People's Light Announces 2018-2019 Season

The 2018-19 season at People's Light explores love, appetite, loss, and legacy through script and song.

Artistic Director and CEO Abigail Adams describes the season as a "clarion call for hope. I believe these productions ask the question, 'Right now, when things seem so difficult in our society, how can we remain hopeful, how can we seize the day and move forward with our best selves?'

"We're eager to examine that question and provide a welcoming place to engage with these productions," she says. "Through our wide array of surround programming, we invite audiences to explore and exchange ideas with us and each other."

Producing Director Zak Berkman notes the variety of voices heard this season, and the depth of the artists' offerings. "Leading female playwrights, classic dramatists, and preeminent music-theatre makers bring a rich diversity of stories and characters to our stage," he says. "Each of these artists infuses their work with poetry and humor, and connects the deeply personal to our larger cultural moment."

Following the success of the recent People's Light world premieres Project Dawn by Karen Hartman and Lights Out: Nat "King" Cole by Colman Domingo and Patricia McGregor, the 2018-19 season will include two world premieres: Mud Row by Dominique Morisseau, and Such Things As Vampires by the creative team of Zak Berkman, Stuart Carden, Jessie Fisher, and Mary Tuomanen. The season will also feature new works by Lynn Nottage and Sarah Ruhl, music by Nina Simone, and a limited-run appearance by Academy Award nominee David Strathairn in Beckett's classic Endgame. The year culminates with a music-filled production of Thornton Wilder's Our Town that features troubadour David Lutken.

8-PLAY SERIES

SUCH THINGS AS VAMPIRES: A PUNK-FOLK DRACULA INOCULATION

September 20 - October 31, 2018

Steinbright Stage

Conceived and Created by Zak Berkman, Stuart Carden, Jessie Fisher, and Mary Tuomanen

Directed by Stuart Carden

A mysterious band of punk-folk musicians tells the tale of Mina, the heroine at the heart of Bram Stoker's Dracula. Frightening and funny, this highly theatrical world premiere is infused with live music written by a team of preeminent local and national theatre-makers.

CINDERELLA: A MUSICAL PANTO

November 14, 2018 - January 6, 2019

Leonard C. Haas Stage

By Kathryn Petersen

Music & Lyrics by Michael Ogborn

Directed by Samantha Reading

Celebrate 15 years of People's Light tradition with our most popular panto! As "the nation's primary creator and producer of such specialized tomfoolery" (Newsworks), we invite you to cheer our heroes, "boo" the villains, and sing along as we put our signature spin on the magical tale of fairy godmothers and glass slippers.

SWEAT

January 16 - February 10, 2019

Steinbright Stage

By Lynn Nottage

Set in Reading, PA, this incisive examination of deindustrialized America illuminates the divisions we draw when livelihoods are threatened. Winner of the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and nominated for the 2017 Tony Award for Best Play, this "superb play" showcases two-time Pulitzer Prize-winner Lynn Nottage "at the peak of her powers" (The New York Times).

NINA SIMONE: FOUR WOMEN

February 27 - March 31, 2019

Leonard C. Haas Stage

By Christina Ham

Directed by Hayley Finn

Birmingham, Alabama, 1963. The day after four young black girls are killed in the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing, four women gather amid the wreckage. Framed by Nina Simone's song Four Women, this music-filled contemplation on colorism and Black womanhood features the legendary singer's most iconic civil rights anthems.

FOR PETER PAN ON HER 70TH BIRTHDAY

April 10 - May 12, 2019

Steinbright Stage

By Sarah Ruhl

Directed by Abigail Adams

Fifty years after Anne's star turn as Peter Pan, she and her siblings confront growing up and growing old on a final journey to Neverland. Wonderfully transcendent and achingly familiar, this imaginative new play spotlights an extraordinary cast of longtime People's Light company members.

ENDGAME

May 15 - June 9, 2019

Leonard C. Haas Stage

By Samuel Beckett

Directed by Neal Huff

"Nothing is funnier than unhappiness." Academy Award-nominee David Strathairn (Lincoln, Good Night, and Good Luck) returns to Malvern for this darkly comic standard of the Theatre of the Absurd. Widely considered to be one of Nobel Prize-winner Samuel Beckett's most important works, this brilliant modern classic continues to shock and inspire.

MUD ROW

June 26 - July 28, 2019

Steinbright Stage

By Dominique Morisseau

Directed by Steve H. Broadnax III

Two generations of sisters protect and defy the legacy of their foremothers in this surprisingly funny, heart-pounding, and ultimately hopeful new play by Dominique Morisseau, one of America's most acclaimed playwrights. Inspired by and set in West Chester, PA, Mud Row is the second home-grown world premiere to emerge from the New Play Frontiers Residency & Commission Program at People's Light.

