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Welcome to ACT's 2009-10 season! This year we offer magic, music, laughter, suspense...and so much more. Join us for our final wonderful community production of Noises Off!

 

Noises Off

By Michael Frayn

Directed by Josh Batenhorst

Mainstage July 2-18, 2010. Performances Fridays and Saturdays: 7:30pm; Sundays: 2:30pm

(Note: No show on Sunday, July 4)

Called the funniest farce ever written, Noises Off depicts the onstage and backstage antics of a fifth-rate acting troupe touring in an awful sex farce called Nothing On. The curtain opens on the dress rehearsal of the first act of Nothing On the night before it opens and with things not going well. The second act shows us what’s happening backstage during the first act of Nothing On, after the show has been running a month. The third act takes us back to the first act of Nothing On yet again, after two months of touring. It is, deliciously so, a disaster.

 

Past Shows from our 2009-2010 Season:

 

Peter Pan

A musical based on the play by James M. Barrie
Lyrics by Carolyn Leigh, Betty Comden and Adolph Green
Music by Mark Charlap and Jule Styne

Directed by Jerry Crouch

Musical direction by Chuck Taft
Mainstage September 11– 27, 2009. Performances Fridays and Saturdays: 7:30pm; Saturdays and Sundays: 2:30pm

Celebrate 50 years of Tanglewood Youth Theatre this fall with one of the most beloved musicals of all time! First produced on Broadway with Mary Martin and Cyril Richard and more recently a major hit starring Cathy Rigby, this charming musical is perfect for all ages! Revisit the charm of J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan, Tinker Bell, the children Wendy, Michael and John, pirates and Indians, along with show-stopping songs, “Never Never Land," “I Won’t Grow Up,” and “I’m Flying.” Yes, there will be flying!

Read "Take 5's" review


The Hallelujah Girls

By Jessie Jones, Nicholas Hope, and Jamie Wooten

Directed by Jessie Jones

Mainstage November 20 - December 6, 2009. Performances Fridays and Saturdays: 7:30pm; Sundays: 2:30pm

Hilarity erupts when the feisty women of Eden Falls, Georgia, rebel against their everyday routines and inspire one another to reach for their dreams, with surprising and side-splitting results. A laugh out loud, joyful comedy written by Jessie Jones, Nicholas Hope, and Jamie Wooten, the same team that has brought us Dearly Beloved, Christmas Belles, Southern Hospitality and ‘Til Beth Do Us Part. Don't miss what is sure to be one of ACT's funniest performances of the season.

Read our blog for full details


 

The Big Bang

Music by Jed Feuer

Book and lyrics by Boyd Graham
Directed by Eric Mills

Musical Direction by Brad Curtioff
Mainstage - January 15 – 31, 2010. Performances Fridays and Saturdays: 7:30pm; Sundays: 2:30pm

A musical staged as a backers’ audition for an 83.5 million dollar twelve hour stage history of the world from creation to the present. Eighteen side splitting numbers portraying Adam and Eve, Attila the Hun, the building of the pyramids, Julius Caesar and Columbus, among others, give potential investors a taste of the impending extravaganza.

Video: Meet co-star Michael Cheek and Jerry Crouch

Patrons who purchase a ticket to a final weekend performance (January 29-31) will have a chance to win a $50 gift card to Earth Fare. Yummy!


 

The Boxcar Children

By Barbara Field, based on the books by Gertrude Chandler Warner

Directed by Lori Hilliard; featuring Bryce Lotz, Sam Bible-Sullivan, Sarah Plaut, and Jean Louise Webb.

Mainstage - March 5-21, 2010. Performances Fridays: 7:30pm, Saturdays and Sundays: 2:30pm.

Student matinees: March 9 and 11, 9:30am. Study Guide

Generations of young readers have cherished the spirited Depression-era adventures of The Boxcar Children. Now the Alden childrens' story comes to life on stage.Orphaned and in danger of being sent to different foster homes, the four siblings run away and make their home in an abandoned railroad boxcar. Pursued by the authorities and a mysterious stranger, the children discover the rewards and perils of life on the run, as well as the joy of keeping their family together.

