World Premiere of SHUCKED & More Announced for Pioneer Theatre Company 2022-2023 Season

Pioneer Theatre Company, Salt Lake City's fully professional regional theatre, has announced its 2022-2023 season, which includes the world premiere of a new Broadway musical, SHUCKED; the Utah premiere of THE PROM, one of Broadway's recent mega-hits; a beloved Christmas classic with a musical twist; and a tribute to Stephen Sondheim, one of the greatest contemporary composers and lyricists.

The three plays being produced include a world premiere, a hilarious take on a Molière classic, and a play soon to be announced, which will inaugurate Pioneer Theatre Company's newly built Meldrum Theatre at the Einar Nielsen Fieldhouse in April.

"I am ecstatic about what Karen [Azenberg, PTC's Artistic Director] has accomplished," said PTC Interim Managing Director DIANE PARISI. "In addition to spearheading the opening of our long-awaited new performance space, she will produce the world premiere of a new Broadway musical; the Utah premiere of one of Broadway's biggest hits in recent history; and the world premiere of a thoughtful and poignant award-winning new play."

Shucked is the new musical comedy from some of the hottest names on Broadway, featuring a book by Tony Award®-winner Robert Horn (Tootsie), and a score written by Grammy Award®-winner Shane McAnally and ten-time Grammy Award®-nominee BRANDY CLARK. It is directed by Tony Award®-winner JACK O'BRIEN (Hairspray).

"This is a hilarious musical fable about an unlikely hero, an unscrupulous con man, and an unforgettable battle for the heart and soil of a small town," said PTC Artistic Director Karen Azenberg. "This outrageously funny new musical comedy comes from some of the most awarded and respected talent on Broadway, and it's something no one else in the country will have a chance to see before PTC patrons." Shucked will premiere at PTC October 28 through November 12, 2022.

The 2022-2023 season will begin with Molière's hilarious comedy SCAPIN. In a new adaptation by Stephen Wrentmore, Scapin is set in the vibrant 1960s Naples, Italy, and "flips the script" to bring La Dolce Vita to life. The trouble-making servant Scapin assists the very chic and very meddling mothers of Octave and Léander in their quest to see their sons well-married. This contemporary take plays matriarchs against their suppressed sons and offers the floor to the rogue Scapin, whose verbal dexterity and gift-of-the-gab will ensure trouble. Scapin opens the season September 16 through October 1, 2022.

PTC will usher in the holiday season with A CHRISTMAS STORY, THE MUSICAL, running December 9 through December 24, 2022. The run includes an early matinee and evening performance on December 24. The stage play version of the cult classic follows Ralphie in his quest for the famous Red Ryder BB Gun. It was a well-received holiday production at PTC in 2009, but this is the first time the company has produced the musical version. Associated Press called it "A joyous Christmas miracle!" and The New York Times proclaimed it dazzling and said, "You'd have to have a Grinch-size heart not to feel a smile spreading across your face."

"The score from the songwriting team behind the smash hit musical Dear Evan Hansen and the Academy Award-winning film La La Land is outstanding and makes A Christmas Story, The Musical a must-see for the holidays," said Azenberg. "Also, we decided to offer performances on Christmas Eve, two hours earlier than our usual Saturday matinee (12 noon and 5 pm), so families and friends gathering for holiday fun can have a charming and spirited activity in the early evening."

The World Premiere of A DISTINCT SOCIETY will run January 27 through February 11, 2023. The moving and timely play by Kareem Fahmy highlights a sleepy library that strategically straddles the U.S. and Canadian borders, becoming an unlikely meeting place for separated families. Five people representing two countries and several cultures choose between breaking the law and saving themselves, while trying desperately to understand one another. A Distinct Society was a finalist for the 2020 National Showcase of New Plays and the winner of the Next Act! New Play Summit. Fahmy previously directed the Play-by-Play reading The Fifth Domain, and this past season's main stage production Fireflies.

"Another goal for the new season," continued Azenberg, "was to recognize the accomplished life of composer Stephen Sondheim, who passed away in November 2021. His work is so very meaningful to theatre enthusiasts and creators, alike. That's why we were inspired to include a tribute to him with his musical revue, PUTTING IT TOGETHER. His fans will find this a satisfying collection of Sondheim's work, which has been so loved at PTC."

