Theatre Aspen Announces Two Productions For A Historic 2019 Summer Season

Jed Bernstein, Producing Director of Theatre Aspen, announced today two musicals for the 2019 season. The Tony Award-winning musical Guys and Dolls will kick off the summer production slate, directed by Tony Award nominee Hunter Foster, who returns to Theatre Aspen for his second summer. Additionally, Carbonell Award winner Mark Martino returns for a remarkable eleventh time to direct a newly reimagined production of Little Shop of Horrors.

Theatre Aspen's Summer Conservatory will also present a student production of The Wizard of Oz. A mainstage play as well as complete creative team members and casting will be announced at a later date.

All Theatre Aspen productions take place in the Hurst Theatre in Rio Grande Park. Gift certificates are available now; passes and tickets will be available for purchase early in 2019.

"2019 will be a Theatre Aspen summer to remember: two major musicals, in addition to a mainstage play, and a mainstage family show," Bernstein explained. "These musicals are just the beginning of an ambitious summer. The Wizard of Oz will be our longest-running Summer Conservatory production to date, and we're looking forward to an expanded cabaret series."

Board President Kimberly Schlosser added, "2019 will be a fun and bold year for Theatre Aspen. These beloved shows are a great way to kick off the season. We're excited to offer a different variety of productions and connect with even more locals and visitors this summer."

Hailed as the perfect musical comedy, Guys and Dolls follows gamblers, cabaret singers, and missionaries on a love- and luck-fueled romp through New York City. With a book by Abe Burrows and Jo Swerling and music and lyrics by Frank Loesser, Guys and Dolls opened on Broadway in 1950 and was critically lauded, winning five Tony Awards including Best Musical.

Little Shop of Horrors presents the tale of Seymour Krelborn and his discovery of an out-of-this-world plant breed with taste for blood. With a book and lyrics by Howard Ashman and music by Alan Menken (Disney's The Little Mermaid, Beauty and The Beast, and Aladdin), this sci-fi musical premiered Off-Off-Broadway in 1982 before transferring to the Orpheum Theatre Off-Broadway, where it enjoyed a five-year run and won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Musical.

Since 1983, Theatre Aspen has been rekindling a sense of discovery in audiences who live in and visit the Roaring Fork Valley by producing big theatre in a small space with intimate storytelling. Each season at Theatre Aspen promises to bring world-class theatre dramatically closer, with innovative and imaginative productions of both plays and musicals, complemented by an assortment of community events including late-night cabarets, educational programs and performances, collaborations with other Aspen arts organizations, and new works presentations. Theatre Aspen also boasts an impressive Summer Apprentice program, one of the largest in the country, devoted to training the next generation of theatrical artists and administrators. To learn more about Theatre Aspen visit www.TheatreAspen.org or call 970.925.9313.