Based on the 1988 Blockbuster hit starring Tom Hanks, “Big” is sure to be a hit for all ages.

"Big: The Musical," which ran on Broadway for 193 performances in 1996, features music by David Shire (also the hit musical "Baby"), book by John Weidman (co-author of Sondheim's "Assassins") and lyrics by Richard Maltby, Jr. (also "Miss Saigon"). The musical garnered five Tony Award nominations including Best Book of a Musical and Best Original Score and earned 10 Drama Desk Award nominations including Outstanding Musical, Book, Lyrics, Music and Orchestrations.