710 Main Theatre Sets 2016-17 Season

The 710 Main Theatre presents the 2016 - 17 Frey Electric Construction Co. Season with a diverse mix of programming including collaborations with two local theatre companies as well as a brand new partnership with the Shaw Festival to present a production at the 710 Main Theatre.

"We are very excited to announce this collaboration with the Shaw Festival. This agreement will bring the high quality Shaw productions to the Buffalo Theatre District as part of the 710 Main Theatre season ticket package," says Anthony C. Conte, President of Shea's Performing Arts Center.

"Our hope for this new venture with our partners at the 710 Main Theatre is to honor our bi-national legacy and engender an even deeper interest from Western New York in the Shaw Festival. Buffalo is as much home turf for us as Toronto - in fact, it's physically closer," says Tim Jennings, Executive Director/CEO of the Shaw Festival. "Whether patrons see a performance at the 710 Main Theatre or make the short drive to join us in beautiful Niagara-on-the-Lake, we want The Shaw, and theatre in general, to be part of their lives. We are going to work to make that as easy as possible."

2016 - 17 Frey Electric Construction Co. Season at 710 Main Theatre

Wonder of the World SEPTEMBER 15 - OCTOBER 2

Written by David Lindsay-Abaire

Produced by Buffalo Laboratory Theatre

Nothing will prepare you for the dirty little secret Cass discovers in her husband's sweater drawer. It is so shocking that our heroine has no choice but to flee to the honeymoon capital of the world in a frantic search for the life she thinks she missed out on. It's a wild ride over Niagara Falls in a barrel of laughs as Cass embarks on a journey of self-discovery that has her crossing paths with a blithely suicidal alcoholic, a lonely tour-boat captain, a pair of bickering private detectives and a strange caper involving a gargantuan jar of peanut butter, all of which pushes her perilously close to the water's edge.

"Full frontal lunacy is on display. A most assuredly fresh and hilarious tragicomedy of marital discord run amok. Lindsay-Abaire's flair for the absurd combines nicely with an ability to pull laughs out of any situation. Absolutely hysterical!" -Variety

Mrs Warren's Profession NOVEMBER 10 - 20

Produced by the Shaw Festival

Can Shaw still shock you? We think so. Kitty Warren has worked hard to provide for her daughter and now that Vivie is about to strike out on her own, her mother decides it's time for her feminist daughter to finally learn the truth about her profession. A contemporary look at a classic play that still changes our notions of motherhood and the business of sex. Originally banned from public performance, it was first staged at a private men's club and the production in New York led to arrests. Shaw himself said about the play, "Ah, when I wrote that, I had some nerve."

"This production of Mrs Warren's Profession shows the Shaw Festival at its best," says Jackie Maxwell, Artistic Director of the Shaw Festival. "Director Eda Holmes and her brilliant cast reveal how this spirited exploration of the world's oldest 'profession' is a provocative, entertaining, and still very relevant play today."

Ring of Fire FEBRUARY 16 - MARCH 5

Produced by MusicalFare Theatre

From the opening chords of vintage country music and onward to rockabilly, rock n' roll, searing ballads and gentle songs of love and deep faith, RING OF FIRE packs a score that provides a rich fabric in which to lay down the story of Johnny Cash. RING OF FIRE gives the music the spotlight, as a core group of talented actors/musicians celebrate the songs of Johnny Cash that are such a part of our collective experience. Don't miss the return of MusicalFare's record-breaking production, now at 710 Main Theatre!

Proof MARCH 23 - APRIL 2

Written by David Auburn

Produced by Buffalo Laboratory Theatre

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award for Best Play. On the eve of her twenty-fifth birthday, Catherine, a troubled young woman, has spent years caring for her brilliant but unstable father, a famous mathematician. Now, following his death, she must deal with her own volatile emotions; the arrival of her estranged sister, Claire; and the attentions of Hal, a former student of her father's who hopes to find valuable work in the 103 notebooks that her father left behind. Over the long weekend that follows, a burgeoning romance and the discovery of a mysterious notebook draw Catherine into the most difficult problem of all: How much of her father's madness-or genius-will she inherit?

"...combines elements of mystery and surprise with old-fashioned storytelling to provide a compelling evening of theatre...[PROOF is a] smart and compassionate play of ideas." NY Daily News

A special fifth show in the 710 Main 2016-17 Season will be announced in the next few weeks.

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 Mary Oshei at 716-829-1153.

Shows, dates, times, prices, & artists subject to change.