New theater season announced

‘Blood Brothers’ by Willy Russell
When Oct. 9 and 10, 13 to 17
Where Ruth N. Halls Theatre
Synopsis Twin brothers, separated at birth, meet and become friends after years living opposite lives – one in a home of money and opportunity, the other in poverty and crime. The brothers fall in love with the same woman, whom she marries one while longing for the other. They run the gamut of depression and violence, eventually ending in tragedy.

‘The Clean House’ by Sarah Ruhl
When Oct. 23 and 24, 27 to 31
Where Wells-Metz Theatre  
Synopsis Matilde, a cleaning lady hired by a woman named Lane, is in search of the “perfect joke” and therefore leaves her housework undone. Lane is exasperated with Matilde, but Lane’s sister Virginia is a woman obsessed with keeping tidy. Virginia and Matilde consort with each other, coming up with a plan for Virginia to do the cleaning, unbeknownst to Lane. Virginia and Matilde end up discovering evidence proving Lane’s husband is having an affair with a woman named Ana. By the end of a complicated plot, themes of forgiveness and laughter triumph.

‘As You Like It’ by William Shakespeare
When Nov. 13 and 14, 17 to 21
Where Ruth N. Halls Theatre
Synopsis In usual Shakespearean style, the plot is intensely complicated, with numerous characters and themes of love, sexual ambiguity, social inequality and corruption. A group of people meaning to escape the court comically discuss these themes and the trials of life in a mysterious and magical forest.

‘Parentheses of Blood’ by Sony Labou Tansi
When Dec. 4 and 5, 8 to 12
Where Wells-Metz Theatre
Synopsis A classic tale of tyrannical government versus freedom-fighting rebels, “Parentheses” follows the search for Libertashio, who the government views as a leading threat. Although Libertashio is actually already dead, the government continues searching. The play brings topics of death, reality and suffering to the stage, all with an air of humor.

‘The Persecution and Assassination of Jean-Paul Marat as Performed by the Inmates of the Asylum of Charenton under the Direction of Monsieur de Sade’ by Peter Weiss
When Feb. 5 and 6, 9 to 13, 2010
Where Wells-Metz Theatre  
Synopsis The play begins with asylum inmates who, as the play’s name explains, are putting on a production about the assassination of a famous French leader named Jean-Paul Marat. The production is meant to help the inmates therapeutically, but it is directed by a rich and famous inmate called Marquis de Sade. The inmates end up using the scene portraying a murder as a chance to release their anger at being imprisoned, unfortunate and poor.

‘Major Barbara’ by George Bernard Shaw
When February 26 and 27, 2010 and March 2 to 6, 2010
Where Ruth N. Halls Theatre
Synopsis The play follows a Salvation Army officer named Barbara Undershaft who struggles with conflicting ideas of morality – specifically, accepting donations from moral sources versus using money from donations no matter the source. Her supervisor ends up accepting donations from her father, who works in armaments manufacturing, and from a whiskey distiller. Barbara wants to agree that using the money will help, but her Christian beliefs hold her back in confusion. The play revolves around her choice.

‘Take Me Out’ by Richard Greenberg
When March 26 and 27, 30 and 31, 2010 and April 1 to 3, 2010
Where Wells-Metz Theatre
Synopsis All the conflict starts when one man comes out to the public as a homosexual. Taking place in the locker room of a professional baseball team, the controversy over the homosexuality and mixed race of one of the players named Darren Lemming explodes on stage. The interactions among the teammates explore themes of masculinity, homophobia and racism.

‘A Little Night Music,’ a musical by Stephen Sondheim, book by Hugh Wheeler
When April 16 to 17, 20 to 24, 2010
Where Ruth N. Halls Theatre
Synopsis A group of young and old couples begin the show unhappy, with each person scheming to make his or her spouse jealous, or sad or angry. Through a series of events including possible suicide attempts, a game of Russian Roulette and sexual encounters, all the unhappy spouses end up with the right partners in the end.