New Rep moves to Watertown: New Contact Information
July 22, 2005
Contact: Cory Elizabeth Nelson, corynelson@newrep.org
New Repertory Theatre has completed its move to Watertown, and the company is now in residence at the Arsenal Center for the Arts. The inaugural production, Romeo and Juliet, will open in September.
Telephone numbers, the mailing address, and the physical address have all changed, but New Rep’s website (www.newrep.org) and e-mail addresses remain the same.
The physical address of the theatre and box office is now:
321 Arsenal Street
Watertown, MA 02472
The physical address of the administrative offices and the mailing address for the company:
200 Dexter Avenue
Watertown, MA 02472
The box office telephone number is 617.923.8487. E-mail remains tickets@newrep.org.
The administrative telephone number is 617.923.7060.
The fax number is 617.923.7625.
In addition to completing its move to Watertown, New Repertory Theatre has made final decisions regarding its 2005 – 2006 season.
Romeo and Juliet
by William Shakespeare
Directed by Rick Lombardo
September 18 - October 9, 2005
The season opens with William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Rick Lombardo will direct a sprawling production that uses every inch of the theatre, celebrating New Rep’s arrival in its new home. This passionate and sexy production will explore the layers of human emotion - love, hate, loyalty, vengeance - of Shakespeare’s classic love story.
True West
by Sam Shepard
Director To Be Determined
October 30 - November 20, 2005
The second production will be True West, Sam Shepard’s funniest play and one of his defining classics. Austin, an Ivy League-educated writer, returns to his childhood home outside Los Angeles, intent on selling his screenplay to a Hollywood producer. His older brother Lee, a crude, ribald petty thief, turns up unexpectedly, also trying to sell a script: his authentic and “true” American Western. Along the way, Shepard takes gleeful potshots at Hollywood, the myth of the cowboy and the American frontier, and other escape fantasies that define the American imagination.
Frozen
by Bryony Lavery
Directed by Adam Zahler
January 22 - February 12, 2006
In January, New Rep will produce Bryony Lavery’s Frozen, a play that poignantly interweaves the narratives of three characters connected by the tragic death of a child. At the center of the story is ten-year-old Rhona, who goes missing one evening on a walk in an English suburb. Rhona’s mother Nancy withdraws from the world, unable to cope with the emotions surrounding her daughter’s disappearance. Soon Nancy encounters Agnetha, an American assembling interviews for her dissertation: “Serial Killing - A Forgivable Act?” Agnetha’s research leads her to the prison where Ralph is detained, a man still chillingly detached despite the magnitude of his crimes. Hailed as a play of extraordinary emotion and sensitivity, Frozen explores the limits of human regret and forgiveness.
Bill W. and Dr. Bob
by Stephen Bergman and Janet Surrey
Directed by Rick Lombardo
**March 5 – March 26, 2006 **Note: these dates have changed
In spring, 2006, New Rep will produce the powerful drama Bill W. and Dr. Bob, written by local playwrights Stephen Bergman and Janet Surrey and directed by Rick Lombardo. Set in 1930s America, the play chronicles the beginnings of Alcoholics Anonymous through the story of its two founders: stockbroker Bill Wilson and surgeon Dr. Bob Smith. This amazing and often humorous play also tells the story of the two friends’ wives, Lois and Anne, founders of Al Anon.
Ragtime
Book by Terrence McNally
Lyrics by Lynn Ahrens
Music by Stephen Flaherty
Directed by Rick Lombardo
April 30 - May 21, 2006
Concluding the season will be Ragtime, an epic and soaring musical, winner of multiple Tony Awards and based on E.L. Doctorow’s classic novel. Ragtime intertwines the stories of three families living in turn-of-the-century America. The serene, unchanging existence of one wealthy couple is shaken, when they encounter the spirited African American musician Coalhouse Walker and his lover Sarah, who dream of a better life for their son. Meanwhile, the Russian immigrant Tateh and his daughter arrive on the teeming streets of New York City, determined to build a fortune and put the tragedy of their former lives behind them. Along the way, each family encounters historical figures, ranging from Harry Houdini to Henry Ford.
Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol
Adapted for the stage and directed by Rick Lombardo
December 10 - 24, 2005
December will feature a special, two-week run of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, produced in partnership with the Arsenal Center for the Arts and Watertown Children’s Theatre. Rick Lombardo’s adaptation will be a lavish and spectacular rendering of Dickens’s holiday classic, complete with music, dancing, and all the splendor of a Victorian Christmas.
Note: Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol is not part of a subscription package.
Along with its six mainstage productions, New Rep will continue to produce its popular and acclaimed touring program, which brings performances of classic theatre onto the stages of local high schools and middle schools. New Rep On Tour’s 2005-2006 selections are:
The Glass Menagerie
by Tennessee Williams
Directed by Adam Zahler
On tour from October 31 through December 16, 2005
Set in St. Louis in the 1930s, The Glass Menagerie tenderly explores the lives of four characters, each yearning to escape the prison of their memories: Amanda Wingfield, a faded Southern belle; her dreamer son Tom, an aspiring poet; her painfully withdrawn daughter, Laura; and Laura’s gentleman caller Jim, a former athlete and faltering optimist.
Macbeth
by William Shakespeare
Directed by Brendan Hughes
On tour from March 13, 2006 through April 14, 2006
In Macbeth, William Shakespeare created one of the most profound studies of evil ever written. Storms rage, fires burn, and night blankets the earth in this tale “full of sound and fury,” which follows the fall of the once-noble Macbeth and his ambitious lady.
Subscription information
Subscriptions for New Rep’s 2005-2006 are on sale now. Information on different membership packages can be obtained by visiting the website or by contacting New Rep’s box office at 617.923.8487, or via e-mail at tickets@newrep.org. Please note that A Christmas Carol is not included in any subscription package.
New Repertory Theatre presents provocative and intelligent works of both established and emerging playwrights in an intimate setting that involves and engages the audience. New Rep has earned a reputation for dynamic productions that honor the writers and feature talented professional actors from the New England theatre community as well as guest artists from around the U.S. New Rep has received Elliot Norton and IRNE Awards for outstanding acting, scenic design, direction, and production.
Programming at New Repertory Theatre is supported in part by a grant from the Massachusetts Cultural Council. Additional programming support provided by Bank of America.