PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The award-winning Barrington Stage Company marks its 25th anniversary season this year with four world premieres: A new musical from BSC's Musical Theatre Lab, "Fall Springs" by Niko Tsakalakos and Peter Sinn Nachtrieb; "America v. 2.1: The Sad Demise & Eventual Extinction of The American Negro" by Stacey Rose; "American Underground" by Brent Askari; and Ragtag Theatre's "Hansel and Gretel," commissioned by BSC. 

 

"For our 25th season we are celebrating some of the brilliant undiscovered playwrights whose work is on the pulse of what's happening in America today," said Artistic Director Julianne Boyd. "These writers have created stories that could not have been written 10 or 20 years ago — we celebrate their bravery and vision of the world as they see it today."

 

The first production on the Boyd-Quinson Mainstage, "Into the Woods," features music and lyrics by 13-time Tony Award winner Stephen Sondheim, a book by James Lapine ("Sunday in the Park with George") and original Broadway direction by James Lapine. Orchestrations are by Jonathan Tunick,  musical direction by BSC associate artist Darren R. Cohen and direction by associate artist Joe Calarco (BSC's Ragtime).

 

A new play by associate artist Mark St. Germain, "Gertrude and Claudius," based on the novel by John Updike, features direction by Boyd. Commissioned by Orlando Shakespeare Theater, it will receive its world premiere in Orlando opening Feb. 20.

 

"Gertrude and Claudius" will be followed by a world premiere musical of "Fall Springs," featuring music and lyrics by Tsakalakos, book and lyrics by Nachtrieb, musical direction by associate artist Vadim Feichtner, and direction by Stephen Brackett.

 

The final production on the Boyd-Quinson Mainstage will be the world premiere of "American Underground" by Askari and directed by Boyd. "American Underground" is the recipient of a Bonnie & Terry Burman New Play Award. 

 

Kicking things off on the St. Germain Stage will be "Hold These Truths" by Jeanne Sakata, followed by the world premiere of the Bonnie & Terry Burman New Play Award Grand Prize Winner "America v. 2.1: The Sad Demise & Eventual Extinction of The American Negro" by Rose and directed by Logan Vaughn. The season continues on the St. Germain Stage with "Time Flies and Other Comedies" by David Ives, concluding with "If I Forget" by Steven Levenson and directed by Jennifer Chambers.

 

The 2019 Youth Theatre Production will be "Hansel and Gretel," featuring a book by Sam LaFrage and music and lyrics by Lewis Finn and LaFrage. This is the first time BSC has commissioned a musical for its Youth Theatre production. The world premiere is by Ragtag Theatre Company, currently in residency with the program. Ragtag Theatre's goal is to empower and inspire audiences to live big colorful lives and to embrace what makes them different.

 

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Boyd-Quinson Mainstage Productions

 

Into the Woods

Runs June 22 through July 13

 

"Anything can happen in the woods." This is the promise, and premise, of the much-loved Tony Award-winning musical. A childless baker and his wife endeavor to lift their family curse by journeying into the woods, where they encounter Rapunzel and her mother; Cinderella; Jack (of Beanstalk fame); Little Red Riding Hood and other classic fairy tale characters. Their stories become entangled in unexpected ways — revealing what happens after "happily ever after."

 

 

Gertrude and Claudius

Runs July 21 through Aug. 3

 

Passion. Deception. Power. A love story for the ages based on the book by John Updike as told through the lens of Mark St. Germain. A provocative prequel to Hamlet. 2018 Edgerton Foundation New Play Award Winner.

 

 

Fall Springs

Runs Aug. 14 through Aug. 31

 

The town of Fall Springs is cash-strapped but sits directly on top of America's largest reserve of cosmetic essential oils. It has big dreams but at what cost? With new fracking techniques being recklessly implemented, the ground beneath Fall Springs is crumbling. "The show is exhilarating, refreshing, hilarious and moving all at once." –Ars Nova

 

 

American Underground

Runs Oct. 6 through Oct. 20

 

An interracial couple enjoys a visit from their college-aged son when a young Muslim woman arrives at their back door looking for safe passage via a new Underground Railroad. This Bonnie & Terry Burman New Play Award thriller takes us inside a stark vision of an unapologetic America.

 

 

St. Germain Stage Productions

 

 

Hold These Truths

Runs May 25 through June 8

 

An unsung American hero, Gordon Hirabayashi, fought passionately for the Constitution against an unexpected adversary: his own country. During World War II, he refused to report to a relocation camp with thousands of families of Japanese descent, launching a 50-year journey from college to courtroom and eventually to a Presidential Medal of Freedom. "Stunning! A brilliant portrayal of a genuine hero." — Huffington Post

 

 

America v. 2.1: The Sad Demise & Eventual Extinction of The American Negro

Runs June 20 through June 30

 

Set in the not too distant future, "America v. 2.1" is a day in the life of a troupe of black actors who are charged with re-enacting the revised history of the once-thriving American Negro. It quickly becomes a day of reckoning as the troupe is forced to face the parallels their own lives draw to the lives of the very Negroes whose stories they are compelled to tell. A Bonnie & Terry Burman New Play Award grand-prize winner.

 

 

Time Flies and Other Comedies

Runs July 10 through July 27

 

Welcome to the world of America's foremost comedic playwright and to an evening filled with some of the funniest short plays ever written. The New York Times says "Ives is wizardly ... magical and funny ... a master of language.  He's an original."

 

 

If I Forget

Runs Aug. 4 through Aug. 31

 

A tale of a Jewish-American family and a culture at odds with itself. Three siblings reunite to celebrate their father's 75th birthday. As destructive secrets and long-held resentments bubble to the surface, they negotiate how much of the past they're willing to sacrifice for a chance at a new beginning. "Passionate and provoking! Brainy in its arguments and visceral in its emotions!" – The New York Times

 

 

2019 Youth Theatre production 

Ragtag Theatre's Hansel and Gretel

Runs July 28 through Aug. 10

 

'Hansel and Gretel' follows a troupe of poor "Italian" actors as they present an interactive, twisted version of the well-known fairy tale in a brand-new way. Winner of the Off-Broadway Alliance Award for Best Family Show, Ragtag Theatre Company is a group of diverse artists dedicated to creating fresh and inclusive theatre for families.