December 2022
Theatres across the U.S. ring in the holidays with a bounty of fare.
California
The Zip Code Plays, Season Three
By: Peppur Chambers, Diana Burbano, Daniel Hirsch, Ann Noble, Alex Goldberg, and Steve Apostolina
Directed by: Rondrell McCormick, Cameron Watson, Sara Lyons, Jonathan Muñoz-Proulx, Lisa Sanaye Dring, and Gregg T Daniel
Antaeus Theatre Company
Los Angeles
Event Date(s): Thu Dec 02 - Fri Dec 02
Type of Event: Audio Play Series
Venue: Zipcodeplays.info or wherever you get your podcasts
Price: $0
Reference Link: https://antaeus.org/plays-events/the-zip-code-plays-season-three/
Description:
Celebrate the diverse culture and history of Los Angeles neighborhoods from the safety of your home with The Zip Code Plays, Season Three, a new series of six original audio plays written by Playwrights Lab members and recorded by Antaeus Actors.
Little Women, The Broadway Musical
By: Jason Howland, Mindi Dickstein, and Allan Knee
Directed by: Casey Long
Chance Theater
Anaheim
Event Date(s): Fri Nov 25 - Fri Dec 23
Type of Event: Holiday Musical
Venue: Chance Theater @ Bette Aitken theater arts Center
Price: $25-49
Reference Link: https://chancetheater.com
Description:
From the novel that holds a special place in the heart of American literature comes a musical that proves this timeless story is still relevant, funny, and heartbreaking today. Don’t miss this “heartfelt and often moving experience to audience members of all ages” (OC Register).
A Charlie Brown Christmas
By: Charles M. Schulz (original); Eric Schaeffer (adaptation)
Directed by: James Michael McHale
Chance Theater
Anaheim
Event Date(s): Fri Dec 02 - Fri Dec 23
Type of Event: Holiday Play
Venue: Chance Theater @ Bette Aitken theater arts Center
Price: $20-39
Reference Link: https://chancetheater.com
Description:
Everyone’s favorite holiday classic comes to life in the stage adaptation! Join the whole Peanuts gang as they produce their own Christmas play and ultimately learn the true meaning of the season. “A sweet and touching live-action version that is an instant holiday classic.” (BWW)
Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812
By: Dave Malloy
Directed by: Patrick Dooley and Erin Mei-Ling Stuart
Shotgun Players
Berkeley
Event Date(s): Sat Nov 05 - Fri Dec 30
Type of Event: Musical
Venue: Ashby Stage
Price: $8-40
Reference Link: https://shotgunplayers.org/online/article/great-comet
Description:
This musical extravaganza follows the story of Natasha, a young woman who arrives in Moscow longing for her fiancé, and Pierre, a middle-aged man full of regrets. West Coast premiere!
Colorado
Until the Flood
By: Dael Orlandersmith
Directed by: Neel Keller
Denver Center Theatre Company
Denver
Event Date(s): Sat Aug 07 - Thu Nov 30
Type of Event: Play
Venue: Online
Price: Free
Reference Link: https://https://www.denvercenter.org/tickets-events/until-the-flood/
Description:
After the death of Michael Brown, the Ferguson Unrest shook the nation to its core and put a spotlight on the police brutality and discrimination that plague our institutions. Dael Orlandersmith created eight fictional characters to represent the broad spectrum of perspectives.
Florida
And Then There Were None
By: Agatha Christie
Directed by: Eleanor Holdridge
Florida Repertory Theatre
Fort Myers
Event Date(s): Tue Nov 29 - Sun Dec 18
Type of Event: Professional Theatre
Venue: Florida Repertory Theatre
Price: $$36 - $69
Description:
In Agatha Christie’s most chilling whodunit, 10 strangers are summoned to a remote island by a mysterious host. A chilling and suspenseful murder mystery! “A perfect combination of thriller and detective story!” — The Guardian
Freud’s Last Session
By: Mark St. Germain
Florida Repertory Theatre
Fort Myers
Event Date(s): Tue Dec 13 - Sun Jan 15
Type of Event: Professional Theatre
Venue: Florida Repertory Theatre
Price: $$39 - $69
Reference Link: https://www.floridarep.org/the-season/season-25/
Description:
On the eve of World War II, Dr. Sigmund Freud, the legendary psychoanalyst, invites a young Oxford student, C.S. Lewis, to his home in London. Over the course of one evening, these two great minds clash about love, sex, the existence of God, and the meaning of life.
