The Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County and Zoetic Stage are proud to announce the lineup for the Center’s 7th season of THEATER UP CLOSE. The 2017-2018 season features five extraordinary productions – including one world premiere and two South Florida premieres.
Continuing the Arsht Center’s ongoing, critically-acclaimed collaboration with Zoetic Stage, the THEATER UP CLOSE 2017-2018 series opens with TOPDOG/UNDERDOG (November 2 – 9, 2017), a Pulitzer Prize-winning drama by Suzan-Lori Parks; WRONGFUL DEATH AND OTHER CIRCUS ACTS (January 18 – February 4, 2018), a dark comedy by Christopher Demos-Brown, one of South Florida’s finest playwrights; DANCING LESSONS (March 8 – March 25, 2018), Mark St. Germain’s insightful, poignant, witty and hilarious romantic comedy; and the Tony Award-winning FUN HOME (April 12 – May 13, 2018), “an uplifting musical drama of rare intensity, honesty and beauty, told through melodically rich songs that summon yearning, heartache and joy. It speaks universally about big things that matter: life, love, family, surviving.” (Daily News). THEATER UP CLOSE will also include SMALL MOUTH SOUNDS (February 16 – March 4, 2018), Bess Wohl’s unique and compassionate new play that asks how we address life’s biggest questions when words fail us.
The Theater Up Close Series has transformed the Arsht Center into a showcase for some of the most dazzling theatrical work being done anywhere in this country. Productions in the series have earned 20 Carbonell Awards and 60 nominations. The Center is also honored to have partnered with and be the home of Zoetic Stage, one of South Florida’s most critically-acclaimed theater companies.
Early bird five-show subscription packages are available now at $160* until June 23. Subscriptions can be purchased now through the Adrienne Arsht Center box office by calling (305) 949-6722, or online at www.arshtcenter.org. Tickets for individual performances will be available starting this summer.
In addition to the subscription series offerings, the season will include, as an option, City Theatre’s WINTER SHORTS – the festive version of Summer Shorts: America’s Short Play Festival which will feature a jolly program of short plays and musicals. Note: While City Theatre’s WINTER SHORTS is not part of the 2017-2018 Theater Up Close subscription package, subscribers will receive an exclusive promo code which will give them access to purchase tickets before they go on sale to the general public and a 20%* discount.
Programming for the 2017-2018 Theater Up Close series includes the following:
Zoetic Stage and Adrienne Arsht Center present
TOPDOG/UNDERDOG by Suzan-Lori Parks
November 2 – 19, 2017
Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, TOPDOG/UNDERDOG is a darkly comic tale of brotherhood and family identity. The play tells the story of Lincoln and Booth, two African-American brothers (whose names were given to them as a joke) coping with women, work, poverty, gambling, racism, and their troubled upbringings. Haunted by the past, the brothers are forced to confront the shattering reality of their future.
Zoetic Stage and Adrienne Arsht Center present
WRONGFUL DEATH AND OTHER CIRCUS ACTS – World Premiere!
By Christopher Demos-Brown
January 18 – February 4, 2018
“A playwright who crafts smart, insightful dialogue and memorable characters in service of compelling, engagingly theatrical stories.” – The Miami Herald. Following a fatal plane crash, Laura Mendes, a struggling personal injury lawyer, scampers to sign up the case of a lifetime. This dark comedy, by one of South Florida’s finest playwrights, takes a wry, satirical look at the crude ways in which Capitalism places value on human life. WRONGFUL DEATH AND OTHER CIRCUS ACTS is the latest world premiere from Christopher Demos-Brown, award-winning writer of Stripped, American Son and Fear Up Harsh.
Adrienne Arsht Center presents Bess Wohl’s
SMALL MOUTH SOUNDS
Written by Bess Wohl
Directed by Rachel Chavkin
February 16 – March 4, 2018
SMALL MOUTH SOUNDS is a funny and ingenious new play that asks how we address life’s biggest questions when words fail us. The New York Times says, “it leaves you moved, refreshed and even enlightened.” And New York Magazine declares “It deserves to be seen – and re-seen!” It’s a theatrical experience – and an emotional journey – you will never forget. In the quiet of the woods, six strangers embark on a silent retreat. As they struggle to confront their internal demons, their vows of silence collide with their achingly human need to connect. Written by Drama Desk Award winner Bess Wohl (Pretty Filthy) and directed by Obie Award winner Rachel Chavkin (Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812), SMALL MOUTH SOUNDS is “a remarkable range of pain, joy and hope in 100 deeply engrossing minutes” (Time Out New York).
Zoetic Stage and Adrienne Arsht Center present
DANCING LESSONS – South Florida Premiere!
By Mark St. Germain
March 8 – March 25, 2018
DANCING LESSONS is the story of Ever, a young man with high-functioning autism, who enlists the help of a Broadway dancer to help him survive an awards dinner. The dancer, Senga, is recovering from an injury that may end her dancing career. As their relationship unfolds, they are caught off-guard by the discoveries – both hilarious and heartwarming – that they make about each other and themselves.
Zoetic Stage and Adrienne Arsht Center present
FUN HOME – South Florida Premiere!
Book and lyrics by Lisa Kron
Music by Jeanie Tesori
Based on the graphic novel by Alison Bechdel
April 12 – May 13, 2018
Recent winner of the Tony Award for Best Musical, Best Score, and Best Book of a Musical, FUN HOME is about Alison, a graphic novelist who dives deep into her past to tell the story of her father, a volatile, brilliant, one-of-a-kind man whose temperament and secrets defined her family and her life. Through her work, she relives her unique upbringing in the family’s funeral home, her burgeoning sexuality, and the looming, unanswerable questions about her father. FUN HOME is a refreshingly honest, wholly original musical about seeing your parents through grown-up eyes.
SEASON OPTION:
City Theatre and Adrienne Arsht Center present
WINTER SHORTS 2017*
Short Play Festival
December 7 – 23, 2017
Tickets: $39*
Get in the spirit of the holidays with City Theatre’s brand new Winter Shorts! This festive version of Summer Shorts: America’s Short Play Festival features a jolly program of short plays and musicals, each a complete work 8-10 minutes long! Treat yourself, your friends and family to an evening of theater filled with hilarity, both naughty and nice. Penned by the country’s best playwrights and performed by a company of South Florida theater all-stars, City Theatre’s Winter Shorts will sparkle this holiday season! Note: While City Theatre’s WINTER SHORTS is not part of the 2017-2018 Theater Up Close subscription package, subscribers will receive an exclusive promo code which will give them access to purchase tickets before they go on sale to the general public and a 20%* discount.
*All programs, artists, ticket prices, availability, dates and times are subject to change without notice. Visit www.arshtcenter.org for up-to-date information for details and schedules.
