TWELVE ANGRY MEN, INTO THE WOODS, and More Among Lineup for Ford's Theatre 2018-19 Season

Ford's Theatre Director Paul R. Tetreault today announced the Ford's Theatre 2018-2019 season will include the political satire "Born Yesterday," directed by Aaron Posner; the classic American drama "Twelve Angry Men," directed by Sheldon Epps; the musical fairytale "Into the Woods," directed by Peter Flynn; and "A Christmas Carol" with Craig Wallace reprising the role of Ebenezer Scrooge.

Performances of the Society's actor-led History on Foot walking tours of downtown Washington, D.C., and daytime one-act play performances of One Destiny also continue in the spring of 2019.

"The themes flowing through each of our offerings next season are the value of believing in yourself and standing up for what is right, even if you are the only voice standing up," saidFord's Theatre Director Paul R. Tetreault.

"Next season's characters search for the truth, speak their minds, take responsibility for their actions and seek out the right paths, not only the convenient ones. They learn to stop judging things at face value and discover that real strength lies in working together for the greater good. These universal lessons resound for all of us," Tetreault continued. "I look forward to seeing how directors Aaron Posner, Sheldon Epps and Peter Flynn interpret these classic American works!"

Free First Preview

Ford's Theatre is continuing its commitment to offer more than 1,950 free performance tickets to the company's mainstage productions during the 2018-2019 season. All tickets to the first preview performances of "Born Yesterday," "Twelve Angry Men" and "Into the Woods" will be offered free of charge via a ticket lottery, and at least 150 free tickets will be made available for the first preview performance of "A Christmas Carol." The Free First Preview initiative seeks to remove price barriers and build audiences in a more inclusive way, by inviting those who live and work in the Washington community who might not otherwise consider participation in the arts.

The Ford's Theatre 2018-2019 Season

"Born Yesterday"

By Garson Kanin

Directed by Aaron Posner

September 21 to October 21, 2018

In this sharp-edged satire, opportunistic tycoon Harry Brock arrives in Washington with his naive girlfriend Billie Dawn to game the political system. With the help of an idealistic reporter, Billie wises up and fights back to end the corruption. Aaron Posner (Edward Albee's "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?") directs Kimberly Gilbert ("Jefferson's Garden," "The Laramie Project") and Edward Gero ("Hello, Dolly!"; "A Christmas Carol") in this 1940s screwball comedy that shows truth and justice can still win the day.

"Born Yesterday" Member Pre-Sale: May 7

Public On-Sale: May 21

"A Christmas Carol"

By Charles Dickens

Adapted by Michael Wilson

Directed by Michael Baron

Featuring Craig Wallace as Scrooge

November 15 to December 30, 2018

Join the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future as they lead the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge on a journey of transformation and redemption. Originally conceived by Michael Baron, this music-infused production captures the magic and joy of Dickens's Yuletide classic. Acclaimed actor Craig Wallace returns to play Ebenezer Scrooge in a production heralded as a "rich visual and vocal treat" (TheaterMania) and "infectiously jolly" (Washington Post).

"A Christmas Carol" Member Pre-Sale: August 6

Public On Sale: August 20

"Twelve Angry Men"

By Reginald Rose

Directed by Sheldon Epps

January 18 to February 17, 2019

Behind closed doors, tensions run high as a lone juror argues the innocence of a teenager accused of murder. In this provocatively resonant American drama, 12 jurors from all strata of society revisit the evidence, debate the issue of reasonable doubt and confront each other's personal biases. Broadway director Sheldon Epps ignites a conversation about how prejudice can shape the quest for justice.

"Twelve Angry Men" Member Pre-Sale: August 6

Public On Sale: August 27

"Into the Woods"

Book by James Lapine

Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim

Directed by Peter Flynn

Choreographed by Michael Bobbitt

March 8 to May 18, 2019

In Stephen Sondheim's imaginative, darkly comical remix of beloved fairytales, a baker and his wife set out to reverse a witch's curse in hopes of having a child of their own. The couple's quest takes them into the woods, where they encounter Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and his beanstalk, a cautious Cinderella, a sequestered Rapunzel and a couple of lovelorn princes. Sondheim's lush Tony-winning score and James Lapine's Tony-winning book conjure a world where "giants can be good and witches can be right." Peter Flynn (Ford's "Ragtime," "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee," "1776") returns to direct this fanciful tale about the lengths to which we'll go to get what we wish.

"Into the Woods" Member Pre-Sale: August 6

Public On Sale: August 27

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"One Destiny"

By Richard Hellesen; Directed by Mark Ramont

March through June 2019

Learn about Lincoln's assassination from two men who were there. This 35-minute play at Ford's Theatre explores the key facts of the assassination while capturing the emotions of that fateful night in 1865, as told through the eyewitness accounts of actor Harry Hawk and Ford's Theatre co-owner Harry Ford, among others. As they reconstruct the sequence of events, they grapple with the question: Could John Wilkes Booth have been stopped? One Destiny was honored with The Washington Post Award for Innovative Leadership in the Theatre Community in 2011 and celebrates its 1,250th performance in spring 2018. Performance dates and times for spring 2019 to be announced.

History on Foot Walking Tours:

"Investigation: Detective McDevitt"

By Richard Hellesen; Directed by Mark Ramont

March through October 2019

Join Detective McDevitt as he re-visits and re-examines the sites and clues surrounding the assassination of our nation's 16th president. This outdoor tour lasts approximately two hours and makes at least eight stops. The distance walked is 1.6 miles from outside of Ford's Theatre to the White House. Please wear comfortable shoes. Performance dates and times for 2019 to be announced.

Ford's Theatre Society

One of the most visited sites in the nation's capital, Ford's Theatre reopened its doors in 1968, more than a hundred years after the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. Operated through a partnership between Ford's Theatre Society and the National Park Service, Ford's Theatre is the premier destination in the nation's capital to explore and celebrate Abraham Lincoln's ideals and leadership principles: courage, integrity, tolerance, equality and creative expression.

Ford's Theatre Society was founded under the guidance of executive producer Frankie Hewitt, who, during her 35-year tenure, established Ford's as a living, Working Theatre producing performances that highlighted the diversity of the American experience. Since the arrival of Paul R. Tetreault as Director, critics and the theatregoing public have recognized Ford's for the superior quality of its artistic programming. With works from the Tony-nominated "Come From Away" and the nationally acclaimed "Big River" to the world premieres of "Meet John Doe," "The Heavens Are Hung In Black," "Liberty Smith," "Necessary Sacrifices," "The Widow Lincoln" and "The Guard," Ford's Theatre is making its mark on the American theatre landscape. In the past decade, the mission of Ford's Theatre Society expanded to include education as a central pillar. This expansion led to the creation and construction of the Center for Education and Leadership, which opened in February 2012. Currently, under the leadership of Board of Trustees Chairman Eric A. Spiegel, the Society is building Ford's Theatre into a national destination for exploring Lincoln's ideas and leadership principles and finding new ways to bring Lincoln's legacy to life for the 21st-century learner.

For more information on Ford's Theatre and the Ford's Theatre Society, please visit www.fords.org.

Photo: Rayanne Gonzales as the Ghost of Christmas Present in the 2017 Ford's Theatre, A Christmas Carol. Photo by Carol Rosegg.

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