Photo Flash: American Stage Reveals Their 2018-2019 Season

American Stage announces their 2018-2019 Mainstage Series, marking Producing Artistic Director Stephanie Gularte's third season selected themed as "LIFE. OUT LOUD."

The 2018-2019 season will feature a diverse line-up that includes four Tampa Bay Area Premieres, four female playwrights, two Pulitzer Prize winners, a Tony Award-winning musical and an American classic that continues the American Legacy Series.

American Stage is also excited to announce their first Playwright-in-Residence, Natalie Symons, during their 2018-2019 season. Coming to our Mainstage this Fall, American Stage Education presents the Family Series: WINNIE THE POOH. This production will also hit the road in September as the American Stage School Tour.

2018-2019 MAINSTAGE SEASON SELECTIONS:

BETWEEN RIVERSIDE AND CRAZY By Stephen Adly Guirgis

Tampa Bay Premiere

October 3 - November 4, 2018

Winner! 2015 Pulitzer Prize

MISS BENNET: CHRISTMAS AT PEMBERLEY By Lauren Gunderson and Margot Melcon

Tampa Bay Premiere

November 28 - December 30, 2018

PIPELINE By Dominique Morisseau

Tampa Bay Premiere

January 23 - February 24, 2019

THE ROOMMATE By Jen Silverman

Tampa Bay Area Premiere

March 13 - April 7, 2019

LONG DAY'S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT By Eugene O'Neill

American Legacy Series

May 29 - June 30, 2019

Winner! 1957 Pulitzer Prize in Drama

Winner! 2013 Olivier Award, Best Revival

Winner! Tony Award for Best Play

FUN HOME Book and Lyrics by Lisa Kron, Music by Jeanine Tesori

July 17 - August 18, 2019

Winner! 2015 Tony Awards for Best Musical, Best Score and Best Book

NOTES ABOUT OUR SEASON THEME:
FROM PRODUCING ARTISTIC DIRECTOR, STEPHANIE GULARTE:

The Urban Dictionary describes living out loud as "Living on purpose, loving others and yourself, living passionately for your values, no matter what. Letting others see your light shine, and not being afraid to be different or worry about others' opinions of you. Living a life you're excited about, with purpose, on your terms. Inspiring others to do the same."

At American Stage we are committed to telling stories that impact our hearts and minds, honor our diversity, embrace our differences, and rejoice in our shared experience of what it is to be a human being. Our season theme LIFE. OUT LOUD. reflects our passion for Powerful Stories, Boldly Told and our dedication to promoting connection and unity in our community through the power of live theatre. Our 2018-19 season features characters laughing, crying, loving, rebelling and soaring out loud. These are sit-up-and-take notice stories that will dare you to lean forward and be transported.

Join us in celebration and contemplation of Life. Out Loud.

ABOUT THE PLAYS SELECTED:

BETWEEN RIVERSIDE AND CRAZY

Tampa Bay Premiere

October 3 - November 4, 2018

Winner! 2015 Pulitzer Prize

HUSTLE. OUT LOUD

Winner of the 2015 Pulitzer Prize, BETWEEN RIVERSIDE AND CRAZY tells the story of ex-cop and recent widower Walter "Pops" Washington and his newly paroled son Junior. They have spent a lifetime living between Riverside and crazy. The dog is a nuisance, the landlord wants him gone, and the NYPD is demanding a settlement on an outstanding lawsuit. After an enlightening encounter, Pops decides to take things in his own hands with a final ultimatum, while everyone else hustles to get what they think they deserve.

"Somewhere south of cozy and north of dangerous, west of sitcom and due east of tragedy." -Ben Brantley, The New York Times

MISS BENNET: CHRISTMAS AT PEMBERLEY

By Lauren Gunderson and Margot Melcon

November 28 - December 30, 2018

Tampa Bay Premiere

LOVE. OUT LOUD.

A sequel to Jane Austen's PRIDE AND PREJUDICE set two years after the novel ends, MISS BENNET continues the story, only this time with bookish middle-sister Mary as its unlikely heroine. Mary is growing tired of her role as dutiful middle sister in the face of her siblings' romantic escapades. When the family gathers for Christmas at Pemberley, an unexpected guest sparks Mary's hopes for independence, an intellectual match, and possibly even love.

"...a perfectly constructed love story...fizzy comedy, sweet spirit...destined to populate future holiday seasons..." -San Francisco Chronicle.

PIPELINE
By Dominique Morisseau

January 23 - February 24, 2019
Tampa Bay Premiere

TEACH. OUT LOUD.

Nya, an inner-city public high school teacher, is committed to her students but desperate to give her only son Omari opportunities he'll never have. With profound compassion and lyricism, PIPELINE brings an urgent conversation powerfully to the fore in this deeply moving story of a mother's fight to give her son a future - without turning her back on the community that made him who he is.

"Pipeline is at once an homage to such authors as Lorraine Hansberry, Langston Hughes and Amiri Baraka and yet firmly the product of a unique, deeply resonant sensibility." - Deadline

THE ROOMMATE

By Jen Silverman

March 13 - April 7, 2019
Tampa Bay Area Premiere

REBEL. OUT LOUD.

