ART/WNY Sets 2016-17 Season: AMERICAN IDIOT & More!

The American Repertory Theater of WNY will begin their 10th season in the new 330 Amherst Street performance space with four productions schedule for the 2016-17 theatrical season. Scheduled for September 2016 is the power-punk musical AMERICAN IDIOT based on the 2004 critically acclaimed album released by Green Day, following in November 2016 is the sinister comedy by Halley Feiffer entitled HOW TO MAKE FRIENDS AND THEN KILL THEM, then after a winter break the second half of the 2016-17 season sees two productions including the fast-paced comedy, THE UNDERPANTS, written by the celebrated comedian Steve Martin slated for March, and in May a production of the 2010 dark comedy A BEHANDING IN SPOKANE by Martin McDonagh closes the season.

The Curtain Up! production AMERICAN IDIOT will open on September 8th, running four weeks to October 1st. This power-punk musical based on the Grammy award winning album by Green Day will be directed by Matthew LaChiusa and features the return of Billy Horn (who was director of the award winning BLOODY BLOODY ANDREW JACKSON) as musical director.

Combining PRETTY LITTLE LIARS and HEATHER into a sharp-comedy, Halley Feiffer's HOW TO MAKE FRIENDS AND THEN KILL THEM will make a Western New York debut on ART/WNY's stage. Opening on October 27th and closes on November 19th, the production will debut Maura Nolan in her first ART/WNY directorial role.

Coming off a winter hiatus, ART/WNY kicks off the second-half of the 2016-17 season with renowned comic actor and author of PICASSO AT LAPIN AGILE, Steve Martin's wild satire adaptation of the classic 1910 German farce DIE HOSE by the playwright Carl Sternheim. Artie Award winning director Jeffrey Coyle (FLOYD COLLINS; BLOODY BLOODY ANDREW JACKSON) returns to ART/WNY to oversee this hysterical romp. THE UNDERPANTS is schedule to open on March 8th running four weeks to April 1st.

The final production of the 2016-17 season will see the regional debut of Martin McDonagh's (known more for his works THE BEAUTY QUEEN OF LEEANE and THE LIEUTENANT OF INISHMORE) THE BEHANDING IN SPOKANE. This seedy dark-comedy of an one-handed man on a cross-country odyssey to find his missing hand who waits in a seedy hotel room for two equally seedy visitors, then things really get weird...in a seedy way, will open on May 4th and runs to May 27th. Thomas LaChiusa returns to ART/WNY stage as 'Carmichael', a role Christopher Walken was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play.

American Repertory Theater of WNY will return to the 330 Amherst Street location as the company will call it home for the 2016-17 season and beyond. Debuting the space for the final production of the 2015-16 season, THE HOUSE OF BLUE LEAVES, the company will continue to build on the momentum of a successful introductory show with further improvements to the performance space.

For more information on the upcoming season please visit www.artofwny.org.