Arizona Opera presents Turandot by Giacomo Puccini in January. Photo by Roger Mastroianni
Arizona Opera celebrates their 40th anniversary in 2010-2011 with a season that will feature five productions including two company premieres. The season includes The Pirates of Penzance by Gilbert and Sullivan (October), Carmen by Georges Bizet (November), Turandot by Giacomo Puccini (January), Othello by Guiseppe Verdi (March) and The Abduction from the Seraglio by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (April). Arizona Operas Artistic Director Joel Revzen will conduct three of the operas; Pirates of Penzance, Carmen and Othello. All productions will continue to hold performances in both Phoenix and Tucson. Most operas will be presented twice in each city locally at the TCC Music Hall, 260 S. Church Ave. For specific show dates and performance times visit AZOpera.org. - Herb Stratford/ShowUp.com
Arizona Onstage Productions, a seven-year-old non-profit, is devoted to producing musicals despite the associated high royalty payments and financial risk. That dedication has paid off in glowing reviews and local awards over the years. This season, AOP takes on current events with a Jan. 8 fundraiser to benefit the Humane Society of Southern Arizona. Called Broadway Barks! the show will feature local singers, dancers, actors and instrumentalists at the Temple of Music and Art, 330 S. Scott Ave. Also at the Temple in January (13-23) is Master Class. See ArizonaOnstage.org for details. - Carli Brosseau
UAs Arizona Repertory Theater is challenging its students this season with a number of offerings that will stretch their vocal abilities and emotive sensibilities, and theatergoers will be offered a complete range of nostalgia, drama and musical comedy. The season opens with coming-of-age memory play What I Did Last Summer, Sept. 12-Oct. 3. One standout, timely and even trendy, is the classic vampire tale of Dracula. In a new adaptation by William McNulty, the script revisits Bram Stokers novel and the real-life tyrant who inspired it. It plays Oct. 10-30 at the Marroney Theatre. The season also includes The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Nov. 7-Dec. 5; The Shape of Things, Feb. 6-27; As You Like It, Feb. 27-March 27 and Into The Woods, April 10-May 1. Visit www.cfa.arizona.edu/tftv/ or call 621-7008 for details and the complete schedules. - Dolly Spalding
Arizona Theatre Company will present a full slate of quality theatre for its 20102011 season. Starting with Backwards in High Heels in September/October, and continuing with Ma Raineys Black Bottom by August Wilson in October/November, Woody Guthries American Song in November/December, the World Premiere of Ten Chimneys in January, Lost in Yonkers by Neil Simon will be presented in February/March and finally The Mystery of Irma Vep in April to wrap up the season. A special one-week presentation of Romeo and Juliet is scheduled for Nov. 1114 as well. ATC will also continue to present special events associated with their productions including Post Show Discussions, Open Caption and Page to Stage events to allow the audience a greater understanding of the shows check ArizonaTheatreCompany.org for more information. Performances take place at Temple of Music and Art, 330 S. Scott Ave. - Herb Stratford/ShowUp.com
Beowulf Alley Theatre Company continues to deliver quality theatrical experiences all year long. This season Beowulf will host five plays; Shining City (Sept. 10-26), The Transylvanian Clockworks (Oct. 22 Nov. 7), Blackbird (Dec. 319), Eurydice (Jan. 21Feb. 6) and The Beauty Queen of Leenane (Feb. 25 March 13). In addition, Beowulfs Late Night Theatre will host 3 productions (Manticore, An Adult Evening with Shel Silverstein and In the Belly of the Beast). The Old Time Radio Theatre will continue to present radio classics on stage from the golden age of radio. Out to Lunch Theatre will be an artistic option with 30-minute productions and Readers Theatre will round out the offerings at the Beowulf Alley Theatre, 11 S. 6th Ave. - Herb Stratford/ShowUp.com
