Williamston Theatre Announces Its 2016-2017 Season!

The Williamston Theater, mid-Michigan's award winning professional theatre company located at 122 S. Putnam in downtown Williamston, celebrates its 11th Season with a mix of comedies, dramas, murders, World Premiers and Michigan Premiers. The 2016-2017 Season will include: Pulp by Joseph Zettelmaier, The Nerd by Larry Shue, A Painted Window by Christy Hall, 1984 by George Orwell Adapted by Michael Gene Sullivan, Taking Shakespeare by John Murrell and Murder for Two Book and Music by Joe Kinosian, Book and Lyrics by Kellen Blair.

This season, all six productions will begin with five Preview performances. During the first four Previews audience members will have the opportunity to take part in the process of creating a show by participating in a talkback session with the director following each performance. They will also be continuing Conversation Sundays where for one Sunday of each production they will bring together a group of people to chat with patrons following the matinee. More information about dates and times will be provided throughout the season.

Full schedule below:

Pulp - Los Angeles, 1933. The world of pulp fiction is turned upside down when a literary agent is gruesomely murdered. The four suspects: his remaining clients, all writers for different pulp magazines. Private Investigator Frank Ellery dives into the mystery, and his world turns upside down as life begins to imitate literature in this who-dun-it-science-fiction caper. A National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere.

Directed by Tony Caselli. Featuring Joe Bailey, Mark Colson, Aral Gribble Alysia Kolascz and John Lepard.

September 22 - October 23, 2016

The Nerd - Aspiring young architect Willum Cubbert has often told his friends about the debt he owes Rick Steadman, a fellow ex-GI who saved his life in Vietnam. He has written to Rick saying as long as he is alive, "you will have somebody on Earth who will do anything for you" - so Willum is delighted when Rick shows up at his birthday party. But his delight soon fades as Rick, a hopeless nerd, sticks around and causes one uproarious incident after another, building to a surprise ending. A collaboration with the MSU Department of Theatre. Made possible in part through the generous support of Plante Moran. Directed by John Lepard. Featuring Kristy Allen, Eric Eilersen, Greg Hunter, Desten Knox, Alex Leydenfrost, Michael Lopetrone and Anne Miranda.

November 17 - December 18, 2016

A Painted Window - How deep do the bonds of sisterhood go? A Painted Window explores the reunion of two sisters, Josephine and Sylvia, who used to giggle together late at night, yet now stand worlds apart. Forced to move in together after decades of estrangement, the two women struggle to reconcile their past, navigate the present and plan their future. A Painted Window is a play about family and love, but it's also a keen dissection of identity, classism, racism and the havoc that consumerism, greed and entitlement have wreaked on the American dream. A World Premiere. Directed by Frannie Shepherd-Bates. Featuring Ruth Crawford, Dominique Lowell and Lynch Travis.

January 26 - February 26, 2017

1984 - Based on the iconic novel by George Orwell, 1984 brings us the story of Winston Smith, a cog in the giant machine state of Oceania. Winston has been caught struggling for scraps of love and freedom in a world awash with distrust and violence. With the brutal "help" of four Party Members, Winston is forced to confess his Thoughtcrimes before an unseen inquisitor, and the audience - which acts as a silent witness to his torture. A ferocious and provocative adaptation of one of the most prescient works of literature of the last century, 1984 asks: "What does it mean to be an individual?" "What does it mean to be human?" (Contains mature language and content.) A Michigan Premiere. Directed by Tony Caselli. Featuring Tobin Hissong, Curran Jacobs, John Lepard, Robin Lewis-Bedz, Brandy Joe Plambeck and David Wolber.

March 23 - April 23, 2017

Taking Shakespeare - When a longtime, disillusioned college professor is asked to tutor her dean's son through his freshman Shakespeare class, she finds it to be as much a test for her as it is for him. Although they seem to have nothing in common, as they explore the Bard's Othello together, they learn more about eachother - and themselves - than either is ready to admit. While they draw strength from the play, they come to understand what it means to live up to expectations. This gentle comedy explores the power of storytelling.

A Michigan Premiere. Directed by Mary Job. Featuring Terry Heck and Michael Lopetrone.

May 18 - June 18, 2017

Murder for Two - The perfect blend of music, mayhem and murder! In this hilarious 90-minute show, 2 performers play 13 roles - not to mention the piano - in a witty and winking homage to old-fashioned murder mysteries. The New York Times calls it "Ingenious! A snazzy double-act that spins out a comic mystery animated by funny, deftly turned songs." You won't want to miss this killer musical comedy.

Directed by Rob Roznowski. Featuring Mark Schenfisch and Andrea Wollenberg.

July 13 - August 20, 2017

Performances this season will be Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings at 8PM with Sunday matinees at 2PM. For each production there will be a limited number of Saturday matinee performances. Saturday matinees will be at 3PM and begin the second week of the run of each production. Due to Thanksgiving The Nerd will have a slightly different schedule the week of November 22nd. Performances that week will be 3PM and 8PM on Friday, November 25 and Saturday, November 26 and 2PM on Sunday, November 27. Detailed performance schedules are available on the Williamston Theatre website.

The Williamston Theatre will be raising tickets prices by $2 for all performances except Previews for the 2016-2017 Season. Tickets will continue to be Pay-What-You-Can for the first Preview performance of each production and $15.00 for the remaining Previews. Starting the Opening Night of each production Friday and Saturday evenings will be $30.00, Saturday and Sunday matinees will be $27.00 and Thursday evenings will be $25.00. Senior Citizens (65 and older) still receive a $2.00 discount on all tickets. Students (will a valid ID) can continue to get tickets for only $10 to any performance. Tickets for each production will go on sale approximately one month prior to the first performance.

Tickets can be ordered 24 hours a day on-line at www.williamstontheatre.org and Tuesday - Friday from 12 - 6pm by calling (517) 655-SHOW (7469) or stopping by the theatre.

For a real deal consider a Flex Pass Subscriptions. Each Flex Pass has 6 Passes that can be used in any combination for any of the productions in the 2016-2017 Season. Flex Passes for the 2016-2017 Season are priced at $152 each and are now available for purchase through the Box Office.

The Williamston Theatre is part of the Blue Star Theatre program, a collaboration between Theatre Communications Group and Blue Star Families, with leadership support from the MetLife Foundation. This initiative is intended to recognize the contributions of service families, to build stronger connections between the theatre community and military families in communities all across the country, and to help in whatever small way we can to aid service people and their families as they seek to be integrated into the lives of their communities. As part of this program, the first Saturday matinee of each production is designated as Pay-What-You-Can for members of the Military and their families. Please contact the Box Office or visit our website, www.williamstontheatre.org, for more details.

The Williamston Theatre is a not-for-profit, professional live theatre company, dedicated to producing plays that excite, engage and entertain our audiences. The theatre opened its doors in 2006, is the winner of a 2014 Nation Theatre Company Grant from The American Theatre Wing and has received a number of local awards including the 2008 Robert Busby Award for extraordinary overall contribution to theatre in the Greater Lansing Area. Additional information about the company and its founding members is available online at www.williamstontheatre.org.