Avon Players Announces its 2014-2015 Season

Avon Players continues its sixty-seven year tradition of offering high quality productions at affordable prices with a season that will delight audiences of all tastes and may evoke some fond memories of favorites from the silver screen.

Up first is the family-friendly musical Big, based on the classic 1987 Tom Hanks motion picture fantasy of the same name. When frustrated adolescent Josh Baskin wishes he were "big" and wakes up the next morning a 30-year-old man, he discovers there's much more to being an adult than he's bargained for and learns we must all grow up at our own pace and in our own time. A witty, moving, insightful story and an energetic, heartfelt, contemporary score make the vibrant, funny and touching Big: The Musical a perfect show those who grew up with the film and next-generation audience members alike. Big: The Musical runs September 5-20.

Another favorite flick brought to life is Avon's second offering, the all-ages play Miracle on 34th Street based on the beloved holiday cinematic classic starring Maureen O' Hara and Natalie Wood. When an old man in a retirement home who calls himself Kris Kringle gets a job working as Santa for Macy's, he unleashes waves of good will with Macy's customers and the commercial world of New York City. Seen as deluded and dangerous by Macy's vocational counselor, Kris ends up in a court competency hearing. Especially at stake is one little girl's belief in Santa concluding in a dramatic decision by the court. Miracle is a heartwarming holiday story that will make true believers of all audience members, in which love, decency, and generosity of spirit are their own rewards. Miracle on 34th Street runs November 28-December 13.

Mystery lovers and board game aficionados alike will be "dying" to investigate Avon Players' next offering, the interactive Clue: The Musical, based on the internationally popular Parker Brothers game. This comedic thriller brings the world's best-known suspects to life and invites the audience to help solve the mystery. There are 216 possible solutions! Only one hard-nosed female detective is qualified to unravel the merry mayhem. Comic antics, witty lyrics and a beguiling score carry the investigation from room to room. Even after the culprit confesses, a surprise twist will delight the audience. If you grew up playing the board game on rainy afternoons or went to see the 1985 movie starring Tim Curry and Madeline Kahn (also based on the game) multiple times to see different endings, come play along with Avon Players. Clue: The Musical runs January 23-February 7.

Avon Players' season then takes a turn for the dramatic with Tennessee Williams' Pulitzer Prize-winning Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Illness, alcoholism, deception, and family squabbles poison the mood as a family gathers to celebrate the birthday of Southern patriarch Big Daddy. Maggie, Big Daddy's daughter-in-law, wants to give him the news that she's finally become pregnant by Big Daddy's favorite son, Brick, but first the mysterious rift between her and Brick must be unraveled. Brilliant scenes of intense and gripping drama make this one of the most successful plays of our time famously adapted into the 1958 film starring Elizabeth Taylor and Paul Newman. Cat on a Hot Tin Roof runs March 13-28.

Avon's final offering is the sweet and stirring musical A Man of No Importance, based on the Albert Finney movie of the same name. In 1964 Dublin, bus conductor Alfie Byrne is a working-class man with the soul of an artist. When he's not regaling his passengers with poetry, he's leading his scrappy band of amateur performers, the St. Imelda's Players. But Alfie's choice for the group's next play, the scandalous Salome by his idol, Oscar Wilde, creates a rift in this very Catholic community. As Alfie fights for his artistic ideals, he must confront the forces of bigotry and shame and come to terms with secrets he is barely able to admit to himself. With a gorgeous score, A Man of No Importance is an exploration of relationships, loss, and identity and a love letter to community theatre. A Man of No Importance runs May 22-June 6.

Founded in 1947, Avon Players is a 501 (c)(3) not-for-profit community theatre located along the winding banks of Stoney Creek in the quaint Historic District of Rochester Hills, only about two miles from the heart of downtown Rochester. Avon Players has been performing shows in its unique A-frame theater since 1965. With ticket prices set at a fraction of those at professional theatre (plus free parking and concessions on a donation basis) a family of four can experience a sensational live theatrical event for about the cost of one ticket at a "downtown" venue. And for regular theatre-goers, an affordable outing can be an even better bargain by taking advantage of Avon Players' season ticket packages, which yield discounts of up to 24% per ticket. Additionally, season ticket holders enjoy seating selection and voting privileges in Avon's annual "Stoney Awards." Additional information regarding tickets and productions is available by calling the Avon Players box office at 248.608.9077 or by visiting the website: www.avonplayers.org. Visa and Mastercard are accepted.

Information provided by John (JD) Deierlein