FUN HOME, ONCE, SMALL MOUTH SOUNDS, and More Lead SpeakEasy's 2018-19 Season

The Tony Award-winning musicals FUN HOME and ONCE, the Pulitzer Prize-winning drama BETWEEN RIVERSIDE AND CRAZY; the Off-Broadway sensations SCHOOL GIRLS; OR THE AFRICAN MEAN GIRLS PLAY and SMALL MOUTH SOUNDS; and the triumphant new musical THE VIEW UPSTAIRS will make up SpeakEasy Stage Company's 2018-2019 Season, the company's Founder and Producing Artistic Director Paul Daigneault announced today.

In addition, the company's new works program, THE BOSTON PROJECT, has been renewed for a third season, offering two more Boston playwrights commissions to create new plays about what it means to live in this city at this moment.

The schedule for SpeakEasy Stage Company's 2018-2019 Season will be:

BETWEEN RIVERSIDE AND CRAZY -By Stephen Adly Guirgis / Sept. 7 - Oct. 6, 2018

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

Based on the graphic novel by, Alison Bechdel / Oct. 19-Nov. 17, 2018

SMALL MOUTH SOUNDS - by Bess Wohl / Jan. 4- Feb. 2, 2019

ONCE - by Enda Walsh, Music and Lyrics by Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová

Based on the motion picture written and directed by John Carney / Mar. 1 - 30, 2019

SCHOOL GIRLS; OR, THE AFRICAN MEAN GIRLS PLAY - by Jocelyn Bioh / May 3 - 25, 2019

THE VIEW UPSTAIRS - by Max Vernon / May 31-Jun 22, 2019

"Once again I am excited to offer Boston audiences an ambitious and entertaining slate of the very best contemporary plays and musicals," said Daigneault, in announcing the new line-up. "Each of these shows is uniquely theatrical and celebrates the importance of sharing our stories to better appreciate our common humanity."

"I am also excited for the many opportunities these shows offer a diverse group of local artists, both young talent and experienced professionals. It's going to be a very exciting year!"

For more information on SpeakEasy's 28th Season or to subscribe, the public can call the Boston Theatre Scene Box Office at 617-933-8600 or go online to www.SpeakEasyStage.com.

Here is more information on each of SpeakEasy's 2018-2019 shows. Please note that all dates, artists, and repertoire are subject to change.

Winner! 2015 Pulitzer Prize for Drama

1) BETWEEN RIVERSIDE AND CRAZY

By Stephen Adly Guirgis

New England Premiere! September 7 - October 6, 2018

Press Performance - Sunday, September 9- 3PM

Roberts Studio Theatre

With both street-smart with and disarming tenderness, Stephen Adly Guirgis' dark urban comedy explores the slippery nature of justice, and the grit it takes to move on. In an effort to hang on to one of Manhattan's last great rent-stabilized apartments, ex-cop Walter "Pops" Washington does battle with a dazzling array of outlandish characters, each one a celebration of the glorious contradictions that make up human nature.

Winner! Five Tony Awards including Best Musical

2) FUN HOME

Music by Jeanine Tesori

Book and Lyrics by Lisa Kron

Based on the graphic novel by Alison Bechdel

Directed by Paul Daigneault

Boston Regional Theatre Premiere! October 19 - November 17, 2018

Press Performance - Sunday, October 21 - 3PM

Roberts Studio Theatre

Fun Home is a heartbreaking and fiercely funny new show about seeing one's parents through grown-up eyes. Based on Alison Bechdel's best-selling graphic memoir, this groundbreaking musical introduces us to Alison at three different ages, revealing memories that celebrate the curiosity of childhood and the complexities of family.

One of the Top Ten Plays of 2015 - The New York Times

3) SMALL MOUTH SOUNDS
by Bess Wohl

Boston Premiere! January 4 - February 2, 2019

Press Performance - Sunday, January 6 - 3PM

Roberts Studio Theatre

Six strangers in search of serenity meet at a wellness retreat for what they all hope will be a life-changing five-day experience in this hit Off-Broadway comedy by Bess Wohl. Though it employs very little dialogue, there is nothing quiet about Small Mouth Sounds, a luminous and compassionate new play that asks how we address life's biggest questions when words fail us.

