 Bus Stop
By William Inge
February 17 – March 14
On the Mainstage
Directed by Austin Pendleton
A small-town diner is in for quite a night when a blizzard strands a busload of unusual passengers on its doorstep. While the diner owner may finally have her chance to scratch a long-held itch for the macho bus driver, the other guests have their own agendas: a lovesick rodeo rider has kidnapped a nightclub singer, a pretentious Ph.D. who is looking for love in all the wrong places, and a Shakespeare-quoting teenage waitress might get her first crack at romance. In the course of a turbulent night, will it be love ormayhem that survives the storm?
Olney is honored to welcome Austin Pendleton to the directorial helm of this production. Mr. Pendleton is an accomplished writer, actor, and director; he has directed three Tony-nominated Broadway productions, written three plays, and won an Obie Award for his acting.
 Da
March 24 – April 25
In the Mulitz-Gudelsky Theatre Lab
By Hugh Leonard
Now a successful London-based writer, Charlie returns to his Dublin boyhood home after the death of his adoptive father. His “Da” had always been a little maddening, but now he’s even more impossible dead! Da’s ghost won’t leave Charlie alone and butts into Charlie’s mind for unasked-for advice, truisms, and wildly-biased recollections of still painful events. Premiering in 1973, Da won a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding New Play, a New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best Play, and a Tony Award for Best Play.
Mostly known in the U.S. for Da, author Hugh Leonard has a special place in Olney’s history. We are proud to have been the first theater to produce this work (1973), prior to its extremely successful and lauded Broadway run.
 Triumph of Love
April 14 – May 9
On the Mainstage
Book by James Magruder; Lyrics by Susan Birkenhead; Music by Jeffrey Stock
What do you do when the man you adore
wants to kill you? You seduce him, disguised as a man
impersonating another woman, while fending off the affections of both his uncle and his aunt, of course! With the assistance of some clever servants, Princess Léonide transforms herself to win the love of ravishing handsome and sheltered Prince Agis. But her disguises capture more hearts than she bargained for. With a lovely score, and a fanciful story, this bon bon of a musical will make your heart bloom.
“It’s bawdy. It’s whimsical,” explains Director Clay Hopper,“It’s full of gender-bending seductions and plot-twists that will make your head spin.”
 Trumpery
June 9 – July 4
On the Mainstage
By Peter Parnell
The year is 1858 and Charles Darwin struggles to finish his theory of natural selection while coping with his daughter’s fatal illness and his own loss of faith. Meanwhile, halfway around the world, an unknown young explorer named Wallace is about to come up with the exact same theory. Both vibrantly comic and deeply moving, this gripping drama examines whether scientific discovery inevitably routs religion and spirituality or whether there's a place for all three.
For those who love historically based dramas like Copenhagen and Democracy, this area premiere is not to be missed.
Summer Musical
Forever Plaid
July 7 – August 1
On the Historic Stage
By Stuart Ross
Before the Jonas Brothers or the Backstreet Boys, there were four guys destined to harmonize theirway to greatness: Sparky, Smudge, Jinx, and Frankie. The “flipside” of the1950s Rock n’ Roll revolution, these boys represented innocence and traditional family values. While en route to picking up plaid tuxedos for their first real gig, a freak accident ended their promising careers too soon. Join Olney as Forever Plaid is miraculously revived to perform the show that never was, including the hit songs Three Coins in the Fountain, Sixteen Tons, and Love is a Many Splendored Thing.
 The Savannah Disputation
July 28 – August 22
On the Mainstage
By Evan Smith
Directed by Jack Going
In a hilarious new comedy, a Pentecostal missionary gets more than she bargained for when she drops in on two sisters who are staunch Catholics: sweet, susceptible Margaret and feisty, high-spirited Mary. These sisters enjoy a comfortable routine, including BBC sitcoms and cooking dinner for their priest. However, when the missionary causes Margaret’s seemingly-solid faith to waver, Mary stages a divine intervention to bring her sister back into the fold. Enlisting the aid of their unsuspecting parish priest, she throws a devilish dinner party that becomes a smack-down of biblical proportions.
AREA PREMIERE!
 Dinner with Friends
August 25 – September 26
In the Mulitz-Gudelsky Theatre Lab
By Donald Margulies
Directed by Jim Petosa
When Gabe and Karen were young newlyweds, they introduced Tom and Beth, resulting in two happy marriages lasting dozens of years. The foursome has been a rock of friendship. But will it all crumble when one couple is on the verge of a breakup? Friendships, marriages, confidences, and intimacies are stressed and tested in this funny, bittersweet drama. Written by the same author as Olney’s 2007 hit Brooklyn Boy, Dinner with Friends is Margulies’ Pulitzer Prize-winning masterwork.
Olney Theatre Center has been the producer or co-producer of all of Margulies’ professional area premieres (Collected Stories, Sight Unseen, Brooklyn Boy). We are thrilled to bring this piece, one of his best, to the Olney stage.
AREA PREMIERE!
 Misalliance
September 29 – October 24
On the Mainstage
By George Bernard Shaw
Directed by Jack Going
On a beautiful Saturday afternoon, wealthy underwear merchant John Tarleton, his wife, and adult children, Johnny and Hypatia, host a small party at their country estate. The invited guests include Hypatia’s prospective husband, a well-meaning, if wimpy, son of an aristocrat. Is it a match? As Hypatia longs for excitement and a break from convention, adventure falls from the sky…literally! An airplane crash brings unexpected visitors, and with them comes more excitement (and suitors) than Hypatia bargained for.
 Annie
November 17 – January 2
On the Mainstage
Based upon the popular Harold Gray comic strip Little Orphan Annie; Music by Charles Strouse; Lyrics by Martin Charnin; and Book by Thomas Meehan
Visit America’s most spunky and beloved orphan this holiday season. As she searches for her long lost family, Annie’s adventures take her from a hard-knock life in a grim orphanage to Easy Street with the rich, but seemingly cold, Oliver Warbucks. Winner of the Tony Award for Best Musical, you can bet your bottom dollar that this touching and energetic story of hope, love, and family will capture your heart and leave you singing about the promise of tomorrow.
A Christmas Carol : A Ghost Story of Christmas
December 16 - January 1
Mulitz-Gudelsky Theatre Lab
By Charles Dickens and performed
by Paul Morella
Adapted from Dickens' original novella and reading tour.
Olney Theatre Center favorite Paul Morella brings this unique and memorable version of The Christmas Carol to life this holiday season. Using only the words of Charles Dickens’ novella, Morella’s solo version will transport you back to Victorian England and into the heart of this classic morality tale. This Christmas narrative has never been more compassionate, intimate or heartwarming. Intended for ages 10 and up.
“We haven't seen every holiday-themed show playing within the region, but of the ones we have seen, Paul Morella's is by far the best. It is the most moving and the most memorable.” – Potomac Stages |
