Penguin Rep Theatre Kicks Off The 2022 Season With Something SMALL

After a government mandate and Covid-19 safety concerns shut down theatrical productions on its stage for two years, Penguin Rep Theatre will resume presenting plays, comedies and musical revues starting mid-March, artistic director Joe Brancato announced today.

The 2022 season - the professional Equity theatre's 44th - follows a successful series of musical concerts and events produced inside and outside the historic structure and continues Penguin's commitment to new works with four world premieres.

Kicking off the season from March 18 through March 27 is SMALL, written and performed by Robert Montano and directed by Jessi D. Hill.

A bullied young man finds strength and gains respect as a jockey atop a racehorse but what happens when he begins to (literally) outgrow his dream? SMALL follows Montano's real-life roller-coaster ride from Belmont Park Racetrack to starring roles on Broadway where he has been directed by Rob Marshall, Hal Prince, Jerome Robbins and George C. Wolfe, appeared with Chita Rivera in KISS OF THE SPIDERWOMAN, and sang and danced with Peter Allen in LEGS DIAMOND. He also partnered Catherine Zeta-Jones in the film CHICAGO.

The season continues April 2 through April 10 with FAR FROM THE HOME I LOVE, a concert presentation of the iconic songs from FIDDLER ON THE ROOF as reimagined by bandleader extraordinaire Paul Shapiro with a unique multicultural take. The concert, which features four musicians, three singers, and lots of heart and soul, will be presented for eight performances only.

Up next from April 29 through May 15 is I AND YOU, a new play about youth, life, love, and the mystery of human connectedness by Lauren Gunderson, one of the country's most widely produced authors for the stage.

From July 8 through July 24, Penguin will produce BREATH & IMAGINATION: THE STORY OF Roland Hayes, an inspirational musical play by Daniel Beaty.

Before Paul Robson and Marian Anderson, there was trailblazing African-American vocalist Roland Hayes. Born the son of a slave, Roland turned adversity into opportunity, and, at his peak in the 1920s, was the highest paid singer in the world.

From August 12 through September 4, Penguin will present the world premiere of THE VIRTUOUS LIFE OF JOSEPH ANDREWS. Inspired by Henry Fielding's novel, this rollicking comic romp through 18th-century England is the latest by Cary Gitter, author of THE SABBATH GIRL, and will be directed by Mr. Brancato.

a??Closing the season from September 30 through October 23 is another world premiere production - NOW COMES THE FUN PART, with lyrics and direction by Mark Waldrop, music by Jeffrey Lodin, and book by James Hindman and Lynne Halliday.

a??Turning 50 may be tricky but ... now comes the fun part! Uplifting, laugh-out-loud funny, and surprisingly touching, this new musical revue celebrates in songs and scenes what happens after one reaches the milestone marked by the arrival of an AARP card in the mail. a??

Performances are scheduled at Penguin's intimate, 108-seat theatre, located at 7 Crickettown Road, Stony Point, NY. "The converted barn, circa 1880, has never been more inviting" (The New York Times). Says Mr. Horn, "it's theatre so close you can feel it, with comfy upholstered seats and no seat more than 30 feet from the stage." The theatre is air conditioned, handicapped accessible, and has plenty of free parking.

Tickets for SMALL are $35 each. Tickets for FAR FROM THE HOME I LOVE are $30 each.

To order tickets or for further information, visit Penguin Rep's website at www.penguinrep.org or call 845-786-2873.a??

Over the past four decades, Penguin Rep has produced more than 150 celebrated shows, including premieres by accomplished and emerging playwrights, for over 400,000 patrons, and grown from a summer theatre to become one of the Hudson Valley's most influential nonprofit cultural institutions, reaching tens of thousands of theatergoers each year at its home, in New York City and beyond - with its work moving to Off Broadway and to stages across the country and around the world.