Steel Magnolias
By: Robert Harling
Gulfshore Playhouse
Naples
Event Date(s): Thu Nov 10 - Sun Dec 04
Type of Event: Play
Venue: Gulfshore Playhouse
Price: $45-80
Reference Link: https://gulfshoreplayhouse.org/shows-events/steel-magnolias/
Description:
Anybody who’s anybody is a regular at Truvy’s beauty salon in Chinquapin, La., where you are guaranteed to be pampered with gossip. Both hilarious and deeply moving, the play reveals the inner strength of its six leading ladies through wise-cracking, witty repartee.
A Christmas Carol
By: Lynn Ahrens & Mike Ockrent
Directed by: Bryce Alexander
The Naples Players
Naples
Event Date(s): Wed Nov 23 - Sun Dec 18
Type of Event: Musical
Venue: Blackburn Hall
Price: $47.00
Reference Link: https://naplesplayers.org/on-stage/current-season/
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Description:
Ebenezer Scrooge is a curmudgeon who believes that personal wealth is far more valuable than the happiness and comfort of others. Scrooge is forced to face his selfish ways when three ghosts of Christmas lead him through time. He soon reconnects with the spirit of the holiday.
Southern Comforts
By: Kathleen Clark
Directed by: Brett Marston
The Naples Players
Naples
Event Date(s): Wed Nov 30 - Sun Dec 18
Type of Event: Play
Venue: Tobye Studio Theatre
Price: $47.00
Reference Link: https://naplesplayers.org/on-stage/current-season/
Description:
In a sprawling New Jersey Victorian, a taciturn Yankee widower and a vivacious grandmother from Tennessee find what they least expected—a second chance at love. Their funny, awkward, and enchanting romance is filled with sweet surprise and unpredictable tribulation.
Kentucky
When I Read My Daughter Rudyard Kipling
By: Adapted by Manik Choksi from Rudyard Kipling
Actors Theatre of Louisville
Louisville
Event Date(s): Fri Sep 03 - Sat Dec 31
Type of Event: Animated play
Venue: Virtual
Price: $Free with Membership
Reference Link: https://www.actorstheatre.org/shows/2020-2021/when-i-read-my-daughter-rudyard-kipling/
Description:
In this brief animated series reminiscent of Charlie Brown, a daughter’s perceptive questions prompt her father to see Kipling’s tales in a new light. With humor and warmth, When I Read My Daughter Rudyard Kipling illuminates how a child’s curiosity can catalyze fresh insight.
Finding Black Boy Joy
By: Lance G. Newman II
Directed by: Featuring Isiah Fish, Nipsey Green, David Moore, Lance G. Newman II, and DeepSea Rice
Actors Theatre of Louisville
Louisville
Event Date(s): Fri Sep 03 - Sat Dec 31
Type of Event: Streaming Performance
Venue: Virtual
Price: $Free with Membership
Reference Link: https://www.actorstheatre.org/shows/2020-2021/finding-black-boy-joy/
Description:
Finding Black Boy Joy is an exploration of the nature of existing in this nation as a Black man. It spans politics to love to introspections on race, class, and masculinity. These selections were written at various stages of Newman’s 16-year career writing and performing poetry.
Plague Doctor: Contagion 430 BCE–2020 AD
By: Robert Barry Fleming and Jenni Page-White
Directed by: Game design by Alex Bezuska
Actors Theatre of Louisville
Louisville
Event Date(s): Fri Oct 15 - Sat Dec 31
Type of Event: Video Game
Venue: Virtual
Price: $5
Reference Link: https://bit.ly/PlagueDoctorGame
Description:
Athens, 430 BCE. Marseille, 1720. Philadelphia, 1918. Louisville, 2020. In this first-person narrative game, explore four deadly epidemics and the choices that save—or cost—the lives of countless people. A gripping story of greed, compassion, and courage in times of crisis.
Unscripted
Directed by: curated by Erica Denise
Actors Theatre of Louisville
Louisville
Event Date(s): Fri Sep 03 - Sat Dec 31
Type of Event: Conversation Series
Venue: Virtual
Price: $Free with Membership
Reference Link: https://www.actorstheatre.org/unscripted/
Description:
Launched in 2020 as a series of live broadcasts, this responsive discussion series brings together panelists across the community to investigate an array of topics—from the protests and reckoning with systemic racism in Louisville to questions of equity in the American theatre.
