The 2020-21 Simpson Productions season promises to be one to remember. Despite COVID-19, Simpson Productions looks forward to an exciting season of theatre, most of which will be delivered in an innovative, virtual format.
There will be no charge for tickets during the 2020-21 season, but donations to Simpson Productions are welcome.
The Box Office Is Open
Prospera's Island: An Operatic Fantasia, devised by Bernard McDonald and Jennifer Nostrala
October 16-22, 2020
Devised by Bernard McDonald and Jennifer Nostrala
Directed by Jennifer Nostrala, Conducted by Bernard McDonald
An online, pre-recorded event
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Prospera is a conductor living in isolation. She is forced to reconcile with those who have wronged her and those she has wronged as she finds herself in the eye of a torrential storm. This unique production will utilize music from other operas to tell the tale of Prospera and the magic of performance in a new land.
A Christmas Carol: A Staged Radio Play, by Charles Dickens
November 23-29, 2020
Directed by Mimi Kammer
Adapted from the Howard Koch/Orson Welles Production of December 24, 1938
An online, pre-recorded event
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The classic holiday fable of ghosts and misers comes to life in the Simpson Radio Players’ production of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. A company of actors and foley artists meet at a recording studio on Christmas Eve night, 1941, only a few weeks after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Inspired by the Campbell Playhouse Radio Drama starring Orson Welles, each actor portrays multiple characters in the play, speaking out onto the airwaves and bringing comfort to listeners in the midst of World War II.
Festival of New Plays: A Podcast
December 1-7, 2020
Produced by Jennifer Nostrala
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Join us at The Tiny Writing Collective (simpsonproductions.libsyn.com), a podcast produced by Simpson Productions, to hear new plays written by Simpson College students and alums.
A Hand of Bridge by Samuel Barber and The Telephone by Gian Carlo Menotti
February 26-28, 2021
Directed by Mimi Kammer, Conducted by Bernard McDonald
An online, pre-recorded event
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Simpson Productions presents a double bill of two comedic operas, The Telephone by Gian Carlo Menotti, and A Hand of Bridge by Samuel Barber with a libretto by Menotti. Both one-act pieces explore life and love in the 20th century. Quirky characters stumble through commonplace occurrences, like chatting with a loved one or getting together with friends. Menotti’s and Barber’s operas remain timely and fun and will leave modern audiences laughing.
Machinal by Sophie Treadwell
March 26-28, 2021
Directed by Jennifer Nostrala
An online, pre-recorded event
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Societal expectations and pressures drive a woman to lash out in Sophie Treadwell’s classic drama. Written in 1928 and based on the trial and execution of Ruth Snyder, this expressionistic play, performed online, takes the audience on one woman’s quest to discover purpose in her life in a world that does not see her.
Festival of Short Plays 2021: Between the Wars
April 16-18, 2021
Produced by Ann Woldt
Space for this show has not been confirmed
The Festival of Short Plays will explore the dynamic era when Theatre in the United States came of age in the period between World War I and II. This is the 18th annual Festival of Short Plays produced entirely by students at Simpson College.