The season will open Oct. 10 with the regional premiere of the new musical thriller Night of the Living Dead, based on the iconic 1968 George Romero film that reinvented the zombie movie for contemporary culture. Performances will continue through Nov. 2.

From writer-lyricist Stephen Gregory Smith and composer-lyricist Matt Conner, according to New Line, "comes this powerful psychological thriller, re-imagining Romero's iconic walpurgisnacht for a new century, zeroing in on the relationships among seven doomed strangers, who just may be the living dead themselves. Could it be that these seven are trapped in this house for eternity, reliving the last night of their lives over and over, as a deadly force from the outside threatens to find its way in? In this post-9/11 world, the metaphor is clear: Who are 'they' and can we ever really be safe?"

The cast of Living Dead — the new musical that was workshopped in New York — includes Zachary Allen Farmer (Ben), Marcy Wiegert (Barbara), Mike Dowdy (Harry), Sarah Porter (Helen), Joseph McAnulty (Tom), Mary Beth Black (Judy) and Phoebe Desilets (Karen).

Following Night of the Living Dead, the company will present the Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning rock opera Rent March 6-29, 2014; and the regional premiere of Hands on a Hardbody, the new musical with a Tony-nominated score by Amanda Green (music and lyrics) and Trey Anastasio (music) that features a group of hard-luck Texans competing for a hardbody pickup truck, May 29-June 21, 2014.

New Line's mainstage is located at the Washington University South Campus Theatre (formerly CBC High School) at 6501 Clayton Road (just east of Big Bend). For more information and tickets, visit NewLineTheatre.com.