Adventure Theatre MTC Announces Its 68th Professional Season

Impending Executive Director of Adventure Theatre MTC (ATMTC) Leon Seemann and exiting Artistic Director Michael J. Bobbitt announce the full line-up and all-female directing team for the 2019-2020 Season.

"This season means so much to me as my first as Executive Director, and I can think of no better way to ring in this new season that year of female-driven productions," says Leon Seemann. "Women outnumber men on this Earth, but looking at the state of theatre, you would think they were a rare species. We recognize that women need to be hired and heard in theatre. Adventure Theatre has taken those strides with giving artists of color that opportunity to be nurtured through the pipeline with our Assistant Director Fellowship for People of Color, and now we are continuing those efforts a second year and creating an additional space for female artistic leaders."

Michael J. Bobbitt, Artistic Director until July 1, 2019, agrees. "DC made history in 2015 and 2016 with the Women's Voices Theater Festival, shining a light on women playwrights and women's stories. Next Season, Adventure Theatre is committing to have equity and parity by putting female artists at the helm of each production. ATMTC continues to inspire the next generation by creating stories in which people of all cultures are represented and delighted by the art we produce. If anything, I hope that's the legacy and message I will leave in Washington, DC."

Kicking off the 2019-2020 season is the musical based upon the award-winning series by Mo Willems, Elephant and Piggie. Kids' favorite friends pop off the page in a show about friendship, humor, and kindness in "ELEPHANT AND PIGGIE'S WE ARE IN A PLAY!" Directed by American University professor, Cara Gabriel (Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day), the original Helen Hayes Recommended production saw its world premiere at the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts in 2013.

The character of Velveteen will hippity-hop from a classic children's book to a classic play under careful direction by Jenna Duncan, Associate Artistic Director/Casting Director at Olney Theatre Center, in this never-before-seen holiday season adaptation by DC Playwright Patrick Flynn. Based on the book that received the IRA/CBC Children's Choice award and recommended on the National Education Association's Teacher's poll Top 100 Books for Children, THE VELVETEEN RABBIT, comes alive in a modern take on this story of unconditional love.

Peter is back after Adventure Theatre's world premiere 2011 musical, and this time he brings even more friends and adventures in THE SNOWY DAY AND OTHER STORIES BY Ezra Jack Keats in the early winter of 2020. Directed by Howard University graduate and Mosaic Theater Company's Associate Artistic Director, Victoria Baatin, in her directorial debut, Peter comes alive in the stories that reflect his Peter is bright, imaginative and fun-loving personality.

In the Spring, Lovable Lyle appears in the house on East 88th Street, and nothing is ever the same in LYLE THE CROCODILE, a musical based upon the works by Bernard Waber. Directed by two-time Theatre Communications Group, Young Leaders of Color award recipient and faculty member at both Catholic University and American University, Dannielle Drakes, leads this cast in a wild adventure of an urban jungle jam session.

And for the hot Summer months, two-time 2019 Helen Hayes Award Recipient and Georgetown University Professor, Natsu Onada Power (The Emperor's Nightingale) directs the zany musical tale of New York's Central Park Zoo animals on an unexpected journey to the madcap world the jungle in MADAGASCAR. Filled with hilarious adventures and an upbeat score, Madagascar will leave audiences with no choice but to "Move It, Move It!" to see this show.

Adventure Theatre offers the perfect subscription-solution for parents of young kids, the Flexpass, a package of ten tickets to the 2019-2020 season which can be used in any configuration the patron wishes prior to August 31, 2020, now available for purchase on the website.

All performances will take place at Adventure Theatre MTC, 7300 MacArthur Blvd, Glen Echo, MD, 20812 in the historic Glen Echo Park. For more information about Adventure Theatre MTC, call 301-634-2270 or visit www.adventuretheatre-mtc.org.

PROFESSIONAL PRODUCTIONS

Elephant & Piggie's "We Are In A Play!"

Directed by Cara Gabriel
Based on the Elephant & Piggie books by Mo Willems
Published by Hyperion Books for Children
Script and Lyrics by Mo Willems
Music by Deborah Wicks La Puma

(September 20- October 20, 2019)

The award-winning, best-selling children's books jumps from page to stage as a musical experience you won't forget! Gerald and Piggie are "bestus" friends, with Gerald taking care of all the worrying and Piggie living her best life. Piggie's even happier and more excited than usual. They're going to a party hosted by the Squirrelles! And so begins a day when anything is possible.

A World Premiere Play

The Velveteen Rabbit

Directed by Jenna Duncan
Based on the book by Margery Williams
Adapted by Patrick Flynn

(November 15, 2019- January 1, 2020)

Margery Williams's classic toy story gets a vibrant retelling in this brand new adaptation. When the Child gets the Rabbit for Christmas, she is at first disappointed in her gift. But as the two quest and adventure through her storybooks, both Rabbit and Child grow and care for each other. And they discover that love is the greatest force in the Universe and can make impossible things Real.

The Snowy Day and Other Stories by Ezra Jack Keats

Directed by Victoria Baatin
Adapted for the stage by Jerome Hairston
Based on the books by Ezra Jack Keats
Produced by special arrangement with Plays for Young Audiences

(February 14- March 29, 2020)

This beautiful show follows the character of Peter and his friend Archie around the neighborhood in four of Ezra Jack Keats' beloved tales, The Snowy Day, Whistle for Willie, Goggles!, and A Letter to Amy. Renowned for his tender personality, the character of Peter faces relatable everyday challenges to which children of all ages will find delightfully entertaining.

Lyle the Crocodile

Directed by Danielle Drakes
Adapted for the stage by Kevin Kling
Based on Lyle, Lyle Crocodile and The House on East 88th Street by Bernard Waber

(April 24- May 31, 2020)

Produced by special arrangement with Plays for Young Audiences

Alert the press! A crocodile has turned up in a bathtub in an apartment in New York City's Upper East Side! Not to worry. Lyle the Crocodile becomes good friends with the folks in the building, except for Mr. Grumps, who hates well... everything except his cat. Will Lyle be able to prove his worth to Mr. Grumps and show that our differences actually make us beautiful?

Madagascar - A Musical Adventure

Directed by Natsu Onoda Power*
Based on the Dreamworks Animation Motion Picture
Book by Original Music and Lyrics by Kevin Del Aguila George Noriega & Joel Someillan

(June 26- August 23, 2020)

We like to move it, move it! Join Alex the Lion, Marty the Zebra, Melman the Giraffe, Gloria the hip hip Hippo and, of course, those hilarious, plotting penguins as they escape from their home in New York's Central Park Zoo and find themselves on an unexpected journey to the madcap world of King Julien's Madagascar.

*2019 Two-Time Helen Hayes Award Recipient

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ABOUT ADVENTURE THEATRE MTC

Adventure Theatre MTC educates and inspires new generations of theater artists and audiences with exceptional theatrical experiences.