Daughter of Venus

by Howard Zinn Directed by Jeff Zinn
Thursday - Sunday, May 27-June 26
curtain: 8pm - Tickets: $17-$34

Our 2010 season opens with Howard Zinn's Daughter of Venus. A searing family drama set against the backdrop of a world where governments gamble with mutual annihilation. Zinn reminds us that sometimes the small choices we make have vast repercussions on our world and on the people we love.

"A fluid and passionately committed style... Interweaves a story of familial tensions and national politics, and in doing so reminds us that the way we live our lives... can have repercussions and implications for the life of the nation at large." (Boston Globe)

For complete cast/crew information, photos and reviews, click here.

Born Yesterday

by Garson Kanin Directed by Dan Lombardo
Tuesday - Saturday, July 1-July 31
curtain: 8pm - Tickets: $17-$34

Winslow Corbett, WHAT's answer to Judy Holliday, stars as Billie Dawn in the classic Born Yesterday. Junkyard tycoon Harry Brock descends on Washington D.C. to buy himself a congressman or two, bringing with him his mistress, Billie Dawn. Brock hires newspaperman Paul Verrall to soften Billie's rough edges, but gets more than he bargained for as Billie absorbs Verall's lessons on life Inside the Beltway.

(for photos and reviews click here)

"'Born Yesterday' made Judy Holliday a star...But as Billie in WHAT's production, Winslow Corbett doesn't let Holliday stand in her way. She takes up the role with conviction, an amusing naivete, a saucy style and comical seductiveness... Tom Kee [as Brock] swaggers and yells, cajoles and threatens. He vigorously drives the play, commanding the stage with a compelling performance." Cape Cod Times (full review)

Now at the WHAT Gallery: Catherine Tingle More

Tingle! Starring Jimmy Tingle

directed by Rand Foerster

Sundays and Mondays, July 5 - August 30 (No performances August 1 & 2)
curtain: 8pm - Tickets: $12-$25

Jimmy Tingle started performing in 1980 during the early stand up comedy scene in Boston and quickly rose through the ranks from open-mike performer to paid engagements, headlining at comedy clubs, theaters and colleges nationwide. He is now regarded as one of the top social commentators and humorists in the country, bringing his own brand of political humor and insight to WHAT.

Click here to watch Jimmy's commencement speech at Harvard (no kidding.)

Click here to visit Jimmy's website.

In the Next Room or the vibrator play

by Sarah Ruhl - Directed by John Kolvenbach
Tuesday - Saturday, August 5 - September 11
curtain: 8pm - Tickets: $17-$34

In the late 1800s, young Dr. Givings is obsessed with the marvels of technology and what they can do for his patients. His wife, Catherine, is only a bystander in her husband's world - listening at the door from the next room as he treats his female patients.

"Kolvenbach's direction insightfully balances the comic and serious elements in the play...Stacy Fischer gives a sparkling performance...quite a coup..." Cape Cod Times reviews and photos

Critic's Pick - Boston Globe: "WHAT's full-out, full-throttle style seems like an excellent fit for Sarah Ruhl's Tony-nominated play." more

Danny Casolaro Died For You

by Dominic Orlando - Directed by Jeff Zinn
World Premiere
Wednesday - Sunday, September 16 - October 17
curtain: 8pm - Tickets: $17-$34

Fresh from the National New Play Network, Danny Casolaro is based on a true story about the playwright's cousin, an investigative reporter. A search for a mafia/Hollywood connection led the quirky Casolaro to high level corruption in the Reagan/Bush Justice Department. Within a year, he was found dead in a cheap motel. What was the truth Danny died trying expose, and what does his strange journey reveal about the political world we live in now?

"Fantastic! Brilliant dialogue and an amazing, true story." -- Playwrights Foundation

Watch trailer for Frontline "Top Secret America" documentary based on Washington Post series

Read "Top Secret America" three part series in Washington Post reported by Dana Priest and William M. Arkin

Promise

by James B Murphy II - Directed by John Tillinger
choreography by Christopher d'Amboise
World Premiere
Wednesday - Sunday, October 29 - November 21
curtain: 8pm

Special limited-time ticket pricing to inaugurate this fall's world premiere of Promise
$23.50 when purchased by October 18.
Tickets return to regular pricing October 19: $32.00 Orchestra, $25 Balcony, $16 Student.

The place is Maggie's bar, a hangout at the end of a long pier. It is a densely foggy late afternoon... Sledge, a dispirited boat broker, tells Maggie that he is fed up with Randy, a local fisherman, and his fanciful, tall tales. When Randy tells his most bizarre story yet, Sledge bets his last and most precious possession that Randy cannot prove it. Promise arrives. This mysterious, yet enchanting visitor tells an ancient Celtic story about a group of men who fatefully sail to an idyllic, far off island. All of our characters must confront their demons, and as the night comes to an end, Promise's tale becomes eerily prophetic.