Join us for our 2022-2023 season
Trouble in Tahiti Music & Libretto by Leonard Bernstein
Gallantry: A Soap Opera Music by Douglas Moore, Libretto by Arnold Sundgaard
October 28-30, 2022
Trouble in Tahiti is Leonard Bernstein's brilliant examination of suburban life. The opera draws upon popular song styles to deliver an uncompromising critique of post-war American materialism. Beneath the couple's marital discord is a profound longing for love and intimacy. Their spiritual emptiness, in contrast to a veneer of happy consumerism, creates the heart of the drama and is emphasized by sudden stylistic shifts in the music.
Gallantry: A Soap Opera is a farce centering on a television soap opera set in a hospital. A surgeon has fallen in love with the anesthetist, who in turn loves the patient on the operating table. Critical moments are, to be sure, interrupted by commercials.
Little Women
By Kate Hamill--Adapted from the novel by Louisa May Alcott
November 18-20, 2022
Jo March isn’t your typical Victorian lady. She’s indecorous and headstrong, and one day she’s going to be a great American novelist. As she and her sisters grow up in the middle of the Civil War, they strive to be brave, intelligent, and imaginative young women. But as adulthood approaches, each sister must negotiate her private ambitions with society’s expectations. In a war-torn world defined by gender, class, and personal tragedy, Jo March gives us her greatest story: that of the March sisters, four dreamers destined to be imperfect little women.
Cabildo Music and Libretto by Amy Beach
Cendrillon Music and Libretto by Pauline Viardot
February 17-19, 2023
Cabildo tells the story of a group of tourists, including the newlyweds Mary and Torn, who tour the cell where the notorious pirate, Pierre Lafitte, was imprisoned during the War of 1812. The Barker tells the story of Pierre and his beloved Lady Valerie, then leads the group to another part of the Cabildo. Tom and Mary, however, linger in the cell to sing of their happiness. Tom rejoins the tour group while Mary remains, pondering the means of Pierre's escape. She falls asleep and dreams the answer.
Cendrillon is a retelling of the Cinderella story full of wit and charm. The plot remains relatively faithful to Perrault's original fairy tale, but takes a much more lighthearted approach than the other operatic adaptations The evil stepmother is replaced with a bumbling and clueless stepfather and the Fairy Godmother actually appears as a guest at the party and entertains the guests with a song.
Twilight Bowl
By Rebecca Gilman
March 24-26, 2023
After graduating from a small Wisconsin high school, Sam heads to college on a bowling scholarship—but her cousin Jaycee’s future isn’t looking as bright. In the bar of their local bowling alley, Sam and a few friends attempt to celebrate Jaycee’s last night in town before she goes to prison the next morning. Cake is eaten, gifts are opened, pitchers of beer are finished … but it’s hard to find the right words. In a stirring portrayal of a cross-section of rural America, a very real group of young women struggle with the pressure to “make something” of themselves while navigating their own and one another’s evolutions. As they face adulthood, the bowling alley becomes a place to celebrate triumphs, confront challenges, and forge new identities. Twilight Bowl questions the blueprint for a successful life and embraces the unknown of the road ahead. Contains adult content and language.
Festival of Short Plays 2023: Commedia dell ‘arte and Molière
April 20-22, 2023
The Festival of Short Plays will celebrate the physical acting style of commedia dell’arte and the works of French playwright, Moliere. Produced entirely by students at Simpson College, this is the 20th annual Festival of Short Plays.
Simpson Productions Box Office: 515-961-1601