Broadway-Bound ONE NIGHT WITH JANIS JOPLIN, THE SNOW QUEEN and More Set for San Jose Rep's 2013-14 Season

San Jose Repertory Theatre's Artistic Director Rick Lombardo has announced San Jose Rep's 2013-2014 season, with seven productions starting tonight, September 5, 2013 to July 14, 2014.

The season will include two World premieres, an American premiere, a West Coast premiere and several Bay Area premieres. The shows will reflect a season of true innovation, perfect for Silicon Valley's flagship theater and its audience.

Lombardo, who will direct several of the upcoming season's productions, said: "We're thrilled to offer our audience such fresh, fascinating productions in the 2013-2014 season! There will be something for everyone - from rock and roll and fantasy baseball to the world of science and fairy tales - and everything in between! We can't wait to take our audience on this journey of exploration and enjoyment."

The season kicks off with the regional premiere of the pre-Broadway musical One Night with Janis Joplin, celebrating one of the most iconic artists of our time. An eight-piece onstage band will perform 24 classic songs to explore her life and music; a truly entertaining start to the season that is sure to rock the Rep. One Night with Janis Joplin has left audiences clamoring for tickets in Portland, Cleveland, and Washington D.C. The exhilarating production will make its way to Broadway after bringing the house down at the Rep.

Continuing the season, Bay Area favorite Danny Scheie will take the stage to lead the powerful drama Next Fall by Geoffrey Nauffts. Recognized by Lombardo as an important show for the community, the touching story follows Adam and Luke, who have successfully navigated a committed relationship for five years, despite the fact that Adam is a responsible but neurotic atheist, while Luke is an impulsive, underemployed actor - and a devout Christian. When a sudden, tragic accident befalls Luke, these longtime differences rise to the surface as family and friends confront each other and attempt to overcome their own differences as they struggle to find answers - together.

For the holiday season, Lombardo along with Associate Artistic Director Kirsten Brandt, will present the world premiere of their music theater work The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen, adapted for the stage especially for the Rep audience. The classic coming-of-age fairy tale will feature music by Haddon Givens Kime and a wonderfully talented cast of actors, singers and musicians. This adaptation of The Snow Queen explores the struggle between good and evil, and the transition from childhood to adulthood through the eyes of the main characters Kai and Gerda.

San Jose Rep will begin the New Year with the unique philosophical, scientific and humanistic ideas of one of the 20th century's most influential thinkers in D. W. Jacobs' R. Buckminster Fuller: The History (and Mystery) of the Universe. This fascinating one-man show takes the audience on an adventure through Bucky Fuller's life and times. As author, inventor, systems designer and futurist (from "spaceship earth" to the geodesic dome to the whole earth catalogue) Fuller shows us how to save humanity and the planet by doing more with less.

March ushers in lots of laughter with another SJ Rep world premiere of the contemporary comedy Game On, set in Silicon Valley. Written by Dan Hoyle and Berkeley Repertory Theatre's Artistic Director Tony Taccone, Game On follows two baseball junkies at a fundraising party in a swanky Los Altos home as they try to close the biggest deal of their lives - but is it a fantasy baseball trade or a multi-million dollar venture capital deal?

TBD: San Jose Rep is working hard to secure the perfect production that will take the stage May 8 through June 1, 2014. Scripts are currently being reviewed and an announcement will be made as soon as possible.

The season will close with the American premiere of Joe Penhall's provocative and thought-provoking play Landscape with Weapon. In this play, a brilliant young engineer and high-tech weapons designer suffers a crisis of conscience while working in the aerospace industry designing the next generation of unmanned drone aircraft. It is truly a drama for our times that explores the moral responsibility of a scientist - leaving the audience with lasting thoughts as the season comes to a close.

Information about the 2013-2014 season will be available at www.sjrep.com.

2013-2014 Season

Regional Premiere, Pre-Broadway Musical
ONE NIGHT WITH Janis Joplin
SEP 5 - SEP 29, 2013
created, written and directed by Randy Johnson
in association with with Todd Gershwin and Daniel Chilewich of One Night Productions, LLC

Bay Area Premiere
NEXT FALL
OCT 17 - NOV 10, 2013
by Geoffrey Nauffs
directed by Kirsten Brandt

World Premiere
THE SNOW QUEEN
NOV 27 - DEC 22, 2013
by Hans Christian Andersen
adapted for the stage by Rick Lombardo and Kirsten Brandt
music by Haddon Kime
directed by Rick Lombardo

South Bay Premiere
R. BUCKMINSTER FULLER: THE HISTORY (AND MYSTERY) OF THE UNIVERSE
JAN 23 - FEB 16, 2014
by D.W. Jacobs

World Premiere
GAME ON
MAR 20 - APR 13, 2014
by Dan Hoyle and Tony Taccone
directed by Rick Lombardo

TBD
MAY 8 - JUNE 1, 2014

American Premiere
LANDSCAPE WITH WEAPON
JUNE 19 - JULY 14, 2014
by Joe Penhall
directed by Rick Lombardo

San Jose Rep is the flagship theatre of San Jose and the only fully professional, non-profit theatre company in the South Bay, presenting seven main-stage productions each year. Now in its 32nd year as a major contributor to the South Bay's cultural community, San Jose Rep's mission is to engage, entertain, and inspire people. San Jose Rep produces innovative theatrical performances that offer fresh perspectives into the human condition, educational programs that promote lifelong learning, and outreach initiatives that benefit our diverse community. For more information, visit www.SJRep.com.

To post a comment, you must register and login.