World Premiere Musicals from Beguelin/Sklar, Sugarland's Kristian Bush & More Set for Alliance Theatre's 2016-17 Season

Atlanta's nationally acclaimed ALLIANCE THEATRE and Jennings Hertz Artistic Director Susan V. Booth have announced the 2016/17 Season for the Alliance Stage, Hertz Stage, Theatre for Youth and Families, and the Kathy and Ken Bernhardt Theatre for the Very Young series. The 48th season includes seven world premieres, five musicals, five productions by Atlanta playwrights, and exceptional productions for youth and families. The 2016/17 season marks the Alliance's last in its current theater space before it undergoes a complete renovation, its first since it was built in 1968.

"I have always loved the notion 'go big or go home' - that small choices lead to small experiences," said Susan V. Booth, Artistic Director. "The 2016/17 season is full of big stories with even bigger aspirations, and it sits as a prologue to the biggest adventure the ALLIANCE THEATRE has ever undertaken - a 2017/18 season that will find us out on the road in some of your favorite Atlanta venues. And bigger and better still is the next chapter after that - a 50th anniversary season we'll celebrate in our new, state-of-the-art theater here at the Woodruff Arts Center."

The 2016/17 Alliance Stage season will begin on August 18, 2016, with The Prom, a hilarious and timely new musical directed and choreographed by Casey Nicholaw, who returns to the Alliance following the world premiere of Tuck Everlasting on the Alliance Stage last season which will open on Broadway in April of this year. Nicholaw and The Prom creators, Chad Beguelin (book and lyrics), Bob Martin (book), and Matthew Sklar (music) have fifteen Tony Award nominations between them for Broadway favorites including The Book of Mormon, Elf, The Drowsy Chaperone, The Wedding Singer, and Aladdin.

The Alliance will also present a re-imagined adaptation of Moby Dick, originally produced by Chicago's world renowned Lookingglass Theatre Company. The Chicago Sun-Times called Moby Dick "a triumph of grand theatrical imagination, deep thought, superb acting, and eye-popping, ingeniously deployed physical daring." Lookingglass Theatre Company last performed on the Alliance Stage with Lookingglass Alice in 2010.

In January 2017, the Alliance will produce the world premiere musical Troubadour, a feel-good romantic comedy set in 1950s Nashville by Atlanta playwright Janece Shaffer (The Geller Girls, Broke) with original music by Sugarland's Kristian Bush. Troubadour will be directed by Susan V. Booth.

The Alliance Stage season will close with the world premiere of The Temple Bombing, an exciting collaboration with New York's Tectonic Theater Project and The Temple, Atlanta's oldest synagogue. The Temple Bombing recounts the 1958 attack on The Temple that bolstered local and national support for dramatic social change. Inspired by the award winning book by Melissa Fay Greene, this theatricalization celebrates a city that came together in the face of hatred to live the lessons of the Civil Rights era, lessons that still resonate 58 years after that fateful day.

The Hertz season will open on September 16, 2016, with the return of two-time Alliance/Kendeda National Graduate Playwriting Competition finalist, Lindsey Ferrentino, with her searing new play, Ugly Lies the Bone. Ugly Lies the Bone tells the story of one returning soldier's search for physical and emotional healing following a traumatic injury. Ugly Lies the Bone will be directed by Alliance Yale Directing Fellow and a former classmate and collaborator of Ferrentino's, Jessica Holt.

Also on the Hertz Stage will be Courtenay's Cabaret: Home for the Holidays, an evening of music, stories, laughter, and holiday cheer by favorite Atlanta performer Courtenay Collins. Accompanied by a live band, audiences will enjoy holiday classics and new favorites delivered with the wit and quirky Southern charm that has won Courtenay fans from Atlanta to New York City.

The Alliance is pleased to announce the winner of the 2017 Alliance/Kendeda National Graduate Playwriting Competition, Too Heavy for Your Pocket, by Jiréh Breon Holder. Too Heavy for Your Pocket is a beautifully written look at the personal costs many participants paid during the Civil Rights Movement. Playwright Jiréh Breon Holder is a former ALLIANCE THEATRE Kenny Leon Fellow and Morehouse College Graduate, who went on to earn his MFA in Playwriting from the Yale School of Drama. It was announced last week that Holder will be returning to Atlanta as Emory University's Department of Theater Studies and Creative Writing Program's 2016-2018 Fellow in Playwriting.

