EMPIRE RECORDS World Premiere and More Announced for McCarter 2024-2025 Theatre Series 

McCarter Theatre Center's 2024-2025 Theatre Series has been announced, including a gravity-defying spectacle, an engrossing true story from Moisés Kaufman and the legendary Tectonic Theater Project, two comedies making their New Jersey premiere, and a much-anticipated, world-premiere musical.

The company returns to a full five-play offering for the first time since the 2019/20 Season. Also returning as a season add-on is McCarter's annual holiday production of A Christmas Carol.

“We are delighted to share our epic, boundary-breaking new season of unforgettable theatre at McCarter,” said Sarah Rasmussen, Artistic Director. “Our adventure begins with the world premiere of Empire Records, a new comedic musical based on the ‘90s cult-classic film. This high-energy debut is already generating national buzz. Next, Montreal-based circus collective The 7 Fingers—the celebrated breakaway group from Cirque de Soleil, whose work is represented on Broadway right now with the Critics' Pick, Water for Elephants, and renowned for their Tony Award-winning work on the 2013 revival of Pippin—presents their new Romeo & Juliet-inspired Duel Reality. In January, we'll host Tectonic Theater Project's visceral new work Here There Are Blueberries. The season concludes with two brilliant comedies, Legacy of Light by Karen Zacarías—set right here in Princeton— and the inventive and kind-hearted Primary Trust, by Eboni Booth.”

Executive Director, Martin Miller adds, “It is exhilarating to partner with artistic juggernauts like The 7 Fingers and Tectonic Theater Project, as well as some of the nation's most celebrated playwrights. Each partnership, each production, and each premiere allow us to push the boundaries of storytelling and innovation, reflecting McCarter's commitment to excellence and our passion for bringing extraordinary live theatrical experiences to our community and region.”

Subscriptions to McCarter's 2024-2025 Theatre Series for new and returning subscribers are now available at McCarter.org or by calling Patron Services at 609-258-2787. Subscribers save 20% on tickets and receive benefits like free exchanges, exclusive pre-sale access, and preferred seating.

World Premiere Musical 

EMPIRE RECORDS 

Music & Lyrics by Zoe Sarnak 

Book by Carol Heikkinen

Choreographed by Ellenore Scott 

Directed by Trip Cullman 

September 6 – October 6, 2024 

Berlind Theatre 

Overflowing with optimism, ‘90s counterculture, rooftop dancing, and the spirit of punk rock, Empire Records tells the story of a band of idealistic misfits fighting to save their beloved record store from a corporate takeover. With tactics ranging from desperate to dangerous, the team comes together during a visit by over the hill pop star Rex Manning to discover the true value of friendship, love, and music—all in one extraordinary, unforgettable day. 

With music and lyrics by Jonathan Larson Award-winner and Princeton native Zoe Sarnak and a book by original screenwriter Carol Heikkinen, Empire Records is directed by Trip Cullman (Broadway's Choir Boy, Lobby Hero), choreographed by Ellenore Scott (Broadway's Funny Girl), and produced by special arrangement with Bill Weiner, Hunter Arnold and Cody Lassen.

DUEL REALITY 

by The 7 Fingers 

October 9 – 13, 2024 

Matthews Theatre 

An epic, cirque-infused performance that dazzles the senses and stirs the heart. Inspired by Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet, two feuding families engage in a battle of skill, each competition more daring than the last – while a pair of star-crossed lovers struggles to escape the showdown. Exhilaration and danger provide a thrilling backdrop to The 7 Fingers' one-of-a-kind daredevil theatrical extravaganza.  For all ages. 

HERE THERE ARE BLUEBERRIES 

by Moisés Kaufman & Amanda Gronich 

Conceived and Directed by Moisés Kaufman   

January 24 – February 9, 2025 

Matthews Theatre 

Hailed as the “best theatre of the year” (Los Angeles Times) this celebrated new production from Tony-nominated director Moisés Kaufman and the Tectonic Theater Project (The Laramie Project), comes to Princeton with this unmissable, two-week-only engagement. 

In 2007, a mysterious album featuring Nazi-era photographs arrived at the desk of a U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum archivist. As curators unraveled the shocking truth behind the images, the album soon made headlines and ignited a debate that reverberated far beyond the museum walls. Based on real events, Here There Are Blueberries tells the story of these historical photographs—what they reveal about the perpetrators of the Holocaust, and our own humanity. 

LEGACY OF LIGHT 

by Karen Zacarías 

Directed by Sarah Rasmussen 

March 20 – April 6, 2025 

Matthews Theatre 

What is the science of love? In Princeton, New Jersey, a brilliant astrophysicist tries to become a mother. Meanwhile—300 years earlier in France—a mathematician, scientist, and lover to Voltaire finds out she's about to become one. From the writer of Native Gardens and Destiny of Desire, Legacy of Light is a bright and funny play about life, the universe, and parenthood. 

PRIMARY TRUST 

by Eboni Booth 

Directed by Timothy Douglas 

Co-production with Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park 

May 8 – 25, 2025

Berlind Theatre 

A New York Times Critics Pick, hailed as a “a five-star, exceptional, buffed-to-gleaming jewel” by the Daily Beast, this play arrives fresh from its acclaimed, sold-out premiere. An absorbing and open-hearted comedy about new beginnings, Primary Trust explores the inner and outer lives of Kenneth, a dedicated loner with a passion for drinking Mai Tais on weeknights. When he begins to face a world he's long avoided, will he have the courage to embrace a new start in life?   

SEASON ADD-ON

A CHRISTMAS CAROL

By Charles Dickens

Adapted and directed by Lauren Keating

December 10-29, 2024

McCarter's annual holiday tradition returns with magic, music, and merriment for all. Follow Ebenezer Scrooge on a fantastical journey through Christmases past, present and future and enjoy this classic story as it comes to life around you. Create magical memories with the ones you love as this festive spectacle ushers you into the spirit of the season with all the delight, wonder, and generosity that Scrooge himself discovers.

About McCarter 

McCarter is one of the country's flagship theatres and a vibrant center for community and for the performing arts. Located on the campus of Princeton University, the company is an independent nonprofit, serving as a nationally renowned, multi-disciplinary creative hub of arts and ideas, offering theatre, music, dance, spoken word, and educational programs for all ages. A two-time Tony Award winner, McCarter's legacy of artistic excellence traces back to the theatre's first performances in 1930. Thornton Wilder's Our Town, Kaufmann & Hart's You Can't Take It with You, and William Inge's Bus Stop all had their premieres on the McCarter stage, paving the way for a long history of collaborations with playwrights to launch remarkable works that have gone on to tens of thousands of performances reaching millions of audience members around the world.

The company is equally revered for presenting global artists on its stages, including Alvin Ailey, Yo-Yo Ma, Samara Joy, Hasan Minhaj, Jon Stewart, Caetano Veloso, Rhiannon Giddens, Patti Smith, Esperanza Spalding, Lake Street Dive, and Herbie Hancock, among many others. Of the 100,000 community members who directly participate in the company's work every year, more than 5,000 are students taking part in McCarter's robust educational offerings in Princeton, Trenton, and in schools throughout the region. McCarter leads with values of “justice and joy, and beauty in belonging,” creating stories and experiences that enliven minds, expand imaginations, and engage communities. 

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