Shea's 710 Theatre Announces 2017-18 Season

Shea's 710 Theatre is proud to announce the 2017 -18 Frey Electric Construction Co. Season. This season will feature a variety of plays, a Tony Award-winning musical, and a special performance for Curtain Up!. Shea's Performing Arts Center President, Michael G. Murphy, stated "We are excited to present our sixth season at Shea's 710 Theatre. It is a pleasure to continue our partnership with the Shaw Festival and our local theatre companies. These collaborations allow us to bring a diverse and unique mix of programming to the Buffalo Theatre District."

2017-18 Frey Electric Construction Co. Season at Shea's 710 Theatre

Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks starring Loretta Swit & David Engel September 14-17

Written by Richard Alfieri

Produced by Shea's 710 Theatre

This touching comedy revolves around Lily Harrison (Loretta Swit), a formidable retired woman living in St. Petersburg, FL who hires a young, acerbic dance instructor (David Engel) to give her dance lessons - one per week for six weeks. While dancing the Tango, Waltz, Swing, Foxtrot, and Cha-Cha, a relationship blossoms into a beautiful friendship as they learn to overcome their outward differences and discover an unlikely but profound connection.

It's a Wonderful Life: A Radio Play November 30-December 10

Adapted by Joe Landry

Produced by Road Less Traveled Productions

Directed by John Hurley

Spend a little time in Bedford Falls this holiday season by being a part of the studio audience at WBFR's 1946 Christmas Eve radio broadcast of It's a Wonderful Life (based on the Frank Capra movie). Five actors and a foley artist perform all the voices, music, singing, and sound effects from the most beloved Christmas movie of all time: the story of George Bailey, a young dreamer who will mortgage his last dream for the smaller hopes and needs of his neighbors and friends, and Clarence, George's 292-year-old guardian angel who will help him discover that "no man is a failure who has friends."

Master Harold and the Boys February 15-18

Written By Athol Fugard

Produced by the Shaw Festival

Directed by Philip Akin

Port Elizabeth, South Africa - 1950. In a tea-shop owned by his parents, Harold does homework while two black men rehearse ballroom dancing. Harold and the men, who have long worked for his family, recall fond memories of times spent together as the young boy escaped his family life. But when news comes that the boy's father is returning home, the personal becomes political. First produced in 1982, the play was initially banned in South Africa and has since become an enduring, modern classic that continues to speak to inequality and injustice. Designed by Peter Hartwell and Lighting designed by Kevin Lamotte. Winner of two 2017 Dora Awards for Outstanding Performance - Male, André Sills and Outstanding Direction, Philip Akin.

4 stars (out of 4)-The Buffalo News

Spring Awakening March 8-18

Book and lyrics by Steven Sater

Produced by MusicalFare Theatre

Music by Duncan Sheik

Directed by Randy Kramer

It is Germany, 1891, where parents set strict and confusing rules leaving their youth disoriented and unprepared to navigate the tangled paths to adulthood. Spring Awakening is the story of two star-crossed lovers exploring their journey through adolescence with a poignancy and passion that is illuminating and unforgettable. The musical follows this turn of the century Romeo and Juliet as they learn how to communicate, and how to love, in a world that's trying to keep them apart. Winner of eight 2007 Tony Awards including Best Musical, four Drama Desk Awards, five Outer Critics Circle Awards, and a Grammy for Best Cast Album.

PLEASE NOTE: Spring Awakening may not be appropriate for all ages due to adult language and mature themes including sexual content.

Ken Ludwig's Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery May 10-13

Written by Ken Ludwig

Produced by MusicalFare Theatre

Directed by Randy Kramer and Doug Weyand

Literature's most famous detective, the inimitable Sherlock Holmes, comes to life in Ken Ludwig's Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery. Our intrepid investigators try to escape a dizzying web of clues, silly accents, disguises, and deceit as five actors deftly portray more than forty characters in this fast-paced comedy full of deft humor and theatrical hijinks.

Ken Ludwig's madcap adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's classic mystery transforms The Hound of the Baskervilles into an all-out comedic theatrical adventure. This engaging story marries mystery and humor, keeping you howling with laughter as Holmes and Watson take on one of the most diabolical cases of their careers.

2017-18 Special Engagement

WILDE TALES Stories for Young and Old by Oscar Wilde October 24-28

Adapted for the stage by Kate Hennig

Produced by the Shaw Festival

Directed by Christine Brubaker

Magical. Touching. Wildly imaginative. Four Oscar Wilde tales to delight your inner child. Oscar Wilde's genius never blazed more brightly than in The Happy Prince, The Nightingale and the Rose, The Remarkable Rocket, and The Selfish Giant. These tales were created to inspire the child in each of us, as Wilde conjures a fantastical world in which statues, birds, and even fireworks have the power of eloquent speech. And yet, in the end, his stories are about the most human things of all: kindness, loss and love

For kids from 6 to 106.

For season tickets, call 716-847-0850, visit www.sheas.org/710main or purchase in person at the Shea's Box Office, 650 Main Street, Buffalo. To book a group (10+), call 716-829-1153 or email moshei@sheas.org.

Shows, dates, times, prices, and artists subject to change. Late seating will be at the deaccession of management.

About Shea's 710 Theatre

Shea's 710 Theatre is an intimate 625-seat theatre presenting a wide variety of live performing arts including plays produced in collaboration with local and regional theatre companies as well as select plays from around the country. The theatre is one of three theatres operated by Shea's Performing Arts Center.