Still Ready: Originals
By: Created and performed by Christina Acosta Robinson and Ken Robinson
Directed by: Robert Barry Fleming
Actors Theatre of Louisville
Louisville
Event Date(s): Mon Sep 27 - Sat Dec 31
Type of Event: Musical Celebration of Black Artistry
Venue: Virtual
Price: Pay what you choose, starting at $10
Reference Link: https://www.actorstheatre.org/shows/2020-2021/still-ready/
Description:
Still Ready shares the creative partnership between the Robinsons, together for more than a decade. Blending Ken’s gorgeous musical compositions and Christina’s stunning artwork and poetry, this production celebrates love, joy, and expansive Black artistry.
Romeo & Juliet: Louisville 2020
By: William Shakespeare
Directed by: Robert Barry Fleming
Actors Theatre of Louisville
Louisville
Event Date(s): Wed Sep 01 - Sat Dec 31
Type of Event: Digital play
Venue: Virtual
Price: Pay what you choose, starting at $10
Reference Link: https://https://www.actorstheatre.org/shows/2020-2021/romeo-juliet-louisville-2020/
Description:
A global pandemic and social unrest embroil the nation in conflict as the children of sworn enemies dare to imagine a world where hearts are not ruled by hatred. This interpretation explores the divisions that animate contemporary culture — and the tragic costs of intolerance.
Ali Summit
By: Idris Goodwin
Directed by: Robert Barry Fleming in collaboration with Crux Cooperative, with graphic art by Andy Perez
Actors Theatre of Louisville
Louisville
Event Date(s): Thu Sep 02 - Sat Dec 31
Type of Event: Play and virtual reality experience
Venue: Virtual
Price: Pay what you choose, starting at $10
Reference Link: https://www.actorstheatre.org/shows/2020-2021/ali-summit/
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Description:
Inspired by the 1967 summit of prominent Black athletes who met to question Muhammad Ali about his conscientious objection to military service, this project is a collaboration between Idris Goodwin, Robert Barry Fleming, and the extended reality storytellers of Crux Cooperative.
COVID Classics: One-Act Plays for the Age of Quarantine
By: Guillaume Apollinaire, Anton Chekhov, Luigi Pirandello, August Strindberg, and Thucydides
Directed by: Robert Barry Fleming
Actors Theatre of Louisville
Louisville
Event Date(s): Thu Sep 02 - Sat Dec 31
Type of Event: Streaming Short Plays
Venue: Virtual
Price: $Pay What You Choose Starting at $10
Reference Link: https://www.actorstheatre.org/shows/2020-2021/covid-classics/
Description:
Reimagining works by master dramatists—and the first surrealist—this vibrant assortment of short plays brings together tales from trailblazing writers whose creative experiments redefined the possibilities of theatre in moments of seismic change.
The Yellow Wallpaper
By: Adapted from Charlotte Perkins Gilman
Directed by: Cinematography and editing by Christopher Gerson, with associate producing by Tarah Flanagan and costume coordinator by Margaret E Weedon
Actors Theatre of Louisville
Louisville
Event Date(s): Thu Sep 02 - Sat Dec 31
Type of Event: Animated play
Venue: Virtual
Price: Pay What You Choose Starting at $10
Reference Link: https://www.actorstheatre.org/shows/2020-2021/the-yellow-wallpaper/
Description:
Cut off from intellectual stimulation and coddled by her doctor husband, a woman with a “nervous condition” begins to notice troubling things hiding in the bedroom wallpaper. This animated suspense-thriller breathes new life into Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s feminist masterpiece.
Okolona Habla (okolona speaks)
By: Marcos Morales
Directed by: performed by Alexa Echeverria, Marcos Morales, and Sassa Rivera
Actors Theatre of Louisville
Louisville
Event Date(s): Fri Sep 03 - Sat Dec 31
Type of Event: Streaming Spoken Word Performance
Venue: Virtual
Price: $Free with Membership
Reference Link: https://www.actorstheatre.org/shows/2020-2021/okolona-habla/
Description:
It’s political. It’s hopeful. Written by poet Marcos Morales, Okolona Habla (okolona speaks) is a bilingual exploration of being a child of immigrants in Louisville, Ky. This event celebrates remembering where you came from and claiming space where you are.
Fix It, Black Girl
By: Hannah L. Drake
Directed by: Performed by Erica Denise, Hannah L. Drake, Janelle Renee Dunn, Robin G, Sujotta Pace, and Kala Ross
Actors Theatre of Louisville
Louisville
Event Date(s): Fri Sep 03 - Sat Dec 31
Type of Event: Performance
Venue: Virtual
Price: Free with Membership
Reference Link: https://www.actorstheatre.org/shows/2020-2021/fix-it-black-girl/
Description:
Hannah L. Drake, nationally recognized poet and author, presents an original curation of spoken word poetry, essay, and song. Performed by Drake and other Louisville artists, this virtual event celebrates resilience and the power generated by collective action.
