Elm Street Reveals 2015-16 Season

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Officials with Elm Street Cultural Arts Village last week unveiled plans for the 2015-16 season of performing arts.

The lineup was revealed at an event hosted by Reformation Brewery.

“We are very excited to announce this season, as it offers something for everyone in our community, and positions us for continued growth as we seek to engage community with relevant arts experiences every day,” said Elm Street Operations Director Christopher Brazelton. “I truly believe that Elm Street is postured for growth and about to become pertinent on a larger scale than before.”

The upcoming season is as follows:

The Main Stage Series opens Aug. 14 with Curtains, a musical by Rupert Holmes (book), Fred Ebb (Lyrics) and John Kander (music). Others shows in this series are The Crucible (Arthur Miller), A Christmas Carol (a new take on the Dickens classic), On Golden Pond (Ernest Thompson), Next to Normal (a rock musical by Brian Yorkey and Tom Kitt); and Anything Goes (Cole Porter).

• Curtains (Aug. 14-30) by Rupert Holmes (book), Fred Ebb (lyrics), and John Kander (music). Backstage at Boston’s Colonial Theatre in 1959, a new musical could be a Broadway smash -- were it not for the presence of its talent-free leading lady. When the hapless star dies on opening night during her curtain call, Lieutenant Frank Cioffi arrives on the scene to conduct an investigation. But the lure of the theatre proves irresistible and after an unexpected romance blooms for the stage-struck detective, he finds himself just as drawn toward making the show a hit, as he is in solving the murder.
• The Crucible (PG-13) by Arthur Miller (Sept. 17-20). This play is a dramatized and partially fictionalized story of the Salem witch trials that took place in the Province of Massachusetts Bay during 1692 and 1693. Written in 1953, Senator Joseph McCarthy and the House Committee on Un- American Activities (“HUAC”) were prosecuting alleged Communists from the State Department to Hollywood. The Crucible is best understood as Miller’s struggle with maintaining one’s integrity vs. one’s reputation. (Miller himself was questioned by HUAC in 1956 and convicted of “contempt of Congress” for refusing to identify others present at meetings he had attended).
• A Christmas Carol (Dec. 5-24): A favorite holiday tradition in Woodstock! Scrooge and the Spirits return in this new musical adaptation of Dickens’ classic holiday tale.
• On Golden Pond (Jan. 15-23) by Ernest Thompson: Is it ever too late to say you’re sorry? Can you change your relationships with your parents/children? This 1979 award winning play explores these questions via the story of an aging couple that return to their summer cottage on a lake (Golden Pond). When they are visited by their daughter, her fiancé, and his son, old and new wounds surface along with humor and tenderness.
• Next to Normal (PG-13) Feb. 19–28 by Brian Yorkey and music by Tom Kitt. To all appearances, the Goodmans are a typical American family. And yet their lives are anything but normal. The mother has been battling bi-polar disorder (disease?) for 16 years. Tony award winning, Next To Normal takes audiences into the minds and hearts of each character, presenting their family’s story with love, sympathy and heart as they deal with complex issues such as suicide, drug use, medical ethics and the complexities of suburban life.
• Anything Goes (PG) April 29 – May 8 by Cole Porter. A madcap musical set in the 1920’s on an ocean liner bound from New York to London and the romantic complications of a stowaway in love with an heiress who is engaged to a Lord — as well as a nightclub singer looking for love and Public Enemy #13. You’ll leave with your toes tapping and a song in your heart.
  

The Vision Series begins July 31 with Small but Fierce, a series of short plays directed by young adults and teens. The remainder of the season will include Main Street Mail (the third and final segment of the Mizz Edna trilogy, written by G.Lora Grooms), Ghost Tales & Trails (an interactive, walk-through experience with a Halloween theme), Last Laugh (stand-up comedy), a collaborative repertory of Shakespeare on the Green, and the second annual New Works Festival.

• Small but Fierce (July 31 to Aug. 2) by various authors. A repeat from last year’s small festival. Young Adults and Teens go through a course on directing throughout the summer. The end of the course is comprised of their showcase: Small but Fierce.
• Main Street Mail: Woodstock in WWII (Oct. 9-11) by G. Lora Grooms. The third and final segment of the Mizz Edna trilogy. Last year addressed The Civil War in Woodstock, this year, we look at the city in a period surrounding WWII.
• Ghost Tales & Trails (Oct. 22-30). As you wind your way through this interactive, multi-arts experience, Elm Street Cultural Arts Village will create a film-noir story to unfold. Using features around the 4-acre site, the experience uses natural landmarks and different settings throughout the property to create the story rather than constructing a scene for people to stay at.
• Last Laugh – Vision Series (PG-13) Jan. 30 — One Night Only. One night of stand-up comedy featuring local and metro Atlanta talent. They compete for a cash prize and fans get to vote for their favorite. Hosted by iThink Improv Troupe.
• Shakespeare on the Green (March 16-20). Elm Street Cultural Arts Village hopes to partner with multiple schools and community organizations to make a true festival of Shakespeare. Shakespeare on the Green will focus on multiple avenues of
• Whose Line is it, Woodstock? April 14-16. iThink’s staple main stage show of improv and funny games & skits made up on the spot.
• New Works Festival (June 2-5). Elm Street’s second annual New Works Festival is a four-day event in downtown Woodstock! Join us as we showcase local talent by producing brand new plays and musicals every day! We also plan to hold workshops, Q&As, and seminars with guest playwrights. Elm Street will be using both of their locations (City Center Stage and the Event Green) for all the creative events going on that Thursday through Sunday in June. One ticket gets you into the entirety of the New Works Festival (all four days!) What you decide to do is up to you!

The Family Series begins in November with The Musical Adventures of Flat Stanley followed by Silly Tales, Seuss, and Shakespeare (various); King Arthur and the Knights of the Round (an original work by Siobhan Brumbelow); and concluding with a musical romp with our favorite dog, Snoopy!

• The Musical Adventures of Flat Stanley (Nov 13-15). The beloved children’s book written by Jeff Brown in 1964 has become a literary and pop cultural phenomenon - delighting readers and travelers all around the world.
• RepTour – Tour (Tour and March 5-6). The 2016 Spring School tour group makes a pit stop to perform on the Elm Street stage and amps up their shows with more Dr. Seuss stories. Familiar stories such as: Cat in the Hat, Green Eggs and Ham, and Horton Hears a Who, as well as the Shakespeare and fairy tale stories being performed in the Spring Tour.
• King Arthur and the Knights of the Round (June 8–22); written by Siobhan Brumbelow. A new original work based on the mythic tales of King Arthur, Lancelot, Guinevere and the Knights of the Round Table.
• Snoopy!!! (July 13- 27) by Larry Grossman and Hal Hackady, with a book by Warren Lockhart, Arthur Whitelaw, and Michael Grace. Snoopy!!! is a loveable musical featuring the antics of everyone’s favorite dog and the whole Peanuts gang as they have adventures, go to school, develop friendships, and grow up together.

The Studio Series kicks off Oct. 31 with a chance to visit the Wonka factory and get a head start on your trick or treating with Willy Wonka KIDS and concludes in May with Music Man Jr., a scaled down version of the classic musical.

• Willy Wonka KIDS. Oct. 31 (2 p.m. and 4 p.m.). Visit the Wonka factory and get a head start on your trick or treating in this interaction with the story by Roald Dahl, popularized by film.
• Music Man Jr. – Studio Production (May 21 — two shows). A scaled down production of the parading musical by Meredith Wilson.

Image via Shutterstock