AN ILIAD, 'VANYA AND SONIA' and More Set for Perseverance Theatre's 2014-15 Season

Perseverance Theatre, which produces professional theatre by and for Alaskans in both Juneau and Anchorage, has announced its slate of plays for 2014-2015. With five productions in Juneau and Anchorage, Perseverance continues its commitment to statewide programming and expanding its community of audience and artisans. The season opens with An Iliad September 5 - 28 in Juneau while Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike plays in Anchorage September 12 - 21. For more information about either the Juneau or Anchorage seasons or to purchase single tickets, visit www.ptalaska.org or call 907-463-TIXS (Juneau) or 907-263-ARTS (Anchorage).

In Juneau, the thirty-sixth season opens September 5 with An Iliad by Lisa Peterson and Denise O'Hare. A one-man show which has played to sold out houses off-Broadway and across America, Homer's classic comes roaring to life in a contemporary new telling and becomes breathtakingly relevant. Artistic Associate Bostin Christopher takes on the role of The Poet in this unflinching account about our unshakeable attraction to violence, destruction, and chaos. Directed and designed by Art Rotch, with original composition and live Cello accompaniment by Lucy Peckham. An Iliad runs September 5 - 28 in Juneau, with an October run slated for Anchorage.

Next, Perseverance presents the longest running American musical on Broadway, Chicago! by Kander and Ebb (November 7 - December 7). Artistic Associate Shona Strauser directs this story of fame, fortune, and murder! Roxie Hart and Velma Kelly are accused of murder, and in the hands of their lawyer Billy Flynn, they might not only get away with it, but they may even become famous for it!

In the new year, Perseverance Theatre presents The Mountaintop by Katori Hall. After delivering the speech of his life, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. returns to his room at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis and is visited by a mysterious hotel maid who pushes King to confront his destiny and his legacy to his people. Funny, moving and soul-stirring, The Mountaintop is an amazing look at the final night in the life of one of the greatest Americans of the 20th century.

Spring brings laughter with one of the classic American comedies of all time, Neil Simon's Tony Award-winning play, The Odd Couple. Laugh at the classic buddy tale of the slovenly Oscar and the uptight Felix as they try and manage living together. Neil Simon's witty dialogue, vibrant characters, and hilarious one-liners have made him one of the most produced playwrights around the world. Finally, closing the season in Juneau will be a play to be announced at a later date.

The Anchorage Season, the fourth and largest Perseverance has presented begins September 12 with the 2013 Tony award-winning comedy Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike (September 12 - 21). Vanya, and his adopted sister Sonia, live a quiet life in the Pennsylvania farmhouse where they grew up, but their peace is disturbed when their movie-star sister Masha returns unannounced with her twenty-something boy toy, Spike. A weekend of rivalry, regret, and raucousness begins! The Anchorage season continues with An Iliad (October 24 - November 2), followed by a production commissioned especially for Anchorage, Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol (December 19 - 28). Perseverance will be bringing up veteran director Michael Evan Hanley from Cincinnati Playhouse to direct this new adaptation co-authored by Anchorage playwright Arlitia Jones. Next in line is The Mountaintop (February 12 - 22) and the Anchorage season closes with a special three week run of The Odd Couple (April 10 - 26).

For more information about either the Juneau or Anchorage seasons, visit www.ptalaska.org or call 907-463-TIXS (JNU) or 907-263-ARTS (ANC).

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