New surprises, familiar traditions and beloved classics are all on the bill for Theatre Cedar Rapids, which announced its 2016-17 season tonight. For the second year in a row, they kick off their production year with a play in the Grandon Studio — this year, it’s The Flick, by Annie Baker, a comedy that won the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the 2013 Obie Award for Playwriting. TCR also continues its spectacular Stephen Sondheim track record (following 2011’s Sweeney Todd and 2014’s Into the Woods) with the impeccable selection of Assassins.
Also exciting this season is 2009 Tony Award winner Billy Elliot. The musical, based on the film of the same name and with a score by Sir Elton John, is slated to close on London’s West End this April, after 11 years and 4,600 performances. Kicking off the season main stage is another film adaptation, the stage version of the 1992 comedy Sister Act.
In plays, Caryl Churchill’s Vinegar Tom is an exciting choice to serve as counterpoint to fellow witch trial allegory The Crucible (Arthur Miller), and Linda Habjan’s compilation The Bully Plays is a fantastic and timely exploration of teenage experiences with power dynamics.
Along the way, TCR revisits its popular Studio Cabaret and Studio Improv shows, as well as the Underground New Play Festival. See the full list of productions and dates below.
