Xavier University Theatre Announces 2015-­16 Production Season

(CINCINNATI, April 17, 2015) – In its second year as a degree program, Xavier University Theatre announces its largest production season to date. Featuring two Broadway musicals, a world premiere, two classics and an edgy contemporary drama, Xavier Theatre’s 2015-16 season continues to be an exciting place for educational and professional collaboration.

“I couldn’t be more excited about this upcoming slate of shows,” says Xavier Theatre Director Stephen Skiles. “Not only are we bringing to the stage a series of important and diverse stories, but we also will be working with some of the best directors our region has to offer. Next year’s season embodies the professional collaborations and challenging productions that Xavier Theatre seeks to bring to its students and audiences.”

The season opens with the popular and hilarious Broadway musical THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE. Ever wanted to fit in? Ever thought that second place wasn’t good enough or that winning could finally help you figure out who you are? THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE is the story of a group of socially awkward kids finding joy, heartache and a purpose competing at the regional spelling bee. Winner of the Tony and Drama Desk awards for best book, THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE has charmed audiences across the country with its effortless wit and humor. Featuring a fast-paced, wildly funny and touching book by Rachel Sheinkin and a fresh and vibrant score by William Finn, this bee is one unforgettable experience. The 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE will run Oct. 22 to 24, 2015, and is directed by Stephen Skiles.

Xavier Theatre will welcome former Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park Producing Artistic Director Ed Stern to campus to direct Kenneth Lonergan’s THIS IS OUR YOUTH from Dec. 3 to 6, 2015. THIS IS OUR YOUTH follows three wayward young people as they navigate 1982 New York, recreating their broken homes in both their dysfunctional friendships and their bungled attempts at finding love. THIS IS OUR YOUTH is a living snapshot of the moment when young people first find themselves on the threshold of adulthood — when they are far more sophisticated than their parents realize and far less effectual than they themselves can possibly imagine. THIS IS OUR YOUTH reminds audiences why The New York Times calls Kenneth Lonergan “arguably the most important American playwright of the last 20 years,” and why Slate calls him “the most potent dramatic voice of his generation.”

From Feb. 17 to 28, 2016, Xavier Theatre will present a series of three plays in repertory, including two classics and a world premiere written by theatre major Tatum Hunter. First is August Strindberg’s MISS JULIE. On Midsummer’s Eve, Miss Julie, a young noblewoman, enters into an illicit affair with her father’s valet, Jean. Worldly and cultured, Jean by turns spurns and encourages Miss Julie’s flirtation, eventually initiating a relationship of disastrous consequences. Written in 1888, Strindberg’s masterful exploration of sex, class and power asks who in the battle of the sexes is really the servant and who the master. MISS JULIE is directed by Torie Wiggins.

Bruce Cromer will direct Harold Pinter’s BETRAYAL. For seven years, Emma and Jerry engage in a passionate love affair, deceiving their spouses, each other and, at times, even themselves. It is ultimately revealed that Emma’s husband, Robert, has known about the affair for years without ever saying a word. Was this his betrayal, or his revenge? As memory reels backward toward the moment the affair started, the lies tangle into a web of deception, and betrayal begets betrayal. One of the 20th century’s most influential dramatists, Nobel Laureate Harold Pinter innovatively explores the complexities of love, guilt and duplicity in this Olivier Award-winning classic.

The world premiere production of EVE, by Tatum Hunter and directed by Bridget Leak, rounds out the repertory offerings. After losing everything in an apartment fire, Marianne and Aaron are forced to get serious about their lives and their relationship. However, their decision to reach out to Aaron’s wealthy parents for help only makes things more complicated as painful memories resurface and threaten their future. While Marianne and Aaron’s mother Eve fight to keep him close, both women struggle to reconcile what they want with what they’ve lost. EVE is a sharp examination of how motherhood shapes the lives of two women and asks what it really means to lose a child.

The 2015-16 season closes April 21 to 24, 2016, with Jonathan Larson’s rock musical RENT. RENT follows a group of bohemian artists as they struggle to maintain their friendships, ideals and way of life in New York’s East Village. Winner of the Tony Award for Best Musical and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, RENT is an inspiring story about falling in love, finding your voice and living for today that has become a pop cultural phenomenon with songs that rock and a story that resonates.

Tickets for 2015-16 season productions are available now through the Xavier University Theatre Box Office. Tickets are $17 each for adults and $12 each for students, as well as Xavier faculty and staff. Subscription packages also are available. To purchase tickets, visit www.xavier.edu/theatre or call 513-745-3939.