On March 20th, 2019 the Ivoryton Playhouse opens its doors for a new season – a year full of exciting, affordable professional theatre. Plays for romantics and plays for cynics; shows for families and shows for sweethearts; music from the movies and Broadway as well as zany comedies and classic dramas – the Ivoryton Playhouse 2019 season has something for everyone and more than you ever expected.
The season opens on March 20th with a new musical, BURT & ME
(Book by Larry McKenna, Lyrics by Hal David, Music by Burt Bacharach). If you fell in love to the music of Burt Bacharach, then you won’t want to miss this nostalgic romantic musical comedy running through April 7, 2019. Featuring the classics: “What the World Needs Now,” “Walk On By,” “I Say A Little Prayer,” and many more. Runs through April 7th.
A progressive white couple’s proud liberal sensibilities are put to the test when their daughter brings her black fiancé home to meet them in this fresh and relevant stage adaptation of the iconic film, GUESS WHO’S COMING TO DINNER by Todd Kreidler (April 24th – May 12th.) A multi-family clash of racial and generational differences and at the end of the day, will love prevail?
GODSPELL (May 22 – June 16) is the first major musical theater hit from three-time Grammy and Academy Award winner Stephen Schwartz (Wicked, Pippin, and Children of Eden). Loosely based around the Gospel of St. Matthew, GODSPELL features a parade of beloved songs, including ”Day by Day “, “Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord,” and “Learn Your Lessons Well.
July is family musical time and this year is no exception. On June 26th, summer opens with a splash with the blockbuster musical MAMMA MIA, (Music and Lyrics by Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus) Over 60 million people worldwide have fallen in love with the characters, the story and the music that make MAMMA MIA the ultimate feel-good show! Set on a Greek island paradise, the story-telling magic of ABBA’s timeless songs propels this enchanting tale of love, laughter and friendship, creating an unforgettable show. A mother. A daughter. Three possible dads. And a trip down the aisle you’ll never forget! Runs through July 28th.
CABARET (Music by John Kander, Lyrics by Fred Ebb, Book by Joe Masteroff) takes us back to Broadway on August 7th – Sunday, September 1st. The international classic musical and winner of 8 Tony awards, CABARET is as relevant today as when it first opened on Broadway over 50 years ago. Join us at the Kit Kat Club as the Emcee takes us back to those tumultuous times with unforgettable musical numbers including, “Willkommen,” “Cabaret,” and “Two Ladies.”
SHEAR MADNESS (Paul Portner) is one of the most popular productions in the world, delighting audiences with its unique blend of madcap improvisation and spine-tickling mystery. This unique comedy-whodunit takes place today in the “Shear Madness” hairstyling salon and is chock full of up-to-the-minute humor. A murder is committed and the audience gets to spot the clues, question the suspects, and solve the mystery. Voted “Best Comedy of the Year” seven times by the Boston Globe and “Best Play of the Year” by the Chicago Sun-Times and the Philadelphia Enquirer, “Shear Madness” has also received the Raven Award from the Mystery Writers of America and has been inducted into the Comedy Hall of Fame, the first play ever to receive that accolade. Runs from September 18th – October 6th.
David Lutken and his trusty band of musicians return to the Playhouse in WOODY SEZ – THE LIFE AND MUSIC OF WOODY GUTHRIE – a musical celebrating the original folk hero and an iconic American troubadour. Tap your feet and sing along with Woody Sez in this uplifting musical portrait. You will be transported through his fascinating life with moving ballads and energetic foot-stompers like “This Land is Your Land,” “The Ballad of Tom Joad,” “Pastures of Plenty” and “This Train is Bound for Glory” in this incredible, award-winning musical journey. Devised by David Lutken with Nick Corley and Darcie Deaville, Helen J. Russell and Andy Teirstein. Runs from Wednesday, October 23 – Sunday, November 10, 2019
Don’t miss some of the most exciting, entertaining and affordable theatre on the shoreline!
Subscriptions and gift certificates are on sale now.
HOW TO SUBSCRIBE:
Subscriptions can be purchased by downloading the forms below and sending by mail. We offer 18 possible series during our season. On the form below, please circle the Series that you’d like for Season 2019, complete all of the information and mail to us with payment. Remember that, for a Series, you must stay within the same row of dates.
You will be able to switch any single dates that don’t work for you after February 20, 2019.