Sharon, in her mid-fifties, is recently divorced and needs a roommate to share her Iowa home. Robyn, also in her mid-fifties, needs a place to hide and a chance to start over. But as Sharon begins to uncover Robyn's secrets, they encourage her own deep-seated desire to transform her life completely. A dark comedy about what it takes to re-route your life - and what happens when the wheels come off.

"Equal parts nuanced and comically exaggerated, The Roommate addresses themes of aging, femininity and identity in a fresh, humorous way." - WFPL

American Legacy Series

LONG DAY'S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT
By Eugene O'Neill

May 29 - June 30, 2019

Winner! 1957 Pulitzer Prize in Drama

Winner! 2013 Olivier Award, Best Revival

Winner! Tony Award for Best Play

HOPE. OUT LOUD.

The second play in our American Legacy Series, this Pulitzer Prize-winning masterwork spills out over a single day at the Tyrones' Connecticut summer home, as a series of blistering revelations test the ties that have tenuously bound a couple and their sons through the years. Charting their descent as day turns to night and the fog rolls in from the sea, this devastating production is a vibrating study of love, illness, and addiction- to drink, drugs, and the shadows of the past.

"It is a stunning theatrical experience." - NY Herald-Tribune

FUN HOME

Book and Lyrics by Lisa Kron, Music by Jeanine Tesori

July 17 - August 18, 2019

Winner of the 2015 Tony Awards for Best Musical, Best Score and Best Book

GROW UP. OUT LOUD.

Winner of the 2015 Tony Awards for Best Musical, Best Score and Best Book, FUN HOME is based on Alison Bechdel's best-selling graphic memoir revealing memories of her uniquely dysfunctional family that connect with her in surprising new ways, in this refreshingly honest, wholly original musical about seeing your parents through grown-up eyes.

"Heart-gripping and cathartic, FUN HOME occupies the place where we all grew up" - The New York Times

ADDITIONAL 2018-2019 SEASON HIGHLIGHTS:

School Tour & Family Series

Coming to our Mainstage this Fall, American Stage Education presents the Family Series: WINNIE THE POOH. This production will also hit the road in September as the American Stage School Tour.

American Stage will present the School Tour in Fall 2018 to more than 19,000 students, grades K-5, in Pinellas & Hillsborough Counties. For over a generation, School Tour has engaged students with live performance and is offered at no charge to all participating public schools in Pinellas County.

Playwright-in-Residence (NEW)

Natalie Symons

Playwright of LARK EDEN, BUFFALO KINGS, & NAMING TRUE

St. Pete playwright Natalie Symons will develop a new play in collaboration with American Stage leadership and artists. Beginning with a series of private readings with professional actors over the course of the season, the play will be presented to an audience in a staged reading and ultimately, through an American Stage workshop production.

Visit www.americanstage.org/18-19 for additional Season Announcement Media

Performance times are as follows:
Wednesdays at 7pm, Thursdays-Saturdays at 8pm, Saturdays & Sundays at 3pm

SUBSCRIPTION INFO:
6-Play Series
Opening Night - $290
Weekend Evenings (Fri & Sat) - $250
Matinees (Sat & Sun) - $210
Weeknights (Wed & Thurs) - $190
Thursday Preview - $150

Freedom Pass - $260
The Freedom Pass gives YOU the flexibility to see all 6-shows, but on your own terms to accommodate your busy lifestyle. Book your dates as you go or all at once - regardless you have the freedom to see all six shows when you want.

5-Play Series
Opening Night - $255
Weekend Evenings (Fri & Sat) - $215
Matinees (Sat & Sun) - $195
Weeknights (Wed & Thurs) - $185

AMERICAN STAGE | AS/40
American Stage celebrates 40 Years Strong this season. Since 1977, American Stage, has contributed to the vitality of Tampa Bay as a regional professional theatre. American Stage's mission is to reinforce the power of live theatre with high quality productions that excite and challenge a diverse audience. Our year-round programming seeks to realize this through our Mainstage season, Spotlight Series, 21st Century Voices: New Play Festival, American Stage in the Park and Improv. American Stage Education's offerings include award-winning Teaching Artist Outreach focused on bringing theatrical arts experiences to underserved populations, helping them to excel onstage & beyond.

We believe that through the telling of dynamic stories, live theatre has the power to unite us in our shared experiences and to deepen our connection to one another through the illumination of diverse perspectives. American Stage artists and stakeholders are responsible for helping a small theatre touring company blossom into a thriving world-class professional theatre providing nearly 70,000 Tampa Bay residents and tourists with accessible, relevant art and arts education annually.

Powerful Stories. Boldly Told. 40 Years Strong.

BOX OFFICE INFORMATION:

Phone: (727) 823-PLAY (7529)

Email: BoxOffice@americanstage.org

Location: 163 3rd St. North, St. Petersburg, FL 33701