2005-2006 Season

Unless otherwise noted, Friday and Saturday shows begin at 8:00pm, Sunday shows begin at 2:00pm and tickets are $12.00 general admission, and $10.00 for seniors and students. Musicals are $15/12 seniors and students.  Opening night tickets are half-price for members, and you can become a member by signing up when you purchase a ticket. To make reservations, call 301-441-8770.

August 12-26
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
Written by Jay Presson Allen, adapted from the novel by Muriel Spark. Directed by Sheilah Crossley-Cox, Produced by Stephen Cox.

Set in pre-World War II Scotland, this drama portrays the impact, for good and evil, on young minds of the powerful personality of a teacher. The issues of personal and social culpability are as relevant today as they were in the 1930s. This play runs for three weekends, with a matinee on the second Sunday.

August 14-September 4
Shakespeare on the Green: Henry IV Part 1
Directed by Jim Robertson, Produced by Ginny Zanner

Shakespeare's take on war, politics, and comedy all come together in this whirlwind tale, as King Henry IV struggles to maintain peace, while is own young son, Prince Hal, comes of age in an era of civil strife. Performances are held in various locations throughout Greenbelt, and all performances are free!

September 9-17
Shylock, the Jew of Venice
Laley Lippard directs Sammy Wegent and John R. Johnston.

Shylock is a powerful new telling of Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice, and takes place in a Nazi concentration camp in July 1944, where two prisoners--noted and respected actors in Yiddish theater before the war--are forced to present Shakespeare's play as yet another form of degradation for the guards' entertainment. Their final presentation illustrates the power of the original work and the ultimate triumph of human spirit in surpassing overwhelming adversity. Performances are September 9, 10, 14, 15, 16, and 17 at 8pm, and Sunday September 11 at 2pm.

September 23-October 1
Six Characters in Search of an Author
By Luigi Pirandello, Adapted by Robert Brustein and the American Rep Theatre Company, Directed by Betsy R. Delaney, Produced by Jaimee Wurzel.

Pirandello's 20th-century masterpiece opens in a bare backstage area where our actors are rehearsing. Six people - who claim to be characters from a play abandoned by their author - make a sudden appearance and seek new life by asking the actors to enact their drama. Pirandello's brilliant exploration of the nature of reality versus illusion, truth versus artifice, and the workings of the creative process is being presented in a newly updated version. A production of OutOftheBlackBox Theatre Company, in cooperation with Greenbelt Arts Center. For more information, please visit www.OutOftheBlackBox.org.

October 14-November 5
Last of the Red Hot Lovers
Written by Neil Simon, Directed by Lenora Dernoga, Produced by Beatriz Mayoral.

Simon's delightful comedy details how middle-aged Barney Cashman, who married his high school sweetheart, wants to have one extra-marital romantic fling before life passes him by. On three different afternoons he brings women to his mother's apartment. This is a funny but insightful portrayal of a decent guy who just can't succeed in sinning.
Auditions: August 1-2

January 6-28
Cabaret
Book by Joe Masteroff, Based on the play by John Van Druten and stories by Christopher Isherwood. Music by John Kander, Lyrics by Fred Ebb. Directed by Gretchen Jacobs. Musical Direction by Joe Biddle. Choreography by Richelle "Rikki" Howie.

Arriving in Berlin the last day of 1929, young American writer Cliff is instantly immersed in the local culture when a fellow passenger on the train hides a briefcase amidst Cliff's luggage. From there it's just a short step to Fraulein Schneider's rooming house and Wilkommen to the Kit Kat Club, where he meets Perfectly Marvelous Sally Bowles, who sweeps him off his feet. They'd be Sitting Pretty if they weren't so broke and the rise of the Nazis weren't signaling an end to the Cabaret life.
Auditions: October 2 & 3, 7:30-9:30pm

February 17-25
Youth Musical: Perseus and the Gorgon
Written and directed by Chris Cherry. Produced by the Greenbelt Recreation Department.

This year’s Winter Youth Musical is Perseus and the Gorgon, a new original musical by Christopher Cherry. Adapted from Greek myth, the story features two kings, two queens, a prince raised as a humble fisherman’s son, an enchanted princess, the mysterious all-seeing Gray Ones, troops of singing bats and moles, and a monster so hideous that simply looking at it turns people to stone! The show plays six performances at the Greenbelt Arts Center: February 17, 18, 19, 24 and 25 at 7:00 pm and February 19 at 2:00 pm. Tickets are specially priced at $5. The Winter Youth Musical has sold out for the last three years, so buy your tickets early! Tickets sales are handled through the Greenbelt Community Center business office. You may purchase tickets in person at the Community Center or charge them by phone at 301-397-2208, Monday-Friday from 9:00 am to 4:30 pm. Due to the high demand for tickets, this is a sales-only production, so we cannot accept unpaid reservations.

March 3-4
A Comedy of Errors
Written by William Shakespeare, a Rude Mechanicals Production.

Masks, mayhem, and mistaken identities as twin brothers and their twin servants get lost in a mix-up over who did what and with whom and for how much! Come celebrate Mardi Gras with William Shakespeare and the Rude Mechanicals, in this reprise of their very popular 2005 production.

March 17-April 8
Daughters
Written by John Morgan Evans, Directed by Rick Starkweather, Produced by Jennifer Alexander.

This harrowing and hilarious family drama shows how four generations of Irish American women deal with crisis. The five women gather in the kitchen of the Greenbelt home while the gravely ill family patriarch is in his bedroom playing Irish songs on a record player. With yelling, laughter, crying and lots of food , the Daughters’ characters are composites of bravado, anxiety, selfishness, love, innocence, and the desire to stay a family.
This is a change from the originally scheduled production.

April 28-May 20
The Two Gentlemen of Verona
Written by William Shakespeare, Directed by Stephen Cox, produced by Sheilah Crossley-Cox.

Pre-shadowing many themes and plot devices of his later work, Shakespeare's first foray into romantic comedy explores love in all its forms and complexities. Intertwined with this tale of two pairs of lovers are the hilarious antics of a set of clownish servants.
Auditions: January 30-31

June 2-24
Equus
Written by Peter Shaffer, Directed by Jeffrey Lesniak.

One night a young stable hand blinds six horses in their stable? Why? The boy was sick. Of course he was sick, but why? In this drama a psychiatrist tries to determine the facts and circumstances and piece together the anatomy of an outrage. (Parental advisory: contains strong language and brief nudity.)
Auditions: March 27-28

All shows start at 8pm unless otherwise stated. For reservations or more information call 301-441-8770.
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