Atlantic Theater Company's 2016-2017 Season
The Atlantic Theater Company has announced its upcoming 2016-2017 off-Broadway season. There are six new productions announced thus far:
At THE LINDA GROSS THEATER:
Atlantic kicks off the season with a world premiere of George Brant's play with music Marie and Rosetta, directed by Neil Pepe, which will be staged from August to October 2016.
Synopsis: "A huge influence on Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Ray Charles and Jimi Hendrix, Sister Rosetta Tharpe was a legend in her time, bringing fierce guitar-playing and swing to gospel music. Tharpe was the queen of 'race records' in the 30's and 40's, a woman who played guitar as passionately as Clapton, who performed mornings at churches and evenings at the Cotton Club, who was a big enough star to fill a baseball stadium for her third wedding, but ended up buried in an unmarked grave in Philadelphia. Marie and Rosetta chronicles her first rehearsal with a young protege, Marie Knight, as they prepare to embark on a tour that would establish them as one of the great duet teams in musical history."
Following this, will be another Atlantic world premiere. Directed by David Cromer, The Band's Visit is a musical, based on the screenplay by Eran Kolirin, which features a book by Itamar Moses, and music & lyrics by David Yazbek. The limited engagement will run from November 2016 through to January 2017.
Synopsis: "An Egyptian Police Band arrives in Israel to play a concert. After a mix up at the border, they are sent to a remote village in the middle of the desert. With no bus until morning and no hotel in sight, these unlikely travelers are taken in by the locals. Under the spell of the desert sky, their lives become intertwined in the most unexpected ways."
Finally, Atlantic will stage a yet-to-be-titled World Premiere Play by David Mamet, Atlantic's co-founder. Directed by Neil Pepe, the Pulitzer Prize winner's latest work will be staged from February to April 2017.
Also - as part of Atlantic For Kids season - 1001 Nights: A Love Story About Loving Stories will be staged in Fall 2016. The family-friendly musical features music and lyrics by Robert Lopez, and a book by Adam Koplan and Lopez. Koplan is also set to direct.
Synopsis: "This newly reimagined production of 1001 Nights features early songs by Oscar, Grammy, Tony and Emmy Award winner Robert Lopez. In this celebration of brainy imagination over brawn, a princess uses her wits to save a kingdom from an evil decree as she spins tale after tale for a narrow-minded king. This playful adaptation of the 'Arabian Nights' fairy tales is recommended for ages six and up, but welcomes children of all ages!"
At ATLANTIC STAGE 2:
Kicking off the 30th Anniversary season at Atlantic's smaller venue will be a world premiere production of Tell Hector I Miss Him, written by Paola Lázaro, which will run from January to February 2017.
Synopsis: "You're in Puerto Rico. Old San Juan. You're a tourist, you walk down the stairs of this beautiful old fort built by the Spaniards. When you reach the bottom, you realize you're in the hole, a slum. Welcome to La Perla, the barrio and the underbelly that lies under the tourism and behind the fort walls. You spend some days there, you don't want to leave. Oh no, you're addicted to the beauty, the women and the drugs. A raw and compelling play about searching for first love, found family, and hope."
Finally, Atlantic presents the New York premiere of Animal, written by Clare Lizzimore and directed by Gaye Taylor Upchurch, which will run from May to June 2017.
Golden Globe nominee Rebecca Hall will star as Rachel in the production.
Synopsis: "Rachel has it all: marriage, house, career. So why does she suddenly have this creeping feeling? Did she leave something behind? Or is there something in the walls...? Her husband thinks she needs time; her psychiatrist suggests positive thinking. But then the visions start. A darkly comic play about the underside of domesticity, the complexity of the brain in chaos, and the thin line between sinking and survival."
The Atlantic Theater Company will announce one additional mainstage season production and a second Atlantic For Kids production at a later date.
Exact dates, casting and creative team information for all productions will also be announced at a later date.
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