"Because the Alliance/Kendeda Competition is judged blindly, we were completely surprised and thrilled to learn that this year's winner was already part of the ALLIANCE THEATRE family," said ALLIANCE THEATRE Director of New Projects Celise Kalke. "This play is a poetic and warm look at a time that is still so relevant to the American culture of social protest. It's also amazing to have our first Morehouse alum as an Alliance/Kendeda winner and to have the winner currently in residence at Emory. This is such a great example of Atlanta cultural collaboration."

The finalists of the 2017 Alliance/Kendeda National Graduate Playwriting Competition, which will participate in developmental workshops and be heard in free readings in February, 2017, are Lover in Tableau by Emily Feldman of the University of California, San Diego; Moonlight on the Bayou by Lindsey Ferrentino of the Yale School of Drama; Borealis by Ben Fisher of the University of California, San Diego; and Space Girl, by Mora Harris of Carnegie Mellon.

The Alliance will close the Hertz Stage season with The Magic Negro and other Blackity Blackness, as told by an African-American Man, who also happens to be Black, a sketch-comedy show from the mind of Dad's Garage's Mark Kendall. The Magic Negro and other Blackity Blackness was developed at the Alliance as part of the 2nd Reiser Atlanta Artists Lab and is a hilarious and subversive examination of the African-American experience in popular media.

The 2016/17 Youth and Families season includes four family productions - Pancakes, Pancakes!, a delightful tale for all ages inspired by the beautiful and iconic book by Eric Carle; Slur, a world premiere play for middle schoolers written by Atlanta author Greg Changnon; Cinderella and Fella, a contemporary musical spin on the Cinderella classic by Atlanta playwright Janece Shaffer with music by Renee Clark; plus the Alliance's 27th annual production of the Dickens holiday classic A Christmas Carol.

The Alliance is also pleased to announce the productions in the Kathy & Ken Bernhardt Theatre for the Very Young season. Theatre for the Very Young is developed for children who are newborn through five years old. The 2016/17 productions include Babies in Space, an interactive play and performance space for children newborn through 24 months; From Head to Toe, based on the book by Eric Carle; Play the Play with Cat the Cat, based on the beloved book series by Mo Willems; and Dinosaur!, a new play developed in partnership with Fernbank Museum of Natural History.

"When you add it all up - well, it's big," said Booth. "We're so thankful for an audience who gives us their time and attention, and joins us on these adventures. And remember, next year's just the beginning of the really big adventure."

Visit www.alliancetheatre.org/nextseason for more information on the 2016/17 season. Season ticket packages are on sale now at www.alliancetheatre.org/seasontickets. Tickets for individual productions go on sale in July, 2016.

ALLIANCE STAGE SERIES

THE PROM (world premiere, musical)
Book by Chad Beguelin and Bob Martin
Music by Matthew Sklar
Lyrics by Chad Beguelin
Directed and choreographed by Casey Nicholaw
Based on an original concept by Jack Viertel
Performance Dates: August 18 - September 25, 2016

Emma becomes an instant outcast - and a national headline - when her high school cancels the prom rather than let her attend with her girlfriend. Sensing a chance to correct an injustice -and maybe get some good publicity along the way - a group of fading celebrities takes up the cause, and invades Emma's small Indiana town. But their bumbling attempts at social activism make the situation far worse than they - or Emma - could have ever imagined. Cultures clash and the town erupts in chaos. The community's reputation, Emma's future, and the celebrities' careers, all hang in the balance, until a true hero emerges to save the day. Uproarious and ultimately uplifting, this new musical proves that standing up for yourself - and inspiring others to accept their differences - can make you the star you were always meant to be. For tickets and information, visit www.alliancetheatre.org/theprom or call 404.733.5000.

