Penobscot Theatre Company Announces 2019-2020 Season; 9 TO 5, MATILDA, and More

Penobscot Theatre Company proudly announces its 2019-2020 Season, an assortment of plays and musicals professionally produced and staged at the company's historic home, the Bangor Opera House. The season will open just after Labor Day and extend into early July. "Our audiences are made up of a wide variety of people who come from every county in the state," says producing artistic director, Bari Newport. "We take pride in being able to produce a wide variety of work, too. Our 46th Season in particular has something delicious for everyone."

With packages starting at $120 per adult ($70/student), the full subscription series includes:

Woody Guthrie'S AMERICAN SONG adapts the songs and writings of America's premier folk poet to create narrative contexts for his music (September 5-29). Conceived by Peter Glazer, with orchestrations and vocal arrangements by Jeff Waxman, this exuberant musical celebration of our nation brings the challenges of the past into striking relief with today. Before Dylan, before Cash, there was Guthrie. A Maine Premiere!

GASLIGHT is the classic melodrama by Patrick Hamilton (October 17- November 3) which gave rise to the popular term "gas lighting". A Broadway hit first produced on the West End and filmed twice as Angel Street, Gaslight is the ultimate psychological thriller.

DON'T DRESS FOR DINNER by Marc Camoletti and adapted by Robin Hawdon (January 30-February 16) is the wildly funny sequel to Boeing-Boeing which ran for over six years in London's West End. This nifty farce draws audiences in with its delicious web of mistaken identities, marital treachery and gourmet cooking!

SAFETY NET, a provocative new play by Atlanta based playwright, Daryl Lisa Fazio (March 12- 29) follows Chris Dove, a female fire captain in a small Alabama town. That town is at war with opioids. When Chris' childhood friend drifts back into her life, each woman finds herself at a tipping point between what is safe and what saves. Produced in partnership with the Maine Science Festival. A Maine Premiere!

Becoming Dr. Ruth (April 23-May 10) is a convincing and humorous look at the incredible journey of pioneering radio and television sex therapist, Dr. Ruth Westheimer. Playwright Mark St. Germain deftly illuminates the remarkable untold story and life-affirming spirit of Karola Ruth Siegel, the girl who became "Dr. Ruth".

Among the most prized benefits of subscription are discounted tickets to Penobscot Theatre Company's special holiday production. This year's offering, running December 5-29, is the Maine professional premiere of Matilda the Musical, based on the popular Roald Dahl story. The run will include four matinees especially for students/school groups and extra matinees for general audiences. The 1pm performance on December 26th, while open to the general public, is a "relaxed performance". Relaxed performances offer a warm welcome to people who find it difficult to follow the usual conventions of audience behavior. This can include: people with learning disabilities, movement disorders, autistic spectrum disorder, other neurological conditions, and those with young children or babies.

Relaxed performances take a laid-back approach to noises or movement coming from the audience. They give everyone permission to relax and respond naturally.

Subscribers also receive discounted tickets to the company's "surprise summer show". The finale to Penobscot Theatre Company's 46th Season will be 9 to 5 the Musical. With music and lyrics by Dolly Parton and a book by Patricia Resnick, this hilarious story of friendship and revenge in the rolodex era is outrageous, thought provoking, and even a little romantic! It will run June 11- July 5, 2020.

A variety of flexible and affordable subscription packages are available, including three-show subscriptions for those who live elsewhere for a portion of the year, and FlexPasses, four-, five- or six-packs of tickets patrons may use to see what they like when they like. "We understand that people are busier than ever these days, so our subscriptions are designed with flexibility in mind," Box Office Manager, John Seidenberg says. "Subscribers are always free to exchange their tickets once per production at no charge if something comes up."

For more information about the 2019-2020 season, please call the box office at 207-942-3333 or visit the company's website at www.penobscottheatre.org. Subscriptions for the new season will be on sale to the general public starting April 22.