Rep Stage Announces 2018–2019 Season Productions

Rep Stage, the professional regional theatre in residence at Howard Community College, has announced its 2018-2019 season will launch with the musical "Sweeney Todd," followed by a world premiere production by Callie Kimball, and contemporary theatre classics "Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992" and "The 39 Steps."

"Theatre-makers are storytellers. As an audience, we come to witness these stories because we are curious, and we long to be astonished, surprised, and moved in some way," said Joseph W. Ritsch, producing artistic director of Rep Stage. "We come to the theatre to let imagination take over as we sit in the dark in communion with each other.

"For 2018-2019, Rep Stage is producing a season to inspire wonderment and ignite imagination. This season speaks to everything I love about the theatre and supports my vision for a theatre where everyone is welcome, where we can all see ourselves in the stories we tell, where empathy is key, and where we can all experience wonderment."

"Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street"
Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Book by Hugh Wheeler
Directed and Choreographed by Joseph W. Ritsch
Musical Direction by Stacey Antoine
September 6-23, 2018

Stephen Sondheim's and Hugh Wheeler's Tony Award-winning musical thriller about the infamous demon barber of Fleet Street. The road to revenge leads Todd to Mrs. Lovett, a resourceful proprietress of a failing pie shop. Mrs. Lovett's luck sharply shifts when Todd's thirst for blood inspires the integration of an ingredient into her meat pies that has the people of London lining up for more. The Rep Stage production features an ensemble of eight in an intimate setting laced with brilliant wit, diabolical humor, and extraordinary music.

"Things That Are Round"
By Callie Kimball
Directed by Lola B. Pierson
November 1-18, 2018
WORLD PREMIERE

Tetherly, a dentist specializing in existential terror, and Nina, an aspiring opera singer who just might be the worst babysitter ever, square off in a strange ballet of truth or dare. But is this a game anyone can even win? In Kimball's dark comedy, a la Thelma and Louise meets George and Martha on steroids, "Things That Are Round" upends stereotypes and subverts traditional tropes of love stories, psychological thrillers, and the 'living room drama,' while exploring the lengths we will go for human connection.

"Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992"
By Anna Deavere Smith
Directed by Paige Hernandez
February 7-25, 2019

Anna Deavere Smith's stunning play explores the people who experienced the Los Angeles riots and the devastating human impact of that event. From nine months of interviews with more than two hundred people, Smith has chosen the voices that best reflect the diversity and tension of a city in turmoil, all portrayed by one actress in a tour-de-force performance. A work that goes directly to the heart of the issues of race and class, "Twilight" ruthlessly probes the language and the lives of its subjects, offering stark insight into the complex and pressing social, economic, and political issues that fueled the flames in the wake of the Rodney King verdict.

"The 39 Steps"
By Patrick Barlow
Directed by Joseph W. Ritsch
May 2-19, 2019

Based on the Hitchcock masterpiece, this fast-paced spoof of the classic 1935 film is a joy for anyone who loves the magic of theatre. This two-time Tony and Drama Desk Award-winning comedy is packed with nonstop adventure and a multitude of characters played by a cast of four. The brilliantly madcap story follows the dashing hero Richard Hannay as he races to solve the mystery of "The 39 Steps," all the while trying to clear his name. A riotous blend of virtuoso performances and wildly inventive stagecraft, "The 39 Steps" amounts to an unforgettable evening of pure pleasure.

For more information about the upcoming season, contact 443-518-1510 or visit www.repstage.org.

ABOUT REP STAGE
Rep Stage, the professional regional theatre in residence at Howard Community College, produces engaging and evocative contemporary American classics and new works. Led by Producing Artistic Director Joseph W. Ritsch, Rep Stage is dedicated to collaborating with regional artists in its commitment to bringing richly diverse work to audiences. Recognized as a professional Washington, DC metropolitan area theatre company by Theatre Washington, Rep Stage has a proud history of Helen Hayes Award-winning productions and nominations over its 25 years. The theatre is a member of the Greater Baltimore Cultural Alliance and Theatre Communications Group. Performances are made possible by Howard Arts Council, Maryland State Arts Council, Howard County and Maryland state governments, and generous individual donors.