Announcing Raleigh Little Theatre's 2017-18 Season!

Raleigh Little Theatre's 2017 - 2018 Season of shows feature characters who are true Groundbreakers. They are faced with huge obstacles that force them to question their beliefs and the world around them. And in their quests to overcome their obstacles, we have the opportunity to ask ourselves what we would do in the same situation.

Another reason RLT has designated this season as the Season of Groundbreakers is they are renovating the Gaddy-Goodwin Teaching Theatre to improve the accessibility, functionality, and aesthetics of the space. The Gaddy-Goodwin will be closed this fall and reopen in January of 2018.

Sutton Series

FOR GENERAL AUDIENCES

Thursday - Saturday at 8PM, Sunday at 3PM

Crowns Gospel Musical

August 25 - September 10

By ReGina Taylor

Adapted from the book by Michael Cunningham and Craig Marberry

A moving and celebratory musical play in which hats become a springboard for an exploration of Black history and identity is seen through the eyes of a young black woman who has come down South to stay with her aunt after her brother is killed in Brooklyn. Hats are everywhere, in exquisite variety, and the characters use the hats to tell tales concerning everything from the etiquette of hats to their historical and contemporary social functioning. There is a hat for every occasion, from flirting to churchgoing to funerals to baptisms, and the tradition of hats is traced back to African rituals and slavery to the New Testament and current fashion.

Little Shop of Horrors Musical Comedy

February 9 - 25

Book and lyrics by Howard Ashman

Music by Alan Menken

Based on the film by Roger Corman; screenplay by Charles Griffith

The meek floral assistant, Seymour Krelborn, stumbles across a new breed of plant that he names "Audrey II" after his coworker crush. This foul-mouthed, R&B-singing carnivore promises unending fame and fortune to the down-and-out Krelborn, as long as he keeps feeding it BLOOD. Over time, though, Seymour discovers Audrey II's out-of-this-world origins and intent toward global domination!

Don't Dress for Dinner Comedy

June 8 - 24

By Marc Camoletti

Bernard is planning a romantic weekend with his mistress in his charming convertEd French farmhouse, while his wife, Jacqueline, is away. He has arranged for a Cordon Bleu cook to prepare gourmet delights, and has invited his best friend, Robert, along to provide the alibi. It's foolproof. What could possibly go wrong? Well... Suppose Robert turns up, not realizing quite why he has been invited. Suppose Robert and Jacqueline are secret lovers and consequently determined that Jacqueline will not leave for the weekend. Suppose the cook must pretend to be the mistress, and the mistress is unable to cook. Suppose everyone's alibi is confused with everyone else's. An evening of hilarious confusion ensues as Bernard and Robert improvise at breakneck speed.

City Series

FOR MATURE AUDIENCES

Thursday - Saturday at 8PM, Sunday at 3PM

Perfect Arrangement Dark Comedy

October 27 - November 12

By Topher Payne

It's 1950, and new colors are being added to the Red Scare. Two U.S. State Department employees, Bob and Norma, have been tasked with identifying sexual deviants within their ranks. There's just one problem: Both Bob and Norma are gay, and have married each other's partners as a carefully constructed cover-up. Inspired by the true story of the earliest stirrings of the American Gay Rights Movement, madcap classic sitcom-style laughs give way to provocative drama as two "All-American" couples are forced to stare down the closet door.

What We're Up Against Comedy

January 12 - 28

By Theresa Rebeck

Set in a highly competitive architecture firm, this play is an explosive and hilarious look at the complicatEd Battle of the sexes raging across Cubicle Land. A funny, yet insightful, view of what it means to be female in a male-dominated career and one woman's response when she tires of slamming into the glass ceiling.

