Last updated November 15, 2011   

ACT's 61st season, 2011-2012

Season tickets are on sale now!

Note: All productions are tentative until performance rights are secured. Musicals are indicated by an asterisk (*).

Sept. 23-Oct. 8, 2011 - At First Sight, by Anne Pié (Auditions July 25-27, 2011). Directed by Rebecca Douglas. At 51, Julia Goldman thought she'd done it all. Widowed for two years, financially well-off, with two grown children busy in their own successful lives, Julia finds life routine and uneventful, and expects to ease into her sunset years. Then a chance encounter in a hotel cocktail lounge leaves her with much more than just memories, and everything is changed. .

Oct. 28 – Nov. 12, 2011 - A Streetcar Named Desire, by Tennessee Williams (Auditions Aug. 22-24, 2011 ). Directed by Kay Roth. When Blanche DuBois, a faded Southern belle with pretensions of grandeur, moves in with her sister Stella and earthy brother-in-law Stanley, the inevitable clash of personalities leads her to reveal more than she wants the world to know about her delusional life. The 1947 play is iconic Williams, rich with passion, conflict and confrontation, both physical and psychological.

December 2 - 17, 2011 - Christmas Belles, by Jessie Jones, Nicholas Hope and Jamie Wooten. (Auditions Sept. 26-28, 2011). Directed by Loren Dunn. Meet the Futrelle sisters - Frankie, Twink and Honey Raye. A church Christmas program spins hilariously out of control in this Southern farce about squabbling sisters, family secrets, a surly Santa, a vengeful sheep and a reluctant Elvis impersonator.

Jan 13 - 28, 2012 - Over the River and Through the Woods, by Joe Dipietro (Auditions Nov. 1 and 2, 2011). Directed by Leigh Matthews Bock. Nick is a single, Italian-American guy from New Jersey. His parents have retired and moved to Florida - but he still sees both sets of his grandparents every Sunday for dinner. All is well until he has to tell them he's been offered a dream job that would move him across the country. Laughter ensues as the grandparents scheme to keep Nick around.

* Feb. 24 – March 17, 2012 - Curtains, book by Rupert Holmes, lyrics by Fred Ebb, & music by John Kander. (Auditions Dec. 5-7, 2011.) Directed by Christi E. Sears. A musical send-up of the backstage murder mystery. Robbin' Hood of the Old West, a dreadful Western adaptation of the Robin Hood story is reaching its conclusion. The egregiously untalented leading lady can't sing, can't act, can't dance - and can't remember her lines. To everyone's relief, she is murdered during the opening night curtain call. Cue Lt. Frank Cioffi of the Boston Police Department, called in to solve the case - while the company struggles to fix the play. Kander & Ebb's last musical, Curtains garnered eight Tony award nominations and one win.

April 6 - 21, 2012 - Beyond Therapy, by Christopher Durang. (Auditions Jan. 16-18, 2012.) Directed by Johanna Spencer. Bruce and Prudence are both seeing therapists, seeking help with their romantic lives. Her therapist wants her to be more assertive; his wants him to meet women through the personal ads (to the dismay of his male lover). After a disastrous first meeting, Bruce and Prudence discover that they actually like each other - despite therapists who are more screwed up than their patients. This Off Broadway hit moved successfully to Broadway in 1982 and is among the most-produced of Durang's works.

* May 18 – June 2, 2012 - Disney's High School Musical, book by David Simpatico, songs by Matthew Gerrard and Robbie Nevil; Ray Cham, Greg Cham and Andrew Seeley; Randy Petersen and Kevin Quinn; Andy Dodd and Adam Watts; Bryan Louiselle; David N. Lawrence and Faye Greenberg; Jamie Houston. Music adapted, arranged and produced by Bryan Louiselle. Based on a Disney Channel Original Movie written by Peter Barsocchini. (Auditions Feb. 27-29, 2012.) Directed by Diane Allen. Disney Channel's smash hit musical comes to life on the ACT stage! It's the first day after winter break at East High. All the cliques - the Jocks, Brainiacs, Thespians and Skater Dudes - find their friends, recount their vacations, and look forward to the new year. A timeless, upbeat musical take on Romeo and Juliet.

June 22 – July 7, 2012. Countergirls, by Michael Russell. (Auditions April 9-11, 2012.) Directed by John Sams. Welcome to the Woolworth's lunch counter in Clarksville, Tenn., where four feisty Southern women take orders, move the plates - and manage each other's lives. From manager Lib Stallsworth (who occasionally channels Tammy Wynette) to gruff old-timer Lynette, salty divorcee Betty Ruth and starstruck teenager Janita, the countergirls alternately nurture and scrap in this comic tale of burgeoning and diminishing dreams.

July 27 – August 11, 2012 - Children of a Lesser God, by Mark Medoff. (Auditions May 21-23, 2012). Directed by Rus Roberts. Winner of the Tony Award, the Outer Critics Circle Award and the Drama Desk Award as best play of the season. A success both on Broadway and at the Mark Taper Forum, in Los Angeles, this deeply moving, beautifully written play details the romance and marriage of a sensitive but spirited deaf girl and the devoted (and hearing) young teacher whom she meets at a school for the deaf.

Aug. 31 – Sept. 8, 2012 - Fat Pig, by Neil LaBute. (Auditions June 25-27.) Directed by John Elliott. Cow. Slob. Pig. How many insults can you hear before you have to stand up and defend the woman you love? Tom faces just that question when he falls for Helen, a bright, funny, sexy young woman who happens to be plus-sized - and then some. Neil LaBute's sharply drawn play not only critiques our adherence to Hollywood ideals of beauty but also boldly questions our own ability to change what we dislike about ourselves.