2019-2020 Season
Almost, Maine, by John Cariani
Welcome to Almost, Maine, a place that’s so far north, it’s almost not in the United States. It’s almost in Canada. And it’s not quite a town, because its residents never got around to getting organized. So it almost doesn’t exist. One cold, clear, winter night, as the northern lights hover in the star-filled sky above, the residents of Almost, Maine, find themselves falling in and out of love in unexpected and hilarious ways. Knees are bruised. Hearts are broken. But the bruises heal, and the hearts mend—almost—in this delightful midwinter night’s dream.
“ALMOST, MAINE is a series of nine amiably absurdist vignettes about love, with a touch of good-natured magic realism…witty, romantic, unsentimental. A beautifully structured play, with nifty surprise endings (most but not all of them happy).” —NY Times. “Sweet, poignant, and witty. Nearly perfect. ALMOST, MAINE’s charm is real. [It] packs wit, earns its laughs and, like love, surprises you.” —NY Daily News. “Mega-hit ALMOST, MAINE lands somewhere between Norman Rockwell and Our Town. Unabashedly unhip. There is no pretense of an edge here—the show offers a sweetness and decency that’s become rare at the theater. At this point, it’s a welcome breath of fresh air.” —New York Post.
Ken Ludwig’s The Game’s Afoot, by Ken Ludwig
It is December 1936, and Broadway star William Gillette, admired the world over for his leading role in the play Sherlock Holmes, has invited his fellow cast members to his Connecticut castle for a weekend of revelry. But when one of the guests is stabbed to death, the festivities in this isolated house of tricks and mirrors quickly turn dangerous. It is then up to Gillette himself, as he assumes the persona of his beloved Holmes, to track down the killer before the next victim appears. The danger and hilarity are non-stop in this glittering whodunit set during the Christmas holidays.
“From the intriguing opening mini play-within-a-play to the surprise last scene a split second before final curtain, The Game’s Afoot gives you everything you love about great live theatre. Billed as a comedy thriller, you will find yourself swept along for a wild and funny ride.” – Cleveland Examiner
“Ludwig demonstrates the theatrical equivalent of perfect pitch.” – Cleveland Scene
Ada and the Engine, by Lauren Gunderson
As the British Industrial Revolution dawns, young Ada Byron Lovelace (daughter of the flamboyant and notorious Lord Byron) sees the boundless creative potential in the “analytic engines” of her friend and soul mate Charles Babbage, inventor of the first mechanical computer. Ada envisions a whole new world where art and information converge—a world she might not live to see. A music-laced story of love, friendship, and the edgiest dreams of the future. Jane Austen meets Steve Jobs in this poignant pre-tech romance heralding the computer age.
“Gunderson finds plenty of intriguing matter in the…story she tells, zeroing in on the knowns and unknowns in the relationship between Ada and Charles Babbage…Gunderson’s wit…[makes] the story pretty irresistible.” —SF Chronicle. “…wise and witty…[a] very smart and skillful Victorian parlor drama.” —SF Weekly. “Gunderson…has done a terrific job transforming Ada’s story…The [script is] succinct and pithy, moving story and emotions along at the clip of an electronically infused calculation.” —RepeatPerformances.org. “What Gunderson achieves in ADA AND THE ENGINE is quite remarkable. She manages to capture the cognitive energy and intellectual intimacy that can strengthen a friendship…ADA AND THE ENGINE is a rare and special artistic achievement: an intelligent play about intelligent historical people that has been crafted by intelligent theatre artists for an intelligent audience.” —MyCulturalLandscape.com.