OpenStage Theatre Announces 2009-2010 Seasons

Since its inception in 1973, the OpenStage ensemble of theatre artists has dedicated itself to engaging its audiences with intimate and authentic theatrical experiences, and according to OpenStage Theatre Producing Artistic Director Denise Burson Freestone, its 2009-2010 seasons will continue to explore classical and contemporary plays that do just that. "Our audience is the heart and soul of OpenStage Theatre. It is in the moment that each individual shares the work of our artists on stage that our art comes alive. Our audience breathes life into the theatrical experience."

OpenStage Theatre & Company presents two unique seasons, the OpenStage Theatre season composed of 4 shows to "captivate the heart and mind" at the Fort Collins Lincoln Center, and the openstage etc season composed of 3edgy and daring contemporary shows presented in unique venues in downtown Fort Collins. In addition, the season will kick off on September 11 with a season bonus, SceneWorks.

SceneWorks

September 11 to 20, 2009

A unique journey behind the scenes with the artists of OpenStage Theatre, SceneWorks presents OpenStage artists in from the world of theatre that inspire them and are closest to their hearts. Sometimes moving, sometimes hilarious, SceneWorks will be a delightful, fun and inexpensive entertainment with something for everyone!
OpenStage Theatre Season

A Season of Four Shows at the Fort Collins Lincoln Center - Captivating the Heart and Mind
The One-Eyed Man Is King by Carter Lewis, directed by Bruce K. Freestone

October 31 to November 28, 2009

Inspired by an H.G. Wells short story, The Country of the Blind, acclaimed playwright Carter Lewis has created a modern fable about a charismatic, yet blind, thief and the alcoholic rich woman he attempts to rob. The two form an uneasy alliance that spins a unique reversal on Wells' story about a sighted man who stumbles into a mythical society where everyone is blind. Lewis' wicked sense of humor permeates this witty, poignant tale that blurs the lines of sight and dramatically challenges our perception of normalcy.

The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams, directed by Peter Anthony

January 9 to 30, 2010

A lyrical treasure that changed the landscape of the American theater and introduced the world to one of its greatest playwrights, The Glass Menagerie is a nostalgic, heart-achingly poignant play unlike anything else Tennessee Williams was to write. Williams not only crafts his most autobiographical play with stunning honesty and vulnerability, but also introduces us to some of the most powerful and resonant characters ever to be realized on stage: Amanda, the determined, suffocating mother, a southern belle whose own disappointments fuel her desire to create a different life for her children; Laura, whose disabling shyness compels her to retreat into a private world populated with delicate glass creatures and old phonograph records; Jim O'Connor, the much-anticipated gentleman caller, a high school success story struggling to live up to his past; and Tom, the stand-in for the author himself, the frustrated writer caught between his sense of obligation to his mother and sister and his own passionate need to escape from the tedium of the workaday world to a place of adventure and fulfillment.

Bug by Tracy Letts, directed by Brenna A. Freestone

February 20 to March 20, 2010

Some plays make you laugh. Others move you. Still others deliberately make you uncomfortable. And a few make your skin crawl. Bug does it all. A comic psycho-thriller about love, fear and government-inspired paranoia, Bug mixes terror and laughter at a fever pitch. 2008 Pulitzer Prize winner Tracy Letts pits two lost souls ? a crack-addicted divorcee and a young veteran with trouble in his past ? against a vast conspiracy of increasingly scary enemies. An Off-Broadway smash hit, which garnered two Obie Awards and was made into a movie starring Ashley Judd and Michael Shannon, Bug will get under your skin and stay there. Insect repellent is optional.

Is He Dead? by Mark Twain as adapted by David Ives, directed by Wendy S. Moore

April 3 to May 1, 2010

In this newly discovered Mark Twain comedy and recent Broadway hit, the original master of American humor dishes out a sly critique of the art world with acerbic wit and social commentary well ahead of his time. Cleverly adapted for modern audiences by David Ives, Is He Dead? is a fast-paced play about a struggling artist who stages his own death to drive up the price of his paintings. As the riotous scheme unfolds, Twain poses daring questions about fame, greed and the value of art, and pokes his signature, mischievous fun at everyone involved.
openstage etc Season

A Season of Three Shows in Unique Downtown Locations - Edgy, Expansive and Daring
Anton in Show Business by Jane Martin, directed by Tracy Salter

September 25 to October 18, 2009

A savvy, wry satire, Anton in Show Business is full of wild antics and humor in the great tradition of the backstage comedy. When a self-centered sitcom star, a jaded off-off-Broadway actress and an innocent third grade teacher are brought together for an ill-fated production of Anton Chekhov's The Three Sisters in San Antonio, Texas, the result is a madcap, award-winning circus that skewers incompetent producers, idiot directors, surgically beautified actors, crass sponsors and self-important critics. Knowledge of Chekhov is not required.

Jacob Marley's Christmas Carol by Tom Mula, directed by Denise Burson Freestone

November 27 to December 20, 2009

"Scrooge? I have to redeem old Scrooge? The one man I knew who was worse than I was? Impossible!" So begins the real story behind Dickens' A Christmas Carol - the story of Jacob Marley's heroic behind-the-scenes efforts to save old Scrooge's soul and, in the process, save his own. Aided by a malicious little hell-sprite with an agenda of his own, their surprising journey takes them from the Jaws of Death to the Mouth of Hell - and beyond. True to Dickens' original, yet with a fascinating twist, this irreverent, intriguing and, ultimately, deeply moving story retells Dickens' classic with impish wit and infectious zest.
Shining City by Conor McPherson, directed by Matthew G. Smith

May 7 to May 30, 3010

At an astonishingly young age, Conor McPherson has garnered a world-class reputation as one of the most talented playwrights now writing for the English-language theater, achieving international success with his unerring ear for dialogue and vivid sense of character. Like much of Mr. McPherson's work, Shining City is a ghost story, literally as well as otherwise. In Dublin, a man seeks help from a counselor, claiming to have seen the ghost of his recently deceased wife. But what begins as just an unusual encounter becomes a struggle between the living and dead ? a struggle that will shape and define both men for the rest of their lives.

Season Tickets for OpenStage Theatre's seasons range from range from $35 to $100 and are available through the Lincoln Center box office, 970-221-6730, and online at www.LCTIX.com.

OpenStage Theatre's 37th anniversary season is sponsored by Witt Gross of Coldwell Banker and supported by grants from the Colorado Council on the Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts, the City of Fort Collins Fort Fund and the Thornton Family Foundation.

OpenStage Theatre is a not-for-profit organization that relies heavily on the support of sponsors and patrons who help make each season a success. With assistance from corporations, foundations and the general public, OpenStage has been able to maintain high quality productions for 36 years. For information on sponsorship and charitable gifts and on how you can support OpenStage Theatre, call 970-484-5237.

For more information, visit OpenStage's website at www.openstage.com or call 970-484-5237. Founded in 1973, OpenStage Theatre is a recipient of the Governor's Award for Excellence in the Arts and a member of Theatre Communications Group, the national organization for not-for-profit professional theatres.