MOBY DICK
Adapted and directed by David Catlin from the novel by Herman Melville
Originally produced by Lookingglass Theatre Company in association with Actors Gymnasium in Chicago
Co-production with Arena Stage and South Coast Repertory
Performance Dates: October 12 - 30, 2016

Melville's classic tale of man's obsessive battle against nature comes to life in "a triumph of grand theatrical imagination, deep thought, superb acting, and eye-popping, ingeniously deployed physical daring" (Chicago Sun-Times). Bold trapeze and acrobatic work turn this seafaring American classic into a thrilling experiment in aerial storytelling. Set sail for an epic adventure with Captain Ahab and his crew in this harrowing quest for the great white whale. From Lookingglass Theatre Company, see the jaw-dropping production that delighted Chicago audiences, young and old. For tickets and information, visit www.alliancetheatre.org/mobydick or call 404.733.5000.

TROUBADOUR (world premiere, musical)
By Janece Shaffer
Original music by Kristian Bush
Directed by Susan V. Booth
Performance Dates: January 18 - February 12, 2017

In 1951 Nashville, Country music legend Billy Mason is on the eve of retirement. Can his soft-spoken son, Joe, step into the spotlight and carry on? When Joe joins forces with an unlikely pair - Inez, a budding singer/songwriter, and Izzy, a rodeo tailor on a mission - a revolution is born and Country music is changed forever. This feel-good romantic comedy by Atlanta's Janece Shaffer (The Geller Girls) with original music by Sugarland's Kristian Bush is a world premiere production not to be missed. For tickets and information, visit www.alliancetheatre.org/troubadour or call 404.733.5000.

THE TEMPLE BOMBING (world premiere)
By Jimmy Maize
Inspired by the book The Temple Bombing by Melissa Fay Greene
Directed by Jimmy Maize
Developed in association with Tectonic Theater Project and The Temple
Performance Dates: February 22 - March 12, 2017
On October 12, 1958, a bundle of dynamite blew through the wall of Atlanta's oldest synagogue.

Following 1954's Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision, Rabbi Rothschild of The Temple had become a public advocate for the progress of Civil Rights. The explosion and national support for The Temple community bolstered Atlanta city leaders' resolve to investigate and prosecute the crime, paving the way for dramatic social change. The Temple Bombing, inspired by the award winning book by Melissa Fay Greene, is a world premiere presented on the occasion of The Temple's 100th Anniversary. This theatricalization celebrates a city that came together in the face of hatred to live the lessons of the Civil Rights era, lessons that still resonate 58 years after that fateful day. The Temple Bombing is developed in association with Tectonic Theater Project of New York and The Temple. For tickets and information, visit www.alliancetheatre.org/thetemplebombing or call 404.733.5000.

HERTZ STAGE SERIES

UGLY LIES THE BONE
By Lindsey Ferrentino
Directed by Jessica Holt
Performance Dates: September 16 - October 9, 2016

In a searing new drama, Jess is a young soldier who returns to her hometown with more than the emotional scars of war. Pursuing healing, Jess turns to a new virtual reality therapy to escape her physical and emotional pain and put the pieces of her life back together. Ugly Lies the Bone shines a light on the visible and invisible wounds of returning injured veterans. Playwright Lindsey Ferrentino is the first two-time finalist of the Alliance/Kendeda National Graduate Playwriting Competition, recently described by The New York Times as "a brave playwright and a writer of dauntless conviction." For tickets and information, visit www.alliancetheatre.org/uglyliesthebone or call 404.733.5000.

COURTENAY'S CABARET: HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS (musical)
By and starring Courtenay Collins
Directed by Susan V. Booth
Performance Dates: December 2 - 24, 2016

Atlanta favorite Courtenay Collins brings her popular holiday cabaret show to the Hertz Stage for an exclusive engagement. Join Courtenay for an evening of music, drinks, stories, laughter - and maybe even home-baked cookies - on the Hertz Stage. Accompanied by a live band, Courtenay sings holiday classics and new favorites with the wit and quirky Southern charm that has won her fans from Atlanta to New York City. For tickets and information, visit www.alliancetheatre.org/cabaret or call 404.733.5000.

