Seattle Repertory Theatre Sets HERE LIES LOVE, A RAISIN IN THE SUN & More for 2016-17 Season

Artistic Director Braden Abraham today announced Seattle Repertory Theatre's 2016-2017 Season. The season is headlined by the electrifying musical Here Lies Love from David Byrne (Talking Heads) and Fatboy Slim, a new production of the award-winning Broadway smash King Charles III, and the timeless classic A Raisin in the Sun. The season runs from September 2016 through May 2017, and subscriptions are available now through the Seattle Rep Box Office at (206) 443-2222, as well as online at SeattleRep.org. Single tickets will go on sale this fall.

"I'm beyond thrilled to share these eight captivating and powerful stories with our audiences," Abraham comments. "Our line-up this year explores the nature of power, both personal and political, and the sources of love, hope, and strength that we draw on to make a difference in our families and in our world." The new season reflects Seattle Rep's expanding commitment to explore a rich variety of exciting voices and throughout the journey of the season, audiences will hear stories that speak directly to the times in which we are living."

"We're inviting an exciting mix of new artists to the Rep next year. The season starts in the Bagley Wright Theatre with A Raisin in the Sun, directed by the luminary Seattle actor and director Timothy McCuen Piggee (2015 Gregory A. Falls Award for Sustained Achievement). David Muse will helm a new production of Mike Bartlett's King Charles III, a masterful new play that has already taken Broadway and the West End by storm. The songs and stories of folk legend Woody Guthrie will ring in the New Year in Woody Sez, a rousing tribute devised by David Lutkin with Nick Corley. And audiences will delight in the hilarious and heart-felt world of Lisa Kron in a new production of her play Well, featuring some of Seattle's finest actors."

"I'm also delighted by the amazing new voices featured in the Leo K. Theatre, starting with the world premiere of Roz and Ray by Seattle Rep Writers Group member Karen Hartman and directed by Chay Yew, returning to Seattle where he was formerly artistic director of Northwest Asian American Theater. We have the good fortune of bringing Qui Nguyen's brilliant new play Vietgone to the Leo K. Theatre, as well as the West Coast Premiere of Sarah Burgess' dark new comedy Dry Powder, recently featured in the Rep's 'Other Season.'"

"The season wraps next spring with David Byrne and Fatboy Slim's Here Lies Love, to be seen in Seattle for the first time outside New York and London and led by the creators of the original production including Tony-nominated director Alex Timbers and chorographer Annie-B Parson. This unprecedented opportunity gives us the chance to push the boundaries of our theatre in new ways-culturally, aesthetically, and literally, transforming the Bagley Wright Theatre for an immersive production unlike anything ever seen in Seattle. This is a season you truly do not want to miss!"

About the 2016-2017 Season:

A Raisin in the Sun
By Lorraine Hansberry
Directed by Timothy McCuen Piggee

September 30 - October 30, 2016
Bagley Wright Theatre

In Lorraine Hansberry's classic, which inspired Seattle Rep's recent production of Clybourne Park, African American Lena Younger lives with her extended family in a cramped apartment on Chicago's South Side. On their unknowing behalf, she places a down payment on a home in Clybourne Park-an affordable white neighborhood. Racial intolerance attempts to derail the family's dreams in this 1959 masterpiece, which "changed American theater forever" (The New York Times) and continues to resonate with generation after generation.

Roz and Ray
By Karen Hartman
Directed by Chay Yew

Co-World Premiere with Victory Gardens Theater

October 14 - November 13, 2016

Leo K. Theatre

In 1976, Ray, a single parent of twin hemophiliac boys, and Roz, their doctor, share a single goal: keep his sons alive. Dr. Roz offers her young patients the revolutionary and lifesaving Factor 8. She appears to be the family's savior, until the miracle cure goes badly wrong. Roz and Ray explores a compelling yet often forgotten chapter of American medical history through an intimate story of trust and sacrifice between a father and his children's beloved doctor.