Watch video interview with director Lori Hilliard

PDF Informational Flyer

* Bring canned goods for our Manna Food Bank and Brother Wolf Animal Rescue "Food Drive" and you'll be entered into a drawing for a 2010-11 ACT Season Subscription *


 

Little Shop of Horrors

Book and Lyrics by Howard Ashman, Music by Alan Menken

Directed by Mark Jones
Musical Direction by Gary Mitchell
Mainstage April 30 - May 16, 2010. Performances Fridays and Saturdays: 7:30pm; Sundays: 2:30pm

A down-and out skid row floral assistant becomes an overnight sensation when he discovers an exotic plant with a mysterious craving for fresh blood. Soon “Audrey II” grows into an ill-tempered, foul-mouthed, R&B-singing carnivore who offers him fame and fortune in exchange for feeding its growing appetite, finally revealing itself to be an alien creature poised for global domination! One of the longest-running Off-Broadway shows of all time, this affectionate spoof of 1950s sci-fi movies has become a household name.



I Am My Own Wife

By Doug Wright

Directed by Andrew Gall

35below October 1-24, 2009. Performances Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays: 7:30pm

Based on a true story, and inspired by interviews conducted by the playwright over several years, I Am My Own Wife tells the fascinating tale of Charlotte von Mahlsdorf, a real-life German transvestite who managed to survive both the Nazi onslaught and the repressive East German Communist regime. Winner of the 2004 Pulitzer Prize and the 2004 Tony Award, “I Am My Own Wife is … both moving and intellectually absorbing.” - NY Times. Recommended for mature audiences.


 

Short Order Durang

Short Plays and One Acts by Christopher Durang

Directed by Jason Williams

35below February 4-27, 2010. Performances Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays: 7:30pm

An ensemble cast performs an evening of one-acts and shorts from Christopher Durang, a contemporary playwright renowned for his outrageous and absurd comedy. Titles include The Actor’s Nightmare, For Whom the Southern Belle Tolls, Funeral Parlor, DMV Tyrant, Medea, The Book of Leviticus Show, and The Hardy Boys and the Mystery of Where Babies Come From. Contains adult language and situations.

Recommended for mature audiences.

Watch video interview with director Jason Williams


 

Chipola * NC Premiere!

By Waylon Wood

Directed by Jack Lindsay

35below April 1-24, 2010. Performances Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays: 7:30pm

When the power goes out after a July storm in a small town in the Florida panhandle, Wanna June Duke is determined to enjoy a languid evening under the stars by the light of the full moon. But her son Roy Boy picks up (literally) their persnickety neighbor Miss Bailey and deposits her in a lawn chair in the yard; her eldest daughter Dot arrives after leaving her husband; and her younger daughter Jewel, fresh from a rendezvous at the river, has secrets to spill. Like the river for which it is named, this play meanders, revealing a family’s history and the skeletons in their closets that could finally tear them apart. Written by local playwright and actor Waylon Wood.


Special Events

Return of an Angel
A Special Co-Production with Occasional Theatre

By Sandra Mason
Directed by Michael Lilly
Mainstage October 2-11, 2009. Performances Fridays and Saturdays: 7:30pm; Saturdays and Sundays: 2:30pm

Asheville's award winning Occasional Theatre is bringing their hit production of Return of an Angel back for another encore. This powerful play, written by Asheville native Sandra Mason, draws on 1920s and 1930s national news coverage and the memoirs of Thomas Wolfe's mother and siblings as well as Thomas Wolfe's writings to bring to life the "love-hate" relationship that Asheville had for her most famous son. Learn more about this special performance.

Show sponsors: PLI, Wake Robin Farm Breads, and Battery Park Book Exchange and Champagne Bar.


The Santaland Diaries

By David Sedaris, adapted for the stage by Joe Mantello

Directed by Josh Batenhorst
Mainstage December 10-19, 2009. Performances Thursday, Friday, and Saturdays: 7:30pm

This holiday show has become an Asheville tradition! Tom Chalmers returns to star in David Sedaris' dark comedy following a Macy's department store elf throughout the Christmas season. Sedaris, who rose to fame on NPR's This American Life, comments on the best and worst of people and culture during the holiday season. Tickets to The Santaland Diaries make a great holiday present for friends, family, and co-workers.

Recommended for mature audiences.


Diva*licious Quatre

May 21-22, 2010

Friday, May 21:The Fabulous Concert

Saturday, May 22: The Fabulous Concert by Gala Celebration

Join us for a concert unlike any other where "American Idol" meets "VH1's Divas Live." Watch local Ashevillians compete for the title of ACT Diva. Your votes will determine the winner! When you vote for your favorite Diva, your contribution goes to support ACT's ongoing programs and operations. Whoever raises the most money wins the title! Select the concert on Friday night or the concert plus pre-show catered reception on Saturday night.