Great Lakes Theater

Dream, Hunchback Lead Off 2017–18 Season;
Jabberwocky Tours Antibullying Lesson

Charles Fee, producing artistic director of Great Lakes Theater (GLT), has unveiled a six-production array of classics, including William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream and Macbeth, to headline the company's 2017–2018 season from September 2017 through May 2018 at Playhouse Square's Hanna and Ohio Theatres.

The theater also announced the launch of its new Classics on Tour series with the world premiere of The Jabberwocky scheduled to visit 21 neighborhood libraries and other public venues throughout northeast Ohio. February 21–March 19. Based on Lewis Carroll's poem, the show is a classics-inspired, educational performance for families and school-aged children (recommended for kindergarten to fifth grade) with a strong antibullying social message. All performances of the touring production are free and open to the public.

A Midsummer Night's Dream leads off the season in rotating repertory with the musical epic, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, September 29–November 5. The company's annual production of Charles Dickens' holiday classic, A Christmas Carol will bisect the season. In the winter/spring, GLT will present Stephen King's thriller, Misery followed by Shakespeare's Macbeth and the off-Broadway's groovy retro-hit revue, Beehive: The '60s Musical.

Fee will direct Misery, GLT resident artist Victoria Bussert will helm the company's pair of musical productions, Joseph Hanreddy, who most recently directed Great Lakes Theater's production of Wait Until Dark, will return to direct A Midsummer Night's Dream, and longtime GLT artistic company member Tom Ford will return to stage A Christmas Carol. The director of Macbeth will be announced at a later date.

A Christmas Carol will run in its traditional Ohio Theatre setting while the rest of the lineup will be staged in the Hanna Theatre. Great Lakes Theater will continue to present patrons extraordinary access to its production process at every Hanna Theatre performance. The doors always open 90 minutes before each show, allowing patrons to observe the complete preshow preparation process of GLT's actors and technical staff. Elements such as stage combat rehearsals, dance calls, prop/scenic presets, technical cue rehearsals, and actor warm-ups will be conducted in full view of patrons, offering GLT audiences an unprecedented glimpse into the theatrical process.

Subscriptions are on sale now. An adult subscription to Great Lakes Theater starts as low as $162. Student subscriptions begin at $39. Single tickets will go on sale in July. Regular priced adult single tickets will range from $15–$80. Regular priced student/youth tickets for the Hanna Theatre are $13 ($26 for A Christmas Carol in the Ohio Theatre) and will be available for all performances. Further details and pricing specifics for single performance tickets will be announced in July. For run dates of each production, see Bard on the Boards.

The Jabberwocky, written by Dakotah Brown, Noah Moody, and Chad Shohet, and directed by GLT Director of Educational Programming Lisa Ortenzi, features a touring company of four actors. “For over 25 years, our touring productions have created meaningful dialogues with audiences all across northeast Ohio," David Hansen, education outreach associate, said in a press release. "We look forward to engaging audiences in the theatrical process again this year with this original production, created especially for elementary school-age children and their families.”

In The Jabberwocky, two students band together after being bullied by classmates. To avoid their tormentors, the students follow a secret map and escape to the Tulgey Wood, where they meet a king who begs them to save his people from the fearsome Jabberwocky. Audiences will encounter colorful characters such as Cheshire Cat, JubJub Bird, Bandersnatch, and a family of Momeraths while the duo find the courage to defeat the Jabberwocky and apply the lessons learned to face their fears back home.

The Jabberwocky is a 60-minute program that includes an introduction and postperformance discussion. Times and dates are subject to change. For more information, click here.

Great Lakes Theater's 2017–2018 season and the Classics on Tour series is supported by the residents of Cuyahoga County through a public grant from Cuyahoga Arts & Culture. Generous support is also provided by The Cleveland Foundation and the Ohio Arts Council. The tour is also funded by the Community Foundation of Lorain County, the GAR Foundation and the George Gund Foundation.

Febraury 7, 2017

If you have Shakespearean news to share, e-mail [email protected]