The revue includes some of Sondheim's biggest hits, including songs from Sunday in the Park with George, Company, Sweeney Todd, Into the Woods, A Little Night Music, and more. Putting It Together runs March 3 through March 18, 2023.

To close the season, PTC will produce the Utah Premiere of The Prom, which The New York Times praised for "making you believe in musical comedy again!"

The same creative team who charmed audiences with Elf the Musical - Chad Beguelin, Bob Martin and Matthew Sklar - bring us this warm-hearted story about a group of down-on-their-luck Broadway stars who shake up a small Indiana town as they rally behind a teen who just wants to attend prom with her girlfriend. Nominated for seven Tony Awards®, including Best Musical, Best Book, and Best Score, The Prom also claimed the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Musical.

With its resonant message about acceptance and inclusion, Variety said it leaves the audience "so full of happiness that you think your heart is about to burst." And O, The Oprah Magazine called it, "the kind of show that would make the world a better place if everyone saw it."

The Prom closes the season May 12 through May 27, 2023.

The remaining production in the season, a play, is in our sixth slot April 7 through April 22, 2023. The title will be announced soon, and this play will also have the honor of being the inaugural production in the new Meldrum Theatre at the Einar Nielsen Fieldhouse.

"We have long needed a more intimate performing space for contemporary and new works, especially with the success of our Play-by-Play series where storytelling is enhanced by a space designed to have actors and audiences nearer to one another," said Parisi. "Peter Meldrum, who passed in 2018, and his wife Cathie, were eager to provide support to create this new space."

The new theatre, expected to be completed in early 2023, will be housed in the newly renovated Einar Nielsen Fieldhouse on the University of Utah campus. The Fieldhouse, as it had been known for generations, had been decommissioned and will now be a multi-use building that includes a performance space for both PTC and University of Utah's Theatre Department.

Season packages have been revised for the 2022-2023 season. In addition to the popular 7-Play and Pick 5 Subscription packages, PTC has launched a Pick 3 Musical package for patrons who wish to choose just three musicals of the four offered this season. As in previous years, patrons 35 years of age and younger can purchase a 7-Play subscription for 50% off of regular prices for our Monday through Thursday performances. Patrons can also elect to attend on a "rush" basis, one hour before curtain, with the Rush Pass.

Subscribers receive significant benefits, like priority seat selection during an exclusive presale period, discounts on additional tickets, concierge ticket exchanges, and for 7-Play Subscribers, a two-show swap for any two productions in the season and one voucher for a free play, for each subscription.

For season subscriptions, contact Pioneer Theatre Company's Box Office at boxoffice@pioneertheatre.org, at 801-581-6961, or visit online at www.pioneertheatre.org.

2022-2023 SEASON TICKET PACKAGES

The 7-Play Subscription
Get the same great seats for all seven productions in the season, in both Simmons PMT Mainstage and in the new Meldrum Theatre. Because Meldrum Theatre has fewer seats and no balcony or loge, priority seating will be given to 7-Play and Pick 5 subscribers. Subscriptions range from $223 to $320 (reg. $297-$426), depending on where the seat is located.

The 35 & Under Subscription
Theatre patrons who are age 35 or younger at the time of purchase, may subscribe to a 7-Play subscription for a significant discount. 35 & Under subscribers pay only $148.50 to $213.00 (reg. $297-$426), for subscriptions on Mondays through Thursdays.

The Pick 5 Subscription
We continue our popular Pick 5 subscription package that allows patrons to select up to five productions from the season schedule. Subscriptions range from $165 to $274 for five productions, depending on where the seats are located and how many musicals are included in the package.

The Pick 3 Musical Package
New in 2022, we are offering the Pick 3 Musical package designed for patrons who wish to select just three of the season's four musicals. Subscriptions sell for $189 or $126 depending on whether main floor/loge seating or balcony seating is selected.

The $160 Rush Pass
This pass allows patrons to come to the theatre an hour before any production in the 2022-2023 season and get the best available single ticket in Rush Pass seating for that night, based on availability. (The pass does not include the Play-by-Play series and is non-transferable.)

Packages and passes include the best seats, discounts on additional tickets with an exclusive presale period, and the convenience of free exchange and "show-swap" privileges.