A silver anniversary marks Borderlands Theaters Season of The Shaking Borderlands. New plays by Southwestern and border voices, a Tucson tradition for the family (A Tucson Pastorela Dec. 16-19) and the best of Latino/Chicano theater combine to celebrate Borderlands Theatres 25 years of excellence and risk-taking. It begins on Oct. 7-24 with No Roosters in the Desert by Kara Hartzler, a new play commissioned by Borderlands Theater. Based on actual interviews by Anna Ochoa OLeary, this intensely emotional play focuses on four women as they trek the desert toward America. Physically and emotionally overburdened, they somehow establish a meaningful connection. Among them is an indigenous woman from Chiapas, young magical storyteller, who is the catalyst for the unity they feel. A schedule of the season plus dates and times of performances is available at BorderlandsTheater.org or call 882-7406. - Dolly Spalding
Broadway In Tucson continues its tradition of bringing the best of Broadway to Tucson, with the Nederlander organization presenting its seventh season in 20102011. This season again includes some of the best touring Broadway shows that are on the road, bar none. Shows this season include: The Color Purple and Disneys Beauty and the Beast (in November), Wicked a co-presentation with UA Presents (January), Spring Awakening (February) and Burn The Floor (April). All shows will be at the TCC Music Hall, 260 S. Church Ave., with the exception of the Wicked performances which will take place at the University of Arizonas Centennial Hall, 1020 E. University Blvd. Full ticket and show information is available at BroadwayInTucson.com. - Herb Stratford/ShowUp.com
The 2010-2011 season is Invisible Theatres 40th anniversary and one that promises to deliver imagination, creativity and entertaining productions all season long. All of the plays presented this season will be Tucson premieres, and five of them are Southwest premieres. In addition to the scheduled plays, a special Painting the Town Red event, which is a cabaret with a musical salute to Invisible Theatres 40 years is scheduled for April 9 & 10. Also, First Takes ITs 40th Anniversary play reading series will feature 3 playwrights with strong IT connections; Scott Carter, Elaine Romero and Janet Neipris. IT is located at 1400 N. 1st Ave. and at InvisibleTheatre.com Be sure to mark your calendar for great theatre: Moonlight and Magnolia (Sept/October), 2 Across (November), My Mothers Italian (January), Miracles (Feb), Premiere (May), A Conversation with Edith Head (March). - Herb Stratford/ShowUp.com
The Rogue Theatre Company continues to deliver quality productions from their location at 300 E. University Blvd. in the Historic Y. This year they are set to present five shows. First up is Naga Mandala or The Cobra Play from Sept. 9-26 written by Girish Karnad. Up next will be the classic Ghosts by Henrik Ibsen from Nov. 4-28. The Tempest by Shakespeare will debut on Jan. 9 and run through Jan. 23 and finally, The Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio takes place April 28-May 15. For specific show times and more information visit TheRogueTheatre.org. - Herb Stratford/ShowUp.com
The University of Arizonas UAPresents has a rich and diverse lineup for Tucson theatre audiences in 2010-2011. Starting with Mariachi Sol Mexico and Vikki Carr in September, UA Presents delivers great shows. A co-presentation of Wicked with Broadway in Tucson in January starts the season off with a big bang. Other outstanding performances this year will include; Cirque Dreams: Illumination (December) and the Blue Man Group (April), Liza Minnelli (December), comedienne Paula Poundstone (February) and Brian Stokes Mitchell (March). All shows take place at Centennial Hall, 1020 E. University Blvd. For more detailed information, go to UAPresents.org. (Look for more shows by UAPresents under the music and dance categories.) - Herb Stratford/ShowUp.com
In Winding Road Theater Ensembles newest production, war hits home. The group will launch its second season with Armor, the winner of this years Arizona Theatre Companys playwriting contest. Its a family drama set in Washington, D.C. that delves into the personal of the political. The story follows a young cellist trying to come to terms with her fathers involvement in a political dispute over body armor for troops in the Middle East. Cello and piano music set the tone. Performances run Sept. 2-5 at Zuzis Theater, 738 N. Fifth Ave. Also check out the companys spring production of The Lion in Winter, a Henry II story written by James Goldman. That show opens Jan. 14. See WindingRoadTheater.org for news. - Carli Brosseau
