PHOENIX and TUCSON, ARIZ.: Arizona Theatre Company (ATC) has announced its updated 54th season, featuring six live shows. Audiences for live performances will be limited to approximately 25 percent of the theatre’s capacity, and shows will be held under strict Arizona Department of Health and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention COVID protection guidelines. ATC will also release an exclusive limited-time broadcast of each performance for ticket holders at home.
“With in-home viewing and extensive new safety protocols in our theatres, we’re most likely to be the safest venue in town,” said artistic director Sean Daniels in a statement. “As the State Theatre, we’re determined to make sure Arizona continues to be a leader in the national cultural conversation. With Broadway closed until at least next summer, it’s a time for the nation’s focus to be on the great regional theatres that make up the vast majority of theatre created in our country.”
To ensure the safety of staff, performers, and patrons, ATC will adhere to socially distanced seating guidelines, require masks, improve their air infiltration system, follow sanitation and safety protocols, and present additional matinees.
The season will open with the musical My 80-Year-Old Boyfriend (Jan. 23-Feb. 13, 2021 in Tucson; Feb. 18-March 7, 2021 in Phoenix), created by Charissa Bertels, Christian Duhamel, and Edward Bell. The show celebrates the magic that happens when we let ourselves say “yes.” Daniels will direct.
Next up will be Lauren Gunderson’s Justice A Musical (March 13-April 3, 2021 in Tucson; April 8-25, 2021 in Phoenix), a musical about Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sandra Day O’Connor, the first two women to serve on the United States Supreme Court. Daniels will direct.
Following will be Christina Ham’s Nina Simone: Four Women (April 25-May 15, 2021 in Tucson; May 20-June 6 in Phoenix), a musical that pays tribute to the four little girls lost in the tragic 1963 bombing at the 16th Street Baptist Church in Alabama. Tiffany Nicole Greene will direct.
The season will continue with Women in Jeopardy! (June 5-26, 2021 in Tucson; July 1-8 in Phoenix), by Wendy MacLeod. The comedy is about women solving crimes as part of a mid-life crisis. Daniels will direct.
Next will be how to make an American son (July 17-Aug. 7, 2021 in Tucson; Aug. 12-29, 2021 in Phoenix), by ATC associate artistic director Christopher Oscar Peña, co-produced with New York City’s Rattlestick Playwrights Theater. The play explores the complexities of privilege, citizenship, and family. Kimberly Senior will direct.
The season will close out with Matthew Lopez’s The Legend of Georgia McBride (Sept. 25-Oct. 16, 2021 in Tucson; Oct. 21-Nov. 7, 2021 in Phoenix), about an out-of-work Elvis impersonator who takes on a job as a drag queen to support his family. Meredith McDonough will direct.
“We are committed to doing everything we can to meet the expectations of our patrons, donors and communities, and we are equally committed to safety and prevention,” said managing director Geri Wright in a statement. “In the coming weeks, we will be reaching out to our subscribers to determine if they want to attend in-person or prefer to watch at home so we can accommodate their wishes. Our team is eager to get back to the theatre, to see the faces of our audiences and to share the magic of live theatre together.”
Arizona Theatre Company produces full seasons in both Tucson and Phoenix. Founded in 1966, ATC is the professional resident theatre of Arizona.
