Farmers Alley Theatre Will Re-Open Fall 2021 

Located in the heart of Downtown Kalamazoo, Farmers Alley Theatre is bursting at the seams to open their doors and welcome live audiences into their space for the first time since March of 2020. Featuring a slate of six Mainstage shows, this return will include shows that were postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, new offerings that fit perfectly into today's modern theatre landscape, and a focus on a more diverse, equitable and inclusive array of talent - both onstage and off.

"The COVID-19 pandemic, while traumatic, allowed all of us at Farmers Alley to reset, look back at what has worked for us, and shown us the ways in which we want to continue to grow, learn, and do better - especially when it comes to diversity and inclusion," says Artistic Director, Jeremy Koch. "I'm very proud of the season we have chosen and the vast array of talented artists that will represent Farmers Alley Theatre and the West Michigan community this coming year."

Farmers Alley Theatre will kick off its season in October with Jason Robert Brown's emotive song cycle, SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD - running October 8-24, directed by Broadway star and Kalamazoo native, Jerry Dixon (Once on this Island, Tick, Tick, Boom!). This powerful musical features a multi-cultural cast as they take you on a journey from the deck of a Spanish sailing ship to 30 stories high above Manhattan and all the way to the Stars and the Moon. Paired with the artistic vision of Jerry Dixon, these songs by the composer of Parade & The Bridges of Madison County reflect this new post-pandemic world in the best way possible - with hope, compassion, heart and joy!

One of Farmers Alley Theatre's most Popular Productions is returning with a festive twist as we present MURDER FOR TWO: HOLIDAY EDITION, November 19th- December 12th. Reprising their roles from the 2016 Gilmore Piano Festival are stars Brett Ryback as Detective Marcus Moscowicz and Joe Kinosian as all 10 guests / suspects at the surprise birthday party of Great American Novelist Arthur Whitney who has just been killed....fatally. Under the directing supervision of Kathy Mulay and written by Kinosian and Kellen Blair, this hilarious whodunit is the perfect blend of music, mayhem, murder and mistletoe! Don't miss the return of this killer musical comedy - with a holiday twist!

2022 brings the premiere of one of Broadway's hottest new plays to Farmers Alley Theatre, THE LIFESPAN OF A FACT, written by Jeremy Kareken, David Murrell and Gordon Farrell, and directed by D. Terry Williams. Jim Fingal is a fresh-out-of-Harvard fact checker for a prominent but sinking New York magazine. John D'Agata is a talented writer with a transcendent essay about the suicide of a teenage boy-an essay that could save the magazine from collapse. When Jim is assigned to fact check D'Agata's essay, the two come head-to-head in a comedic yet gripping battle over facts versus truth. With timely themes about truth and media - this topical comedy runs February 11th thru 27th.

Four beautiful, badass women lose their heads in THE REVOLUTIONISTS by Lauren Gunderson, running March 18th thru April 3rd. In this irreverent, girl-powered comedy set during the French Revolution's Reign of Terror. Playwright Olympe de Gouges, assassin Charlotte Corday, former queen (and fan of ribbons) Marie Antoinette, and Haitian rebel Marianne Angelle hang out, murder

Marat, and try to beat back the extremist insanity in 1793 Paris. Under the direction of Dee Dee Batteast, this grand and dream-tweaked comedy is about violence and legacy, art and activism, feminism and terrorism, compatriots and chosen sisters, and how we actually go about changing

the world. It's a true story. Or total fiction. Or a play about a play. Or a raucous resurrection...that ends in a song and a scaffold.

Farmers Alley Theatre is honored to once again partner with the Gilmore Piano Festival for a moving production about the last days of Billie Holiday - LADY DAY AT EMERSON'S BAR & GRILL, running concurrently with the festival April 29th thru May 15th. The time is 1959. The place is a seedy bar in Philadelphia. The audience is about to witness one of Billie Holiday's last performances, given four months before her death. More than a dozen musical numbers are interlaced with salty, often humorous reminiscences to project a riveting portrait of the lady and her music. Directed by Shanesia Davis and starring Alexis J Roston as Lady Day.

Farmers Alley Theatre is proud to bring back to our schedule the sweeping tale of love and redemption set against the rich backdrop of the American South in the 1920s and '40s, BRIGHT STAR - running June 16th thru July 3rd. When literary editor Alice Murphy meets a young soldier just home from World War II, he awakens her longing for the child she once lost. Haunted by their unique connection, Alice sets out on a journey to understand her past-and what she finds has the power to transform both of their lives. With lively bluegrass and folk score by Steve Martin and Edie Brickell, and to be directed by Kathy Mulay, this uplifting theatrical journey holds you tightly in its grasp and is as refreshingly genuine as it is daringly hopeful.

Farmers Alley Theatre is currently offering Season Subscription packages in groups of 6 or 12 admissions. Packages are available for purchase at www.farmersalleytheatre.com. Ticket sales for individual shows will be announced throughout the year.

Farmers Alley Theatre will also continue to offer captivating and exhilarating productions as part of their Theatre for Young Audiences and Spotlight Series programs in the 2021-22 schedule. Specific information on those events will be available at a future date.

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