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Matt Kahler and the cast of the Hypocrites’s "Pirates of Penzance" at Berkeley Rep. (Photo courtesy of kevinberne.com)

Pasadena Playhouse Centennial Season to Include Deaf West

The two companies will stage ‘Our Town,’ the Hypocrites will bring their immersive ‘Pirates of Penzance,’ and Culture Clash will revisit ‘Bordertown.’

PASADENA, CALIF.: Pasadena Playhouse has announced its 2017-18 season, which marks its 100th anniversary. It is also the first under new producing artistic director Danny Feldman. The season will include collaborations with Deaf West Theatre in Los Angeles, the Hypocrites of Chicago, and L.A.’s Culture Clash.

“Our 2017-18 season celebrates the bold, adventurous spirit that has always been at the heart of Pasadena Playhouse,” said Feldman in a statement. “From fresh takes on two of theatre’s most enduring classics, to a future history play in the style of Shakespeare, to a collaboration with L.A.’s most dynamic performance trio, the new season will entertain and create unforgettable experiences for our audiences, just as we’ve been doing for 100 years.”

The season will open with Our Town by Thornton Wilder (Sept. 26-Oct. 22). Deaf West Theatre will coproduce the work, which will be directed by Sheryl Kaller and will star Jane Kaczmarek.

After that will be King Charles III by Mike Bartlett (Nov. 7-Dec. 3), the Olivier-winning play about the imagined history of King Charles III, following the death of Elizabeth II.

Next the Hypocrites will present their immersive production of Pirates of Penzance by Gilbert and Sullivan, adapted by Sean Graney and Kevin O’Donnell (Jan. 23-Feb. 18, 2018). The musical is reimagined as a beach party, with the audiences sitting onstage among the cast. Graney and Thrisa Hodits will direct.

Then Culture Clash will present Bordertown Now by Ric Salinas & Herbert Siguenza, with new material by Richard Montoya (May 29-June 24, 2018). The work is a sequel to their 20-year-old play Bordertown, and takes place on the U.S.-Mexican border. Diane Rodriguez will direct.

An additional play will be announced at a later date.

Pasadena Playhouse was founded in 1917. Its legacy includes world premieres by Eugene O’Neill and Tennessee Williams.

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