King Charles III
By Mike Bartlett
Directed by David Muse
Produced in association with American Conservatory Theater and Shakespeare Theatre Company

November 11 - December 11, 2016
Bagley Wright Theatre

"The Queen is dead, long live The King!" After a lifetime of waiting, Prince Charles finally ascends to the throne, flanked by wife Camilla, sons William and Harry, and daughter-in-law Kate. The Prime Minister proposes legislation designed to restrict the freedom of the press, which the newly crowned sovereign opposes, subverting the understood rules of British democracy. Written in blank verse, this smash Broadway and West End hit and the 2015 Olivier Award winner for Best New Play presents a modern take on the future of the British Royal Family.

Vietgone
By Qui Nguyen
Directed by May Adrales
Produced in association with Oregon Shakespeare Festival

December 2, 2016 - January 1, 2017
Leo K. Theatre

It's 1975. Saigon has fallen; the war's ending; and two hot, young Vietnamese immigrants flee to the United States to pursue their dreams. American English and the refugee camps kinda suck, but the wild, action-packed road trip they take across the USofA totally rocks. This new (and, OK, somewhat made-up) story about playwright Qui Nguyen's parents is not a story about war. It's a story about falling in love.

Woody Sez: The Life and Music of Woody Guthrie
Devised by David M. Lutken with Nick Corley and
Darcie Deaville, Helen Jean Russell, and Andy Teirstein
Directed by Nick Corley

January 6 - January 29, 2017
Bagley Wright Theatre

The legendary Woody Guthrie defined an American era of social consciousness and political expression with songs such as "This Land is Your Land" and "The Ballad of Tom Joad." This musical portrait, featuring Woody's stirring ballads and joyous anthems, celebrates the colorful life and rich musical legacy of America's great folk troubadour. Along with a multitalented cast of performers/musicians, virtuoso David Lutkin reprises his award-winning role as "the original folk hero."

Well
By Lisa Kron
Directed by Braden Abraham

February 10 - March 5, 2017
Bagley Wright Theatre

Why do some people stay sick while others become well? And where do we find the road to recovery? Lisa Kron, the multi-talented humorist, performer, playwright, and Tony Award-winning writer and lyricist behind the recent Broadway hit Fun Home, takes us on a surprising and complicated journey exploring these questions in this acclaimed comedy-which is not about her mom.

Dry Powder
By Sarah Burgess

March 17 - April 16, 2017
Leo K. Theatre

This new dark comedy delves into the world of those who mold and mess with the American economy. Rick, a private equity firm CEO, creates a PR nightmare when he throws himself an extravagant engagement party after forcing massive layoffs. Seth, one of Rick's managing directors, tries to rectify the situation by pursuing a luggage company ready to be taken to the next level. But Jenny, Seth's counterpart at the firm, suggests a countermove that relies on leveling it. The game is on in Sarah Burgess' razor-sharp play about the price of success and the real cost of getting the deal done.

Here Lies Love
Concept and Lyrics by David Byrne

Music by David Byrne and Fatboy Slim

Additional Music by Tom Gandey and J Pardo

Choreographed by Annie-B Parson

Directed by Alex Timbers

Produced in association with American Conservatory Theatre
Originally produced by The Public Theater in New York

April 7 - May 28, 2017
Bagley Wright Theatre

Seattle Rep's Bagley Wright Theatre transforms into a wild dance party, where techno beats spin and tell the story of the People's Power Revolution that inspired the world and changed the Philippines forever. Here Lies Love traces the non-violent restoration of democracy in the Philippines in 1986 and follows the meteoric rise and dramatic fall of the controversial First Lady of the Philippines, Imelda Marcos. Two-time Tony-nominated director Alex Timbers helms David Byrne (Talking Heads) and Fatboy Slim's one-of-a-kind "poperetta" about the Filipina "Steel Butterfly" and the power of the people.

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