Full 7-play subscriptions are $295 (only $42 per ticket)
5-play series subscriptions are $225 (only $45 per ticket)
3-play series subscriptions are $145 (only $48 per ticket)
To view the list of shows for our 2019 season please click here: 2019 Season
To view the 2019 subscription series dates please click here: 2019 series dates
To download the 7 and 5 play subscription form please click here: 7 and 5 play form
To download the 3 play subscription form please click here: 3 play form
Checks payable to Ivoryton Playhouse and mailed to:
Ivoryton Playhouse, PO Box 458, Ivoryton, CT 06442
To discuss seating options please telephone Susan McCann on 860.767.7318 x 203
Individual tickets for 2019
Single ticket prices for 2019 are: $55 adult / $50 senior / $25 student / $20 children 12 and under.
Individual tickets go on sale February 20, 2019.
Visit www.ivorytonplayhouse.org or call (860) 767 7318 for the latest ticket information.
It is with deep sadness that I share with you the news of the death of longtime Ivoryton Playhouse Board member and Essex resident Harvey Hoberman. Harvey joined the Board in 2008 and was an active supporter and advocate for the Playhouse. He was a well known and admired Hartford attorney who often shared his legal expertise with us as a member of the Governance Committee during his time on the Board.
Waltrudis Buck (Water Without Berries) is thrilled to make her playwright’s debut at Ivoryton. She has worked in film, TV, and theatre as an actor, appearing opposite De Niro, Julia Roberts and Woody Allen, among others. She has published poetry and short stories, and her novel The Berlin Girl can be found here: amazon.com/author/waltrudisbuck but this is her first foray into playwriting. Thank you so much Ivoryton! She just finished a full-length comedy titled Real Estate inspired by the current political situation, excerpts of which have had readings at “Naked Angels Tuesdays@9.” Any producers out there? It’s a very funny play, if it weren’t so sad (
Kathleen Cahill (The Robertassey) Kathleen’s awards include three Edgerton Foundation Awards, the Jane Chambers Playwrighting Award, two Connecticut Commission on the Arts Playwrighting Awards, a Massachusetts Artists Foundation Award, a Rockefeller Grant, a National Endowment for the Arts New American Works Grant, and a Drama League Award. Her play Charm (NNPN Showcase) was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize and has been produced around the country, upcoming at the New Hampshire Theatre Project. Her play/dance/romance, Silent Dancer, premieres at the Salt Lake Acting Company in April 2019, and at BStreet Theatre in Sacramento in August, 2019. She is Playwright-in-Residence at the Salt Lake Acting Company, and Dramatists Guild Fund Master Teacher. Her play Henry, Louise and Henri was part of the Women’s Playwrights Initiative at Ivoryton Playhouse in 2018.
Rachael Carnes (Partner of -) as an arts nonprofit founder and educator, Rachael has spent her career developing inclusive performing arts experiences for people of all ages and abilities. She discovered playwriting in 2016 and is humbled by her many productions since, with performances across the country and throughout the U.K. Recent highlights include invitations to the Inge Festival, the Midwest Dramatists Center Conference and the Mid-America Theatre Conference. Rachael’s work has been published by the Coachella Review, she is a Bechdel Group workshop semi-finalist, and her full-length play, Canopy, will receive a staged reading at the WriteON Festival, in Cambridge, U.K. in 2019. A community builder, Rachael founded #CodeRed, a playwrights’ collective dedicated to writing, and sharing, plays in response to gun violence. Rachael is beyond grateful for the opportunity to be in residence at the Ivoryton Playhouse. And she thanks her many playwriting mentors, and her husband and kids, for their continuing support.
Tori Keenan-Zelt (How to be a Widow) Originally and proudly from Pittsburgh, Tori writes curiosity-chasing plays that sniff out in-between spaces in big theatre to change the world. Many of them decide to be comedies. She has developed and presented work around the country and abroad. Recent plays include How the Baby Died (Ingram New Works), Seph (Araca Project, Princess Grace Finalist), Air Space (Kilroys 5 Most Recommended Plays, Ingram New Works Lab, Princess Grace Finalist), Truth/Dare (Project Y Theatre, Best Ensemble Pittsburgh Fringe, Kilroys List, Princess Grace Finalist), Egypt Play (InterAct 20/20 Finalist), Episode #121: Catfight! (Yale Cabaret), and others. Having written for Colonial Williamsburg’s Emmy Award-winning PBS education series, Tori has been named an Emmy Nominee, Kilroys Lister, Jerome Finalist, Princess Grace Finalist, Playwrights of New York Nominee, and some other things. She is an affiliated writer with The Lark, The Playwrights’ Center, Ingram New Works Lab, Ensemble Studio Theatre Playwrights’ Unit, Fresh Ground Pepper, & the Dramatists Guild. Several of her short plays are published by Next Stage Press. AB, Harvard. MFA, NYU Tisch Asia (Singapore).