A CONFEDERACY OF DUNCES & More Announced For Book-It Rep 20th Anniversary Season

Book-It Repertory Theatre announces its 20th Anniversary Season of productions to be produced at the Center House Theatre. The upcoming season's schedule features four plays, and the first-ever workshop series. Many additional celebratory events are planned to mark this milestone anniversary to which the public will be invited.

For the last two decades, Book-It has brought great literature to the stage with passionate commitment to quality, diversity of works, and to the artists and community who bring our work to life. Over that time, the company's growth has been shepherded by Founding Co-Artistic Directors Jane Jones and Myra Platt. Planning for next season has brought about proud reflection on Book-It's accomplishments along with renewed purpose for the future.

The Company's shift to a four-show season has two distinct benefits. It allows open time in the schedule to fulfill a long-dreamed-of plan to produce a Novel Workshop Series, an organized opportunity to develop future works intensively with a full team comprising a director, dramaturg, actors, and a discerning audience. Additionally, producing all four plays in the Center House Theatre will help to channel more resources into our productions and the artists who make the work possible-a priority for the company.

Here are Book-It's selections for the 2009-2010 20th Anniversary Season:

A CONFEDERACY OF DUNCES by John Kennedy Toole
Adapted and Directed by Mary Machala
September 16 - October 11, 2009

Considered a cult classic of the southern literary canon, this is the tale of the slothful Ignatius J. O'Reilly, writer, cultural critic, bastion of morality, advocate for the disenfranchised and nemesis of industry, as he ventures out into the working world to support his despairing mother. Its kaleidoscopic cast of Big Easy characters completes Toole's comic masterpiece.

Long tied up in film options, Book-It was contacted by the book's literary agent who granted us rights for a limited time. We leapt at the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to produce this Pulitzer Prize-winning work.

EMMA by Jane Austen
Adapted by Rachel Atkins, Directed by Marcus Goodwin
October 20 - November 22, 2009

Jane Austen's fourth novel is a sparkling comedy of 19th-century manners centering on the well-intentioned Emma and her sometimes indiscreet, often misapplied, and always entertaining efforts as matchmaker. Austen's deliciously droll descriptions and generous happy endings are Book-It fan favorites.

We find much joy in producing Austen's work and with the proven popularity of our productions of Pride and Prejudice (00/01, 03/04 and Persuasion (07/08), we couldn't resist Emma's charms.

THE RIVER WHY by David James Duncan
Adapted and directed by Myra Platt
February 9 - March 7, 2010

Young Gus leaves his quirky, fishing-obsessed family to search for his own truth. With every cast of his pole, the Zen-like repetition of his angling activities leads him on a journey of self discovery. Set in the Pacific Northwest, audiences will at once feel kinship with Gus and his burgeoning concerns for stewardship of the land we live upon and the rivers that sustain us.

A long-time favorite of Book-It readers, David James Duncan has been on the subscriber request list for years. We are thrilled to have the opportunity to again think deeply about our surroundings and our responsibilities to the natural world (as in The Highest Tide, 07/08) with engaging characters in a moving story.

The NOVEL WORKSHOP SERIES will run in April/May 2010, dates, titles and artists TBD

In the spirit of Book-It's artists' collective beginnings, company members will explore potential adaptations that have been "waiting in the wings" and test the plausibility of these novels as future additions to the repertory. Patrons will witness the birth of many new works through this series.
THE CIDER HOUSE RULES, PART ONE: HERE IN ST. CLOUD'S by Peter Parnell, adapted from the novel by John Irving, Directed by Jane Jones
June 1 - 27, 2010

The landmark production that put Book-It on the National Theatre map is the icing on the 20th Anniversary cake. Part of the company's repertory of adaptations, The Cider House Rules is the story of orphan Homer Wells' life in a Maine orphanage and his education under the tutelage of Dr. Wilbur Larch, who saves not only babies, but mothers too, by performing illegal abortions when necessary.

The first full-length novel ever adapted in the Book-It Style was the premiere production in the Leo K Theatre at Seattle Rep. We can't wait to bring this Book-It icon back for its first-ever production in the Center House Theatre.
In addition to the four adaptations and the new Novel Workshop Series, Book-It will again produce its annual Guilty Pleasures fundraiser performance (May 18, 2010) that skewers its own trademarked style with literature often relegated to grocery store kiosks. The education arm of the company, Book-It All Over, will produce three works of literature for young people (Coyote and Raven, by Gerald McDermott, Catching the Moon by Crystal Hubbard, Johnny Appleseed retold and illustrated by Steven Kellogg) and the popular banned-books series, Danger: Books! for touring statewide to schools, libraries, and community centers. In addition, each of the book adaptations will be featured in one-performance-only Family Fun Day that includes the performance, a drama workshop, a book fair and theme-related crafts.

Patrons who currently hold subscriptions to Book-It's season may renew subscriptions for the 20th Anniversary season beginning with the Annual Open House preview of next season on Saturday, May 2, 4:45-6:00 p.m. New subscriptions are on sale at that time and will be processed beginning June 23; single tickets for the season will go on sale in August.

Book-It Repertory Theatre, a leader in the narrative theatre movement, was founded in 1990. Book-It is a non-profit organization with a dedication to great literature and quality theatre experiences employing simple, sensitive and imaginative production techniques, and to inspiring its audiences to read. The company is funded, in part, by generous contributions from corporations and foundations, and hundreds of individuals who share our passion for literature.

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Fact Sheet Attached

BOOK-IT REPERTORY THEATRE 20th Anniversary Season Fact Sheet

Subscribers may begin renewing season tickets on May 2 (through June 12, to retain priority seating)
2009-10 Four-play subscriptions range from $72 - $144; Three-play subscriptions are also available.
New subscriptions may be purchased anytime and processed after beginning June 23.
Single Tickets will go on sale in August and range from $15 to $35; opening night, all seats are $40 (includes party). Group rates are available for gatherings of 8 or more.
All performances will be at the Center House Theatre, 305 Harrison Street (near the intersection of 5th and Harrison at Seattle Center) Seattle, WA

Annual Open House is Saturday, May 2, 4:45 - 6:00 p.m. between performances of The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears. Renewing subscribers receive an extra discount when renewing exact package-extra discount at this event only.

Next season's schedule:

A CONFEDERACY OF DUNCES by John Kennedy Toole
Adapted and Directed by Mary Machala
September 16 - October 11, 2009

EMMA by Jane Austen
Adapted by Rachel Atkins, Directed by Marcus Goodwin
October 20 - November 22, 2009

THE RIVER WHY by David James Duncan
Adapted and directed by Myra Platt
February 9 - March 7, 2010

The NOVEL WORKSHOP SERIES
April/May 2010, dates, titles and artists TBD

THE CIDER HOUSE RULES, PART ONE: HERE IN ST. CLOUD'S by Peter Parnell,
adapted from the novel by John Irving, Directed by Jane Jones
June 1 - 27, 2010

Box Office Contact

206.216.0833, Tues. through Fri., Noon - 6:00 p.m. (Tues. - Sat. during production)