Arden Theatre Company Announces Their 2019-20 Season

The Arden Theatre Company has announced its full 2019-20 subscription season. The lineup includes the previously announced musicals RAGTIME and ONCE ON THIS ISLAND, Tennessee Williams' A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE, plus the world premiere Philadelphia playwright Lorene Cary's MY GENERAL TUBMAN. The seven-show season includes a work by MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING star Nia Vardalos based on a book by Cheryl Strayed, plus two productions in the intimate Bob & Selma Horan Studio Theatre.

"The Arden Theatre Company is pleased to announce its 2019-20 subscription season - seven productions that we will bring to life for audiences here in Philadelphia," said Artistic Director Terry Nolen. "We will open and close the season with two musicals written by the brilliant team of Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, and produce the world premiere of Lorene Carey's MY GENERAL TUBMAN, directed by James Ijames. We are incredibly excited by the extraordinary range of stories that we will be producing on our three stages next season."

The season begins with Ahrens, Flaherty, and McNally's sweeping musical RAGTIME, running from September 19 through October 20, 2019 at the F. Otto Haas stage. This award-winning tale follows the intersections of cultures, classes, and nationalities - all fighting for their American dream in New York City at the turn of the 20th century - reimagined for today's audience by director Terry Nolen.

TINY BEAUTIFUL THINGS is up next. Based on the book by Cheryl Strayed, the play explores Strayed's time as the anonymous advice columnist, Dear Sugar. While navigating her readers' questions and pleas for advice, Strayed weaves together her own personal experiences and finds the courage to create a column full of light, laughter, and humanity. The work is adapted by Nia Vardalos (MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING) and will play the Arcadia Stage from October 24 through December 8.

Next, the infinite beauty of storytelling consumes AN ILIAD, a provocative adaptation of Homer's classic directed by Rebecca Wright. The Trojan War is placed beside our modern day, presenting the allure of wartime heroism and the inevitable cost of battle that overshadows all history. Mary Tuomanen returns to the Arden and will bring this epic event to the Bob & Selma Horan Studio Theatre from November 14 through December 15.

In the new year, world premiere of acclaimed Philadelphia playwright Lorene Cary's MY GENERAL TUBMAN comes to the Arden's Arcadia Stage from January 16 through March 1. The play, directed by James Ijames, is a beautiful and exciting story about the complex journey of Harriet Tubman and the impact she continues to have today.

The classic Tennessee Williams masterpiece A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE comes to the F. Otto Haas stage from March 12 through April 12, 2020. The Arden will transform into the sweltering streets of New Orleans' French Quarter to tell the classic drama of love, lust, and the memories we leave behind. This unique take on the tale will be directed by Terry Nolen.

Diving into the overlooked world of a teaching artist, NO CHILD... follows playwright Nilaja Sun as she struggles to lead a class in a city public school. This one-person, award-winning show holds nothing back, as Sun challenges the American education system and defends the need for enhanced arts programming for young people. The production will run at the Bob & Selma Horan Studio Theatre from April 23 to May 24.

From May 21 to June 21, 2020, the Ahrens and Flaherty musical ONCE ON THIS ISLAND will take to the F. Otto Haas stage. The musical, which won the 2018 Tony Award for Best Revival of the Musical, travels to the Caribbean and embraces the folklore of a nation while illustrating the beauty of storytelling and the hardships of forbidden love. This new production will be directed by Malika Oyetimein.

Subscriptions are currently on sale by visiting https://ardentheatre.org/tickets/1920subscriptions/.

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