Season 2008-2009

I Hate Hamlet
By Paul Rudnick
September 19th – October 5th, 2008

A young and successful television actor relocates to New York, where he rents a marvelous, gothic apartment. With his television career in limbo, the actor is offered the opportunity to play Hamlet onstage, but there’s one problem, he hates Hamlet. His dilemma deepens with the entrance of John Barrymore’s ghost, who arrives intoxicated and in full costume to the apartment that once was his. The contrast between the two actors, the towering, dissipated Barrymore whose Hamlet was the greatest of his time, and Andrew Rally, hot young television star, leads to a wildly funny duel over women, art, success, duty, television, and yes, the apartment.

The Sisters Rosensweig
By Wendy Wasserstein
November 7th – November 23rd, 2008

A captivating look at three uncommon Jewish-American women and their quest for love, self-definition and fulfillment. Unified by their sisterhood, they are as different as only sisters (or brothers) can be, as each tries to live up to an image imposed by her family. The play was admired by critics for its humor and insight, and it won both an Outer Critics Circle Award and a Tony Award nomination for best play in 1993.

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever
By Barbara Robinson
December 18th – 20th, 2009

Join us for the Fourth Annual benefit production of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. Playing for one weekend only. In this hilarious Christmas tale, a couple struggling to put on a church Christmas pageant is faced with casting the Herdman kids– probably the most inventively awful kids in history. You won’t believe the mayhem– and the fun– when the Herdmans collide with the Christmas story head on!

Dinner with Friends
By Donald Margulies
January 9th – 25th, 2009

Performances at The Arts Barn. For reservations, call 301-258-6394.
Winner of the 2000 Pulitzer Prize. Dinner with Friends is a rueful comedy about friendship. The story examines two forty-something couples whose relationships are fractured as a result of one couple’s breakup and its effect on their closest friends. The play evolves into an examination of the nature of friendship itself. How much should a friend confide? What are the consequences of withholding some of the truth? Are our friends seen clearly as the people they are or through the prism of our own expectations? An emotionally charged, witty drama, full of life, warmth and wisdom.

Almost, Maine
By John Cariani
February 6th – 22nd, 2009

On a cold, clear, moonless night in the middle of winter, all is not quite what it seems in the remote, mythical town of Almost, Maine. As the northern lights hover in the star-filled sky above, Almost’s residents find themselves falling in and out of love in unexpected and often hilarious ways. Knees are bruised. Hearts are broken. But the bruises heal, and the hearts mend—almost—in this delightful midwinter night’s dream.

Sherlock Holmes, The Final Adventure
By Steven Dietz
March 13th – 29th, 2009

The world’s greatest detective has seemingly reached the end of his remarkable career when a case presents itself that is too tempting to ignore. With his trusted companion, Doctor Watson, Holmes pursues the case and marches right into the lair of his longtime adversary, that malevolent genius of crime, Professor Moriarty. In this spirited, fast-moving show, Holmes fans will find all the elements that they have come to expect: danger, intrigue, wit, humor and surprise. “The game is afoot, Watson—and it is a dangerous one!” Winner of the 2007 Edgar Award for Best Mystery Play.

Honk!
Music by George Stiles
Lyrics by Anthony Drewe
April 24th – May 10th, 2009

A musical retelling of the Hans Christian Andersen classic story, The Ugly Duckling. Honk! will delight children and adults alike. This enchanting comic musical about acceptance, compassion and understanding, follows an ugly duckling as he discovers “different… is just different”. Pure fun for the whole family.

An Evening With Shaw
June 5th, 6th, 13th, 14th, 2009

Join us for an evening of One Acts from Bernard Shaw (June 14th show is at 2:00pm).

Press Cuttings
A British general tries to determine the level of force necessary to quell a demonstration of suffragettes outside his office when he is confronted in his own office by women whose views both confound and mesmerize him. The battle between the sexes personified by typical fast-paced Shavian dialogue.

Overruled
A man and woman express tenderness to one another on a cruise where they have met. Little does she know that her husband may be on the same cruise.

One Act Festival – 2009
July 17th, 18th, 24th, 25th, 2009 (Show Times)

Group A (July 17th & 25th)
Scuba Lessons by Joseph Zeccola
directed by Jim Camlek
Two couples on blind dates cross paths in a Los Angeles coffee shop.
Dictionary by Brian Doyle
directed by Leta Hall
The head of the Neumann publishing insists that the next edition of their dictionary be reduced by one word. The change must have the approval of the churches, the historians, and of Noah Webster and Samuel Johnson.
Daylight Savings Time by Stephen LaRocque
directed by Heather Latiri
A young man shows up for his date at a local coffee shop and finds the roommate of his date there. As they strike up a conversation she confesses that he is one of two dates her roommate has lined up that night, one for 1AM Standard Time and 1 AM Daylight Savings Time.

Group B (July 18th & 24th)
A Separate Peace by Tom Stoppard
directed by Amy Sullivan
Mr. Brown shows up at the Beechwood Nursing Home ( a hospital), announcing that he wants to be admitted even though he is in perfect health.
Lunch Break by Frances Lewis
directed by Frankie Lewis
Two men, one homeless and the other with a strong theatrical bent, share lunch and The Phantom of the Opera on a park bench.
Clara by Arther Miller
directed by Bruce Hirsch
A father is interviewed after discovering his daughter brutally murdered.