Winner! Eight Tony Awards including Best Musical

4) ONCE
Book by Enda Walsh

Music and Lyrics by Glen Hansard & Markéta Irglová

Based on the motion picture written and directed by John Carney

Directed by Paul Melone

Boston Regional Premiere! March 1 - 30, 2019

Press Performance - Sunday, March 3 - 3PM

Roberts Studio Theatre

An exceptional ensemble of actor/musicians bring to life this enchanting tale of an unexpected romance between a down-on-his-luck Dublin street musician and a lively, determined Czech immigrant. Emotionally captivating and theatrically breathtaking, Once is an unforgettable story about going for your dreams -- and the power of music to connect us all.

One of the Top Plays of 2017 - The New York Times

5) SCHOOL GIRLS; OR, THE AFRICAN MEAN GIRLS PLAY

By Jocelyn Bioh

Directed by Summer L. Williams

Community Engagement Partner: The Front Porch Arts Collective

New England Premiere! May 3- 25, 2019

Press Performance - Sunday, May 5- 3PM

Roberts Studio Theatre

Paulina's reign as the haughty 'queen bee' at Ghana's most exclusive boarding school may be over when Ericka, the daughter of a local cocoa tycoon, transfers in from Ohio for her senior year. Throwing unsparing light on the questions of ambition, deceit, and the ultimate value of a fair-skinned complexion, this biting comedy by Jocelyn Bioh reinvents the American "Mean Girl" genre to explore the universal similarities (and glaring differences) facing teenage women across the globe.

Best New Musical! Off Broadway Alliance Awards (nominee)

6) THE VIEW UPSTAIRS

Book, Music, and Lyrics by Max Vernon

Directed by Paul Daigneault

New England Premiere! May 31- June 22, 2019

Press Performance - Sunday, June 2- 3PM

BCA Plaza Theatre

Wes, a young fashion designer from 2017, buys an abandoned building in the French Quarter of New Orleans, he finds himself transported to the UpStairs Lounge, a vibrant seventies gay bar. As this forgotten community comes to life, Wes embarks on an exhilarating journey of self exploration that spans two generations of queer history. Featuring a gritty, glam rock score and a tight-knit ensemble of unforgettable characters, The View UpStairs asks what has been gained and lost in the fight for equality, and how the past can help guide us through an uncertain future.

6) THE BOSTON PROJECT 2019

Play Reading Dates TBA, June 2019

A new works initiative that supports the creation and development of new plays set in Boston, THE BOSTON PROJECT will return for its third season in 2018-2019. Two Boston playwrights will receive a commission to write a completely new work, each of which will explore what it means to live in this city at this moment and tap into the full breadth of experiences and identities that make up life in the Hub.

In addition, SpeakEasy will continue to develop a previous Boston Project play, OLE WHITE SUGAH DADDY by Obehi Janice, a play about love, identity, and the tension between striving and thriving. OLE WHITE SUGAH DADDY tells the story of Lynn, a Dorchester native who is a rising star in the startup industries of Boston and Cambridge. The play centers on Lynn's attempts to court a new Angel Investor, and looks at how race, class, and color collide in her private life, public persona, and cyber footprint as she attempts to build her legacy.

"SpeakEasy has always been about Boston and Boston artists," said the company's Producing Artistic Director, Paul Daigneault. "The Boston Project offers us another way to support the theatre community around us and commit ourselves even further to the development and production of new works."

Subscription Information

Subscriptions for SpeakEasy Stage Company's 2018-2019 Season are now on sale by calling
617-933-8600 or online at www.SpeakEasyStage.com/Season28.

Information on all of SpeakEasy's 2018-2019 shows and subscription options can be found by visiting www.SpeakEasyStage.com/Season28.

Tickets to individual shows in SpeakEasy's 2018-2019 Season go on sale in August.

Press inquiries should be directed to SpeakEasy Marketing Director Jim Torres.

Office: 617-482-3279 Cell: 617-529-1670 (this cell number not for publication)

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