Suze’s Prescott Center for the Arts Announces the 2022-2023 Season
As the seasons start to change, so does the lineup of performances at Suze’s Prescott Center for the Arts (SPCA). What makes this season even more exciting than previous years is the anticipation of the 99-seat Studio Theater. While completion is scheduled for late Fall of 2022, people can still catch upcoming shows in the classic Main Stage Cabaret Theater.
Mark your calendars for these upcoming performances:
15th Annual Ghost Talk
October 13-16
All proceeds from Ghost Talk go to youth programming and scholarships.
Blithe Spirit
October 20-30
Written by Noel Coward
Directed by Sandy Vernon
The smash comedy hit of the London and Broadway stages, this much-revived classic from the playwright of Private Lives offers up fussy, cantankerous novelist Charles Condomine, re-married but haunted (literally) by the ghost of his late first wife, the clever and insistent Elvira who is called up by a visiting “happy medium” Madame Arcati. As the (worldly and unworldly) personalities clash, an increasingly complex love triangle adds to the haunting fun.
Greetings
November 10-20
Written by Tom Dudzack
Directed by Albert Hendeaux
Greetings takes place in the 1990s in the Pittsburgh home of the Gorskis, a working-class Catholic family. On Christmas Eve, when oldest son Andy brings his fiancé, who is Jewish and an atheist, home to meet the family—his sweet mother, sour father and Mickey, his intellectually disabled younger brother—his worst fears about family blow-ups are realized. But when Mickey, whose entire vocabulary has been limited to “oh boy,” and “wow,” suddenly spouts the word “Greetings!” the entire family’s belief system is turned upside down. This mysterious play about acceptance provides a perfect message for our time.
Picasso at the Lapin Agile
January 12-22
By Steve Martin
Directed by Albert Hendeaux
An absurdist comedy that places Albert Einstein and Pablo Picasso in a Parisian café in 1904, just before the renowned scientist transformed physics with his theory of relativity and the celebrated painter set the art world afire with cubism. In his first comedy for the stage, the popular actor and screenwriter Steve Martin plays fast and loose with fact, fame, and fortune as these two geniuses muse on the century’s achievements and prospects, as well as other fanciful topics, with infectious dizziness. Bystanders, including Picasso’s agent, the bartender and his mistress, Picasso’s date, an elderly philosopher, Charles Dabernow Schmendiman, and an idiot inventor introduce additional flourishes of humor. The final surprise patron to join the merriment at the Lapin Agile is a charismatic dark-haired singer, time-warped in from a later era.
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
January 26-February 5
With music and lyrics by William Finn, and book by Rachel Sheinkin
Directed by Brandon Gabaldon
Winner of the Tony and the Drama Desk Awards for Best Book, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee has charmed audiences across the country with its effortless wit and humor. A riotous ride, complete with audience participation, it is a delightful den of comedic genius. An eclectic group of six mid-pubescents vie for the spelling championship of a lifetime. While candidly disclosing hilarious and touching stories from their home lives, the tweens spell their way through a series of (potentially made-up) words, hoping never to hear the soul-crushing, pout-inducing, life un-affirming “ding” of the bell that signals a spelling mistake. Six spellers enter: one speller leaves! At least the losers get a juice box.
The Clean House
February 9-19
Written by Sarah Ruhl
Directed by Michelle Grubert
A romantic comedy about loss, love, change, and redemption, The Clean House is both whimsical and touching. A serious career-oriented doctor, Lane, has hired a quirky Brazilian maid. The only problem is that the maid, Matilde, hates to clean. Instead, she longs to be a comedian. Lane is deserted by her husband, Charles, who leaves her for his mistress, Ana, a passionate, older Brazilian woman upon whom he recently performed a mastectomy. Sarah Ruhl’s enchanting play reminds us that there is humor and beauty to be found in life’s most unlikely messes.
The Taming of the Shrew
March 23-April 2
Written by William Shakespeare
Directed by Julie Harrington
Ah, the tale of Kate and Petruchio, and how each cracked the code to the other’s ferociously defended heart. It’s a Shakespearean rabble-rouser, held up as the ultimate battle of the sexes. But look closer and discover a lively satire about how society tries to bend this couple into shapes they’re simply not built for. Cheer them on as they shatter everyone’s absurd expectations. After all, their dramatic (and often uproarious) journey toward love isn’t just entertaining. It’s revolutionary.
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
April 13-23
Written by Simon Stephens, based on the novel by Mark Haddon
Directed by Sylvia Ximi
Fifteen-year-old math whiz Christopher Boone lives with his divorced dad in Swinton, a working-class town west of London. After being falsely accused of killing a neighbor’s dog, Christopher—who is brilliant but has difficulty dealing with the sounds and stresses of everyday life—decides to investigate the crime. The secrets he unearths prompt him to leave his trusted teacher and the familiar streets of his hometown for a life-changing train trip to London. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is a thrilling and heartwarming adventure story featuring an unforgettable young hero.
9-5 The Musical
May 11-28
With music and lyrics by Dolly Parton and book by Patricia Resnick
Based on the seminal 1980 hit movie, three unlikely friends take control of their office and learn there is nothing they cannot do, even in a man’s world. Pushed to the boiling point, three female coworkers concoct a plan to get even with the sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot they call their boss. In a hilarious turn of events, Violet, Judy and Doralee live out their wildest fantasy–giving their boss the boot! This hilarious story of friendship and revenge in the Rolodex era is outrageous, thought-provoking, and even a little romantic.
Winner of the 2009 Drama Desk and Tony Awards for best original score and choreography.
12 Angry Jurors
May 25-June 4
Written by Sherman L. Sergel and Reginald Rose
A 19-year-old man has just stood trial for the fatal stabbing of his father. “He doesn’t stand a chance,” mutters the guard as the 12 jurors are taken into the bleak jury room. It looks like an open-and-shut case—until one of the jurors begins opening the others’ eyes to the facts. “This is a remarkable thing about democracy,” says the foreign-born juror, “that we are notified by mail to come down to this place—and decide on the guilt or innocence of a person; of a man or woman we have not known before. We have nothing to gain or lose by our verdict. We should not make it a personal thing.” But personal it is, with each juror revealing his or her own character as the various testimonies are re-examined, the murder is re-enacted, and a new murder threat is born before their eyes!
To purchase tickets to any of the upcoming shows or for more information visit www.pca-az.net.