2004-2005 Season at The Huntington

The Huntington Theatre Company has announced its 2004-2005 season -- the first season to feature productions at the new Theater Pavilion at the Boston Center for the Arts.

The Huntington’s 23rd Season will include seven productions -- five at the Boston University Theatre on Huntington Avenue, and two to be presented at the new Virginia Wimberly Theatre at the Theatre Pavilion. There will also be an additional production, the acclaimed Abbey Theatre of Ireland production of “The Playboy of the Western World” -- to be presented at The Wilbur Theatre and produced by Broadway in Boston in association with the Huntington.

The Huntington will also embark upon two new collaborations with the African American Theatre Festival and the Boston Theatre Marathon.

As announced by Artistic Director Nicholas Martin and Managing Director Michael Maso during a press conference at the Huntington, the season line-up with include:

August Wilson’s
“Gem of the Ocean”
September 10 - October 10
Boston University Theatre
For the seventh time, the Huntington will share a work from two-time Pulitzer Prize winner August Wilson prior to its New York premiere. “Gem of the Ocean” is the first installment of Wilson’s decade-by-decade chronicle of the African-American experience. Set in 1904, Citizen Barlow arrives at the home of Aunt Ester in search of spiritual redemption. At 285 years of age, Ester is not too old to heal as she guides him on a lyrical journey to the City of Bones.

“Sonia Flew”
By Melinda Lopez
October 8 - November 28
A World Premiere
Virginia Wimberly Theatre
In 1961, Sonia’s parents, fearful of the new government, sent their own daughter from Cuba to the United States. Set in Minneapolis and Havana, the story unfolds across the generations as Sonia -- now the mother of two-- struggles to come to terms with her past, her lost parents, her own children and her adopted country.

“Burn This”
By Lanford Wilson
November 12 - December 12
Boston University Theatre
Passion can strike at any time, and when you violently opposed individuals are involved, the results can be tumultuous. Anna, a dancer mourning the loss of her dance partner Robbie, encounters Robbie’s brother when he burst into her loft in the middle of the night to retrieve his brother’s belongings. Dangerous, raw and demanding, he interrupts the course of her calm existence and leads her into an explosive encounter from which there is no turning back.

“36 Views”
By Naomi Iizuka
March 11 - April 10
Boston University Theatre
With the discovery go a rare and ancient Japanese “pillow book,” an unscrupulous art dealer and a respectable art historian are immediately captivated. They both have designs on the find for entirely different reasons. And they are quickly drawn into a relationship of mutual intrigue. But when the authenticity of the artifact is questioned, they lost more than just their credibility.

“Culture Clash In America”
Created, written and performed by Culture Clash
Richard Montoya, Ric Salinas and Herbert Siguenza
March 18 - May 8
Virginia Wimberly Theatre
A high octane fusion of satire, schtick and sociology, “Culture Clash In America” uses humor, dance and poetry to create a non-traditional evening of theatre that explores this country’s diverse people and histories. Each of the three artists plays multiple characters, crossing all racial, social and sexual boundaries, reinventing our ideas of storytelling and community. There will be a special section of the performance commissioned solely for Boston audiences.

William Finn’s “Falsettos”
May 20 - June 19
Boston University Theatre
Melvin, devoted father of brilliant 12-year-old Jason, has left his wife Trina for a man named Whizzer -- but he still expects them all to be friends. In Finn’s groundbreaking musical, this endearingly eccentric crew copes with the changes Marvin has wrought as Trina is pursued by their psychiatrist, Jason plans for his bar mitzvah and their world encounters a devastating new threat. Tender and exuberantly funny, “Falsettos” is an extraordinary musical event.

Abbey Theatre of Ireland’s
“The Playboy of the Western World”
November 2 -28, 2004
The Wilbur Theatre
Presented by Broadway in Boston
in association with the Huntington Theatre Company
In celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Abbey Theatre, Boston will be one of only four American cities to host the world tour of this acclaimed production. A small village in Country Mayo is thrown into confusion with the arrival of a mysterious stranger who claims to have killed his father. This new village hero seduces the town, but just when things are looking hopeful, a second stranger arrives to reveal untold truths that have unsettling consequences.

Two New Collaborations

The Huntington will augment its first season at the new Theatre Pavilion with two special collaborations. The African American Theatre Festival, founded in 2001 by Jacqui Parker, will take place at the Virginia Wimberly Theatre in January 2005. And the Huntington will host the Boston Theatre Marathon at the Wimberly on May 22, 2005.

The African American Theatre Festival is a celebration of dance, song, poetry and stories of and by people of color. Producer Jacqui Parker is the Artistic Director of the Our Place Theatre Project, which provides year round training in theatre for young and adult artists of color in the greater Boston area.

The Elliot Norton Award-wining Boston Theatre Marathon, now in its 6th year, is a day long event featuring 45 10-minute plays. Produced by Artistic Director Kate Snodgrass, the Boston Theatre Marathon supports New England playwrights by connecting them with New England theatre companies. Previously held at the Boston Playwright’s Theatre, the Boston Theatre Marathon will enjoy a new and expanded home at the Wimberly.

The Huntington season is currently available via subscription only. For more information, contact the box office at 617-266-0800 or visit www.huntingtontheatre.org.

-- OnStage Boston

4/15/04