OUR TOWN

July 31 - August 25, 2019

Leonard C. Haas Stage

By Thornton Wilder

Directed by Abigail Adams

Wilder's masterwork deftly captures the elusive beauty of human existence. Infused with live music, our production features frequent guest artist David Lutken (The Road, Ring of Fire). Artistic Director Abigail Adams (Morning's at Seven, Project Dawn) leads a stellar ensemble of People's Light veterans and newcomers in this ageless celebration of family and community.

SUBSCRIPTION & TICKET INFORMATION
8-play Series Subscriptions to the 2018-19 season are available at a significant savings of up to 25% off single ticket prices. 8-Play subscription prices range from $196-$312.

The Box Office is now open for subscription sales. For more information or to purchase a subscription, visit PeoplesLight.org or call 610.644.3500. The Box Office is open 12pm - 6pm Monday through Sunday on non-performance days, and from 12pm until curtain when in performance. Actors, prices, productions, performance dates and times are subject to change. Additional service charges will apply. Service charges are non-refundable.

Single tickets range in price from $30-$53. Special discounts are available for groups of 10 or more. For more information, or to purchase group tickets, call Kelly Benedict at 610.647.1900, x111, or email benedict@peopleslight.org .

People's Light offers Community Nights at $30, Access Nights at a 50% discount, Industry Rush tickets for $15, and Student Rush tickets for $5, among other discounts.

CONNECT, ENGAGE, INTERACT AT PEOPLE'S LIGHT
People's Light continues Scoop on Wednesdays: History, Context, and Gossip, a lively discussion before select Wednesday 7:30pm performances. Resident Dramaturg Gina Pisasale hosts an artist from the production to get the inside scoop about the rehearsal and production process, design choices, and the world of the play. The program begins at 6pm in the theatre lobby. Price of $5 includes light fare. Call the Box Office at 610.644.3500.

Join us for AfterWORDS on Thursdays, an informal Q & A with the cast following 7:30pm performances that is free with your ticket purchase.

Enjoy prix fixe Dinner and A Show packages for $82 (Wed eve, Thurs eve, Sat matinee, Sun eve) and $91 (Fri eve, Sat eve, Sun matinee) at The Farmhouse Bistro. That's a savings of up to 15% off the single ticket price! If you already have tickets, you can add dinner for just $40. Dinner and A Show packages are available through the Box Office, or online at PeoplesLight.org when you purchase tickets.

The Farmhouse at People's Light is the premier venue in Chester County for weddings, corporate events, and special celebrations. Our recently renovated ballroom and new indoor pavilion accommodate events of up to 250 guests and provide a breathtaking on-site ceremony space for weddings. Contact our Sales Team at 610.647.1900, x156 for more information.

ACCESSIBILITY AT PEOPLE'S LIGHT

People's Light commits to access in the arts and offers expanded Open Caption, Audio Description, and Relaxed Performances in its 2018-19 season.

Open Caption (OC) performances feature an LED screen near the stage that displays text simultaneously with live speech and action, for individuals with hearing impairment and English language learners. No other elements of the performance change for these shows. This offering will expand to one week of OC performances for every production except Cinderella: A Musical Panto, which will offer American Sign Language (ASL) Interpretation.

Open Caption Performance Weeks:

Such Things as Vampires: 10/16 - 10/21

Sweat: 2/5 - 2/10
Nina Simone: Four Women: 3/26 - 3/31

For Peter Pan On Her 70th Birthday: 4/30 - 5/5

Endgame: 6/4 - 6/9

Mudrow: 7/16 - 7/23

Our Town: 8/21 - 25

The number of Audio Description performances will also increase in the upcoming season. Audio Description headsets provide commentary on the visual aspects of a performance (the set, costumes, and lighting effects, as well as the physical actions and body language of the actors) for patrons with visual impairments. This supplemental narration interweaves with the real-time, spoken dialogue, so patrons won't miss a moment of the performance.

Audio Description Performances:

Such Things as Vampires: 10/20 at 2pm

Cinderella: A Musical Panto: 1/5 at 2pm

Endgame: 6/1 at 2PM

Our Town: 8/23 at 7:30pm and 8/24 at 2pm

Relaxed Performances are welcoming, judgment-free theatre experiences for children and families with a wide range of sensory, learning, and communication differences. Audiences for these performances include, but aren't limited to, individuals on the autism spectrum, young children, and anyone else who might benefit from a looser, more inclusive environment.

Relaxed Performances:

Cinderella: A Musical Panto: 12/29 at 2pm (includes ASL interpretation)

Nina Simone: Four Women: 3/31 at 2pm

Our Town: 8/23 at 7:30pm

ABOUT PEOPLE'S LIGHT

In its 44th season, People's Light, a professional, not-for-profit theatre in Chester County, Pennsylvania, makes plays drawn from many sources to entertain, inspire, and engage our community. We extend our mission of making and experiencing theatre through arts education programs that excite curiosity about, and deepen understanding of, the world around us. These plays and programs bring people together and provide opportunities for reflection, discovery, and celebration. Founded in 1974, we produce seven to nine plays each season, in two black box theatres with 340 and 160 seats respectively, mixing world premieres, contemporary plays, and fresh approaches to classic texts.

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