TOO HEAVY FOR YOUR POCKET (world premiere)
Winner of the 2017 Alliance/Kendeda National Graduate Playwriting Competition
By Jiréh Breon Holder
Performance Dates: February 4 - 26, 2017

In rural Tennessee at the height of the Civil Rights Movement two young couples struggle to understand justice, love, and their own responsibilities. When Bowzie gets a scholarship to attend Fisk University, he has the opportunity to improve his family's life. His education goes beyond the classroom, as he becomes a Freedom Rider and joins the fight against racism in the Deep South, leaving his obligations as a husband and friend behind. A beautifully written look at the personal cost and private struggles behind public events, Too Heavy for Your Pocket speaks powerfully about the bonds of friendship and what defines true family. The 2017 winner of the Alliance/Kendeda National Graduate Playwriting Competition, the Alliance is thrilled to celebrate one of its own - playwright and former Kenny Leon Fellow Jiréh Breon Holder, currently Emory University Playwriting Fellow. For tickets and information, visit www.alliancetheatre.org/pocket or call 404.733.5000.

THE MAGIC NEGRO AND OTHER BLACKITY BLACKNESS, AS TOLD BY AN AFRICAN-AMERICAN MAN, WHO ALSO HAPPENS TO BE BLACK
Developed in the 2nd Reiser Atlanta Artists Lab
By and starring Dad's Garage's Mark Kendall
Directed by The Second City's Anthony LeBlanc
Originally created and produced at Dad's Garage
Performance Dates: March 24 - April 15, 2017

This hilarious one-man show by Dad's Garage's Mark Kendall - also a leader in Atlanta's growing African-American comedy network - shows a performer at war with himself. Dissecting common themes in representations of the African-American experience, Mark makes us laugh and ask ourselves why we are laughing. From race cards to white flight, Aunt Jemima, and even Black Jesus - you will laugh until you cry and cry until you laugh. This subversive show is the reason Atlanta artists are defining African-American comedy today. The Magic Negro and Other Blackity Blackness was developed by the Reiser Atlanta Artists Lab and is the first project from the Lab to receive a full production on the Hertz Stage. For tickets and information, visit www.alliancetheatre.org/themagicnegro or call 404.733.5000.

ALLIANCE THEATRE FOR YOUTH AND FAMILIES SERIES

PANCAKES, PANCAKES! (world premiere, musical)
By Kenneth Lin
Adapted from the book Pancakes, Pancakes! by Eric Carle
Music by Phillip DePoy
Directed by David de Vries
Performance Dates: May 31 - July 10, 2016

Pancakes, Pancakes! is a delightful homage to the beautiful art work and unique artistic process of Eric Carle. Featuring original songs and a stunning design, Pancakes, Pancakes! explores the process of cooking and celebrates the joy in the labor and in the final feast. Adapted from Eric Carle's beloved book of the same name, this new play with music is written by Alliance/Kendeda Playwriting Competition alum Kenneth Lin (Warrior Class) and directed by David de Vries with music by Phillip DePoy (Edward Foote). Pancakes, Pancakes! is presented in conjunction with the High Museum of Art exhibition I See a Story: The Art of Eric Carle. For tickets and information, visit www.alliancetheatre.org/pancakes or call 404.733.5000.

SLUR (world premiere)
By Greg Changnon
Directed by Rosemary Newcott
Performance Dates: November 5 - 12, 2016

Daisy is a typical American middle school student, or at least she thought she was before someone wrote a religious slur across her locker. Now Daisy, who has always found it difficult to fit in, faces pressure to become a spokesperson for minorities at her school, and the ideas she has about herself are getting more and more blurred by how others see her and who they want her to be. As she struggles to balance allegiance to her cultural roots, to her school community, and, most importantly, to herself, Daisy asks the crucial question: Are we what society says we are? Or can we be whoever we want to be? An important original play about identity, race, and religion in middle school by Greg Changnon in collaboration with his students at Atlanta's Paideia School and the young actors in the ALLIANCE THEATRE summer drama camps. For tickets and information, visit www.alliancetheatre.org/slur or call 404.733.5000.

