The mainstage season includes three world premieres (Hansel and Gretel, Brooklyn Bridge and The Monkey King); one American premiere (an Australian adaptation of The Hobbit); and one regional premiere (Go, Dog, Go!).
The troupe's 40th season includes:
Go, Dog, Go! a regional premiere musical for all ages, by Allison Gregory and Steven Dietz, with music by Michael Koerner, based on the book by P.D. Eastman. Kent Stephens directs Aug. 17-Oct. 30.Hansel and Gretel, a world premiere musical, for by ages eight and up, adapted by Rosanna Staffa, lyrics and music by Ruth MacKenzie, based on the story by the Grimm Brothers. CTC artistic director directs Aug. 31-Oct. 9.
A Year With Frog and Toad, the return of the 2003 Tony Award-nominated musical for all ages, based on Arnold Lobel's Newbery and Caldecott Honor Books, with book and lyrics by Willie Reale and music by Robert Reale. David Petrarca directs Nov. 16-Dec. 31.Brooklyn Bridge, a world premiere play for ages eight and up, featuring the song, "Wire Wings," by Barbara Brousal, one of the founding members of Dan Zane and Friends. Daniel Aukin directs Jan. 18-Feb. 19, 2005.The Monkey King, a world premiere adaptation for ages six and up, based on Wu Chen-En's "A Journey To The West," the Chinese novel, adapted for the stage by Shen Pei and further adapted by Jeffrey Hatcher. Shen Pei and Peter C. Brosius direct March 1-April 16, 2005.The Hobbit, an American premiere of an Australian-conceived show, for ages six and up based on J.R.R. Tolkien's book, conceived by Christine Anketell and adapted for the stage by Gilly McInnes. Whit MacLaughlin directs April 26-June 19, 2005. CTC's teen production will be announced.
Nationally, CTC's collaboration with New Dramatists in New York City, funded entirely by the Jerome Foundation, has resulted in Melissa James Gibson's Brooklyn Bridge.
Two of the plays – Hansel and Gretel, a collaboration between playwright Rosanna Staffa and musician-lyricist Ruth MacKenzie and The Monkey King adapted by Shen Pei and Jeffrey Hatcher – are world premieres developed in CTC's new-play lab known as Threshold.
The Children's Theatre Company has produced 13 world premieres to date that were developed in Threshold.
For further information, call The Children's Theatre Company ticket office at (612) 874-0400 or visit our website at www.childrenstheatre.org.