Blood Done Sign My Name Drama

May 11 - 27

By Mike Wiley

Adapted from the novel by Tim Tyson

In this world premier version, Mike Wiley brings to life the recollections of author Tim Tyson surrounding the 1970 murder of Henry "Dickie" Marrow in Oxford, NC, and the events that followed. Marrow, who was black, was chased from a local store by three white men after reportedly making a crude remark to one of the men's wives. They brutally beat Marrow, and then killed him with a bullet to the head in view of multiple witnesses. Despite the eyewitness reports, an all-white jury acquitted the men. The town's black community responded to the events with an uprising that destroyed downtown businesses and several tobacco warehouses that held at least a million dollars in harvested crops. Tyson, who was 10 at the time, recounts how the conflagration of events shaped his life. He offers us an opportunity to examine our own roles in the complex and often confusing racial fabric of America.

Family Series

FOR ALL AGES

Thursday - Friday at 7:30PM, Saturday - Sunday at 1 & 5PM

Grace for President Musical

October 13 - 22

Presented in partnership with the North Carolina Museum of History at Daniels Auditorium (5 East Edenton Street in downtown Raleigh)

Based on the book by Kelly S. DiPucchio

Book illustrations by Leuyen Pham

Book, music, and lyrics by Joan Cushing

One day in class, Grace Campbell discovered that there has never been a female president. "Where are the girls?" she asked, as her third-grade teacher rolls out a poster of all 44 U.S. presidents. Frustrated by the lack of female faces in the White House, Grace decides she wants to be president and inspires a school election. She seems the likely winner until the most popular boy runs against her. Through the throes of campaigning and pep rallies, service projects and posters, Grace and her classmates discover what it takes to be the best candidate and find the fun and hilarity in the wonderful world of politics!

Beanstalk! The Musical!

March 16 - April 1

Book by Ross Mihalko and Donna Swift

Music by Linda Berg

Lyrics by Ross Mihalko

Exactly like nothing that you've ever seen before, not even in a book! This fun, family show follows the adventures of Jack, a young boy with his head in the clouds and his nose in a book of fairy tales. Filled with hilarious characters, toe-tapping tunes, and more twists than a climbing vine, this is one show that's guaranteed to grow and grow and grow right into your heart.

Alice @ Wonderland Fairytale

April 13 - 22

By Jonathan Yukich

The folly of the 21st century collides with the madness of Wonderland in this new adaptation that remains fairly faithful to Lewis Carroll's original tale. Alice is a texting, tweeting, and googling girl of the modern digital era, but she finds herself in the Wonderland of old. With all of the characters that you know and love including the Mad Hatter, the White Rabbit, and the Queen of Hearts, this musical imagines a present-day Alice encountering the Wonderland that so many of us treasure. Meanwhile, the younger generation will appreciate and relate to the many references to the digital age.

HOLIDAY SHOW

Thursday - Friday at 7:30PM, Saturday - Sunday at 1 & 5PM

Cinderella Musical

December 1 - 17

Based on the fairy tale by Charles Perrault. Adaptation and lyrics by Jim Eiler. Music

by Jim Eiler and Jeanne Bargy.

Sutton Theatre (Reserved Seating)

This musical comedy is a holiday sugarplum for the whole family. Just the right mixture of comedy and romance can add the sparkle of magic to your holiday season. This visually stunning musical combines elegant costumes and scenery with singing, dancing, conniving step relatives, and resourceful fairy folk.

TEENS ON STAGE / TEENS BACKSTAGE

Friday - Saturday at 7:30PM, Sunday at 3pm

The Tempest Classic Musical

July 21 - 30

By William Shakespeare

Adaptation, music, & new lyrics by Todd Almond

Conceived by Lear deBessonet

Originally commissioned and produced by The Public Theatre

Marooned and left to die on a remote island, Prospero can command spirits, create apparitions, and manipulate the elements. By using his magic, he assembles his enemies to take revenge on them, and in the process, awakens in Miranda, his teenage daughter, her first experience of love. The premiere production showcased 200 New Yorkers from all five boroughs, who shared the stage with professional actors and community partners.

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