The season will kick off with Antigone Anew, Sept. 19-Oct. 26. Penned by Trinity Rep artistic director Curt Columbus, the world-premiere adaptation of Sophocles' work "is retold as a story of courage and faith in society's ability to change."
Adam Bock's The Receptionist, which made its world premiere Off-Broadway last season, will be staged by Curt Columbus, Dec. 5, 2008-Jan. 11, 2009. "It's business-as-usual in the Northeast Office," explain press notes. "To pass the time, there's pastry, personal calls, and romantic advice for the zany co-worker. When that cute guy from the Central Office drops by, he's happy to chat till the boss gets back. Then, in the blink of an eye, this familiar daydream becomes a nightmare you don't see coming."
Brian McEleney will direct Lorraine Hansberry's classic drama A Raisin in the Sun, slated to run Jan. 30-March 8, 2009. "From their tenement apartment, the Younger family believes an insurance windfall is about to change their lives – but poverty and prejudice conspire against them. When all seems lost, they must choose: accept injustice, or stand tall."
"Dad's dead and buried, and Isobel and Marion must settle not only the estate, but their life-long differences in values and loyalties as well," according to press notes for David Hare's The Secret Rapture. Curt Columbus stages the work, which runs Feb. 20-March 29, 2009.
Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest follows, playing April 10-May 17, 2009. Beth Milles directs the classic comedy of manners. The season concludes with Shapeshifter by Trinity Rep playwright-in-residence Laura Schellhardt under the direction of Laura Kepley (May 1-June 7, 2009). The world premiere begins as "Midge and her grandfather tell each other a story. 'Long ago, a shapeshifter lived – a woman, sometimes, and sometimes something else. A man gave her his heart, and she gave him a child – but he couldn't hold her for long…' As they spin their tale in the days that follow, it feels almost real. Tom has married the beautiful, silent woman he pulled from the waves; and is it a swan that Douglas keeps locked in his shed?"
A holiday staple among regional companies, Trinity Rep will present Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, directed by Liesl Tommy, for its holiday 2008 offering, running Nov. 21-Dec. 31.
Subscriptions to the season at Trinity Rep, 201 Washington Street in Providence, RI are currently on sale by calling (401) 351-4242. For more information visit Trinity Rep online at
