Hole in the Wall is thrilled to officially announce our six MainStage shows, focusing on a theme of family. This season, we wanted to discuss, via theater, what Family means, how Family affects our lives and, most importantly, what defines Family. In addition to these (mostly) classic pieces of theater, we will kick off our season with a soon-to-be-advertised Gala party and performance on September 12 – and our season will be peppered (get it? it’s like a seasoning to the season) with a Halloween party, Holiday performances and lots of other showcase surprises and workshops! But for now, without further ado, here is our lineup!
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck:
We begin our season with Steinbeck’s classic tale, which explores the unromantic side of the iconic American pursuit of happiness. Surviving on the strength of a dream to live simply, “off the fat of the land”, George and simple minded giant Lennie roam California as itinerant farm laborers. Landing a job as ranch hands, George and Lennie form new friendships that get them within reaching distance of their goals before an incident with the ranch owners daughter in law jeopardizes not only their dreams of a peaceful future, but Lennie’s very life. Director Jill Dvorsky explores the ways in which we use friendship to create Family and the fact that, often, those bonds are stronger than those of blood. Of Mice and Men runs September 25, 26, October 2 (pay-what-you-can performance), 3, 9, 10, 11 (2 pm matinee), 16, 17.
Lysistrata by Aristophanes (adaptation by Sarah Ruden):
Next up, Rachel Teagle messes around with gender identity and sexuality with this classic Greek comedy. When the men of Greece refuse to stop the war, the women fight back by going on a sex strike. Come enjoy some of the oldest dirty jokes in western civilization in Aristophanes’ raunchy comedy about power, persuasion, and getting it on. Directed by Rachel Teagle. Lysistrata runs November 13, 14, 20, 21, 22 (2 pm matinee), 27 (pay-what-you-can performance), 28, December 4, 5.
Lint! by William Arnold & Scott Auden:
Revisit our own Bill Arnold and Scott Auden’s fantastic original musical comedy! Phoebe’s got a problem… No matter where she goes, no matter what she does, she is constantly finding herself in a musical. While this wouldn’t be a problem to some folks, Phoebe tries to escape by taking a job in a laundromat. Everything is fine until one day Phoebe looks up and sees the audience, the lights, everything. Biz, Fab, and Cheer; three muses rise up out of the washers and explain to Phoebe that there is no escaping this musical until she finishes the show and follows the rules to get there. Reluctantly, and with more than a little sarcasm, Phoebe enlists the help of Gary, a pathetic cuckold who was just minding his own business. Jack and Jill enter and the race to finish the musical begins. Along the way, they encounter Heinrich von Baddie, Phoebe’s boss and the representation of villainy in the play. Faced with impending doom (and marriage) Phoebe and her new friends sing themselves through many different emotions and stories, culminating in the classic confrontation of good and evil: a landlord wearing lederhosen and a government agent wearing a jet-pack. Directed by James DeMarco. Lint! Runs January 22, 23, 29 (pay-what-you-can performance), 30, 31 (2 pm matinee), February 5, 6, 12, 13.
Still Life with Iris by Steven Dietz:
This piece is the first play for young audiences to receive the Kennedy Center’s Fund for New American Plays Award. Still Life with Iris is a fantastical adventure which centers on a little girl’s search for the simplest of things: home. Iris lives with her mom in the land of Nocturno—a magical place in which the workers make, by night, all of the things we see in the world by day. Also, in Nocturno, memories do not reside in people’s minds but instead are kept in their coats (called ‘Past Coats’). The rulers of Nocturno, the Great Goods, are determined to have the “best” of everything on their island—and therefore take Iris away from her home and bring her to Great Island to be their daughter. To ease the pain of this separation, they remove her Past Coat, leaving her with no memory of her home or her family. All that remains of Iris’ past is a single button from her coat. Using the button as a clue, Iris joins with friends she meets on her journey—Annabel Lee (a young woman from the sea) and Mozart (the composer, age 11). Directed by Tony Palmieri. Still Life with Iris runs March 25, 25, April 1 (pay-what-you-can performance), 2, 3 (2 pm matinee), 8, 9, 10 (2 pm matinee), 15, 16.
Pirates of Penzance by Gilbert & Sullivan:
When the Doily Cart Opera (not at all the same thing, or based upon the famous D’oyly Carte Opera Company) makes a brief stop in New Britain, shenanigans will ensue. This not quite ready for prime time group of players will set sail with the beloved swashbuckling comedy that boasts one of the most famous patter songs in musical theatre history. A show suitable for children, parents, and grandparents alike, Gilbert and Sullivan’s hilarious, hopeful farce follows young Frederic, a duty bound young man who has mistakenly been apprenticed to an ineffectual but raucous band of pirates. He disavows the pirates’ way of life and falls for the beautiful Mabel. Frederic’s melodious tones win over the heart of Major General Stanley’s songbird daughter, Mabel, but when the Pirate King discovers General Stanley has lied and preyed upon the pirates “incredulous simplicities” to keep the pirates from carrying off his bevy of beautiful daughters, an “ingenious paradox” may prevent the budding romance and lead to the death of “The very model of a modern Major-General.” Directed and Choreographed by Emily Trudeau, Musical Direction by Angela Jackson. Pirates of Penzance runs May 20, 21, 22 (2 pm matinee), 27 (pay-what-you-can performance), 28, June 3, 4, 5 (2 pm matinee), 10, 11.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare (award winning adaptation by Bill Arnold): Shakespeare’s most popular comedy centers around the adventures of four young lovers and a group of amateur actors, their interactions with woodland fairies and a duke and duchess. Taking place in a mythical Athens and an enchanted forest, there is a handsome fairy king, a misguided parent, star-crossed lovers, a weaver who’s transformed into a half-donkey, wood sprites and elves. This work is widely performed around the world, and no wonder – it’s about the world’s most popular pastime, falling in love. But as Puck knows, falling in love can make fools of us all. Directed by Kelley Mountzoures. A Midsummer Night’s Dream runs July 15, 16, 22 (pay-what-you-can performance), 23, 24 (2 pm matinee), 29, 3, August 5, 6.
We hope you’ll join us in the audience, onstage, backstage and in any other ways you can think of!