A CHRISTMAS CAROL
By Charles Dickens
Adapted by David H. Bell
Directed by Rosemary Newcott
Performance Dates: November 25 - December 24, 2016

Join the ALLIANCE THEATRE for one of Atlanta's most treasured holiday traditions. On Christmas Eve, Ebenezer Scrooge is visited by ghosts offering him a chance at a better future - his old partner Jacob Marley and the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future - who teach him it is never too late to change. Celebrate the holidays with the beloved Dickens classic in this Broadway-scale production with beautiful live music and an all-star Atlanta cast. It will warm your heart with joy whether you're coming again or for the first time. For tickets and information, visit www.alliancetheatre.org/christmas or call 404.733.5000.

CINDERELLA AND FELLA (world premiere, musical)
By Janece Shaffer
Music and Lyrics by Janece Shaffer & Renee Clark
Directed by Rosemary Newcott
Performance Dates: March 19 - April 9, 2017

A magical retelling of the Cinderella story that's more high-tops than glass slipper and is fueled by the magic of lightning bugs, singing cicadas, and oozing mud. Our young prince, who was raised by an overbearing parent, searches the kingdom for a best friend ready for adventure. Our Cinderella, who has spent countless days pulling her ungrateful stepmother around in her tiny house, fits the bill. Filled with humor and wonder, this is a world premiere adaptation by Atlanta's own Janece Shaffer with music by Renee Clark. For tickets and information, visit www.alliancetheatre.org/cinderella or call 404.733.5000.

THEATRE FOR THE VERY YOUNG

BABIES IN SPACE! (world premiere)
Curated by Dashboard
Performance Dates: May 21 - August 28, 2016

The Kathy & Ken Bernhardt Theatre for the Very Young partners with curatorial gurus Dashboard and Fly on a Wall dance collective to present Babies In Space!, an interactive outer-space playscape and performance for astronauts who are newborn through 24 months old and their caregivers. In this imaginative journey, babies and toddlers will consider our planet's small place in space. Join us in SPACE to moonwalk, crawl, jump, and play this summer! For tickets and information, visit www.alliancetheatre.org/babiesinspace or call 404.733.5000.

FROM HEAD TO TOE (world premiere)
Directed by Rosemary Newcott
Based on the book by Eric Carle
Performance dates: September 24 - November 6, 2016

Inspired by Eric Carle's beloved book of the same name, From Head to Toe invites the youngest audience members to think, observe, and move like their favorite animals. This interactive theatrical experience will allow the toddlers to help "create" the animals in the book, bring them to life, and mimic their movement in a playful retelling of the classic story. Featuring a scenic design that mirrors the wonder of Carle's illustrations and interactive yoga-inspired animal movement, this play moves from "Can you do it?" to "I can do it!" to "We can do it!" From Head to Toe is presented in conjunction with the High Museum of Art exhibition I See a Story: The Art of Eric Carle. For tickets and information, visit www.alliancetheatre.org/fromheadtotoe or call 404.733.5000.

PLAY THE PLAY WITH CAT THE CAT
Written and Directed by Scott Warren
Based on the book series by Mo Willems
Performance Dates: January 10 - February 19, 2017

Based on Mo Willems' beloved CAT the CAT series, this play explores the often terrifying experience of making a new friend. Using the rhyming and simple language of the books, this theatrical experience will invite our young audience to identify Cat the Cat's parade of animal friends, mimic their animal sounds, and even learn a new language! When Cat the Cat meets a newcomer on the scene, the audience shares in the nerves and the joy of the experience, and ultimately makes a room full of new friends themselves. Back by popular demand following its world premiere last season, come play the play with Cat the Cat! For tickets and information, visit www.alliancetheatre.org/catthecat or call 404.733.5000.

DINOSAUR! (world premiere)
A collaboration with Fernbank Museum of Natural History
Performance Dates: March 14 - April 9, 2017

A one-of-a-kind collaboration with the Fernbank Museum of Natural History, this production will be developed in partnership with science educators from the museum. A gentle and awe-inspiring introduction to the wonders of the pre-historic world, this is a play where science and art intersect, and where our tiniest audience members interact with the largest dinosaurs to ever walk the Earth. For tickets and information, visit www.alliancetheatre.org/dinosaur or call 404.733.5000.