Louisville Sessions
By: sessions by Bridge 19, Chanson Calhoun, Coyia, JONJOHN, Rob Lee, Sasha Renee, Kiana & the Sun Kings, Tez of 2Deep, Tiny Tiny, and Unusual Heat
Actors Theatre of Louisville
Louisville
Event Date(s): Fri Sep 03 - Sat Dec 31
Type of Event: Music Series
Venue: Virtual
Price: $Free with Membership
Reference Link: https://www.actorstheatre.org/louisville-sessions/
Description:
This series celebrates the vast sound, feel, and artistry of Kentucky’s dynamic music scene. Each session features a local band or solo artist responding to the moment through an original song and video. The first 10 sessions are available to watch in our Member Library.
Borrowed Wisdom With Robert Barry Fleming
By: featuring guests from many different disciplines
Directed by: Robert Barry Fleming
Actors Theatre of Louisville
Louisville
Event Date(s): Fri Sep 03 - Sat Dec 31
Type of Event: Podcast
Venue: Virtual
Price: $Free with Membership
Reference Link: https://www.actorstheatre.org/borrowed-wisdom/
Description:
Theatre is an inherently interdisciplinary craft, and Robert Barry Fleming, Actors Theatre’s executive artistic director, finds inspiration everywhere. In each episode, he talks with an unrivaled expert in their field, full of ideas, strategies, and challenges around their work.
Minnesota
The North Star
By: Peter H. Reynolds
Directed by: Sandy Boren-Barrett and Ann Marie Omeish
Stages Theatre Company
Hopkins
Event Date(s): Fri Jan 14 - Mon Feb 13
Type of Event: Musical
Venue: Stages Theatre Company
Price: $14-16
Reference Link: https://www.stagestheatre.org/north-star/
Description:
From the award-winning author of The Dot and Ish comes an encouraging tale of self-determination, creativity, and hope. Chart a meaningful path through constellations, in collaboration with Escalate Dance.
New-York
Until the Flood
By: Dael Orlandersmith
Directed by: Neel Keller
Rattlestick Playwrights Theater
New York
Event Date(s): Sun Nov 15 - Sun Oct 15
Type of Event: Virtual Screening of Recorded Live Performance
Venue: All Arts TV
Price: $Free
Reference Link: https://allarts.org/programs/all-arts-performance-selects/until-the-flood-wtcesv/
Description:
Writer-performer Dael Orlandersmith’s one-woman show explores Ferguson following the 2014 shooting of Michael Brown. Based on extensive interviews, this theatrical event gives voice to a community grappling with injustice and yearning for change.
South-Carolina
Educating Rita
By: Willy Russell
Directed by: Maggie Kettering
Lean Ensemble Theater
Hilton Head Island
Event Date(s): Thu Dec 08 - Sun Dec 18
Type of Event: live theater
Venue: HHPS Main Street Theatre
Price: $15-45
Reference Link: https://leanensemble.org
Description:
Frank is a tutor of English in his 50s whose disillusioned outlook on life drives him to drink and bury himself in his books. Enter Rita, a forthright 26-year-old hairdresser eager to learn.
Virginia
Holiday Inn
By: Book by Gordon Greenberg Chad Hodge music and lyrics by Irving Berlin
Directed by: TBA
Mill Mountain Theatre
Roanoke
Event Date(s): Wed Nov 30 - Fri Dec 23
Type of Event: Musical
Venue: Trinkle MainStage
Price: $
Reference Link: https://millmountain.org/production/holiday-inn-2/
Description:
Based on the 1942 Paramount Pictures film of the same name, Irving Berlin’s Holiday Inn tells the story of Jim, who leaves behind the bright lights of show business to settle down in a small farmhouse in Connecticut.
Washington
A Christmas Carol
By: Adapted by Aaron Lamb from Charles Dickens
Directed by: Aaron Lamb
Harlequin Productions
Olympia
Event Date(s): Fri Nov 25 - Sat Dec 31
Type of Event: Play
Venue: The State Theater
Price: $25-$49
Reference Link: https://harlequinproductions.org/show/a-christmas-carol-2/
Description:
Join us for a holiday classic that’s sure to please with a healthy dose of holiday cheer and the kind of ghostly special effects that only Harlequin can deliver. Grab the family, order a toasty warm cider (or a hot-buttered rum), and join us for true holiday spirit.
