Barrington Stage Company Announces 2008 Season

"Homecoming" is the theme of Barrington Stage Company's 14th Season. The theatre that developed and premiered William Finn and Rachel Sheinkin's The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee on its Stage II in 2004 welcomes home the award-winning Broadway hit to its Mainstage from June 11 through July 12.  Long-time BSC director Rob Ruggiero returns to direct Richard Greenberg's The Violet Hour, which will play July 17 through August 2.  Julianne Boyd will direct Noel Coward's delicious battle-of-the-sexes comedy Private Lives starring Christopher Innvar from August 7 through 24.  Private Lives marks the fifth stage collaboration between Boyd and Innvar.

BSC's Musical Theatre Lab, under the direction of Tony Award-winning Composer/Lyricist William Finn, kicks off it third season with a full production of The Mysteries of Harris Burdick, a new musical by Chris Miller and Nathan Tysen, (the team who created the BSC Musical Theatre Lab premiere of The Burnt Part Boys), inspired by Chris Van Allsburg's ("Jumanji" and "The Polar Express") mysterious and imaginative book.  Presented as a workshop production in the Musical Theatre Lab in 2007, and further developed by the creators, The Mysteries of Harris Burdick features book and direction by Joe Calarco.  The Mysteries of Harris Burdick begins performances June 18 and runs through July 5.

The full slate of Musical Theatre Lab productions will be announced in March.

Following the phenomenal success of last summer's Disney's High School Musical, Barrington Stage Company's Youth Theatre will present a musical the whole family can enjoy—a new version of Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty's Seussical from July 16 through August 17. It will be directed and choreographed by Christine O'Grady with musical direction by Brian Usifer, the creative team behind Disney's High School Musical.

The fall mainstage features an adaptation of one of the greatest novels of the 20th Century, Harper Lee's Pulitzer Prize winning "To Kill A Mockingbird" heralds in BSC's Fall Mainstage Season from October 8 through 26.  Adapted for the stage by Christopher Sergel and
directed by Julianne Boyd, "To Kill A Mockingbird" is an artful and compassionate story of innocence, courage and what it means to be a family.

The afore mentioned productions will join the previously announced winter/spring shows:  Trumbo which will play on the Mainstage from February 14-24 and I Am My Own Wife, which plays on the Stage II from May 21-June 8.

Tickets are priced from $15-$56, go on sale April 1.  Flex Pass subscriptions are currently available for the summer Mainstage season - at 2007 prices through February 29.  Groups of 15 or more should contact Christopher Dea at 413 499-5446, x201.  For information on shows, Flex Passes and tickets call 413-236-8888.

Barrington Stage Company, a professional award-winning Equity theatre, located in the heart of the Berkshires, in Pittsfield, MA, was co-founded in 1995 by artistic director Julianne Boyd.   BSC's mission is three-fold: to present top-notch, compelling work; to develop new plays and musicals; and to find fresh, bold ways to bringing new audiences into the theatre.  BSC garnered national attention with William Finn and Rachel Sheinkin's Tony Award-winning musical hit The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,which began as a workshop at BSC in February, 2004, was produced in its world premiere to critical acclaim that summer season, prior to taking NewYork by storm at Second Stage Theatre and later transferring to Broadway's Circle-in-the-Square Theatre where it has played over 1000 performances. For more information, log on to www.barringtonstageco.org. 

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