The Ringgold Playhouse has announced the lineup for its 2020 season which will include four main stage productions and three Comedy Club events.
Now in its seventh season, TRP will look to capitalize on the success if its 2019 season with a new year full of comedy, drama, improvisation, and romance – all of which will be capped off with an American classic, said officials.
According to TRP Executive Director Adam Cook, the season will open with the romantic comedy, “Love/Sick” in February, and will follow with the stage adaptation of Stephen King’s “The Shawshank Redemption;” the summer comedy “Funny Little Thing Called Love,” a fall classic in Thornton Wilder’s “Our Town,” and will also continue to offer stand-up and improvisational comedy with the three Comedy Clubs.
“It’s going to be a big year and we’re extremely excited about all the things we’ve lined up for our season,” Mr. Cook said. “We’re doing some newer plays that have only been out there a few years, staging a theatre classic with ‘Our Town,’ and taking a chance on some darker content with ‘Shawshank. We always try to have nice blend so audiences get variety when they come see us.”
As for the Comedy Clubs, Mr. Cook says those events have been a huge hit with audiences since they started a couple of years ago.
“The Comedy Clubs have been great,” Mr. Cook said. “We had a lot of people in our company that were passionate about that concept when we started it three years ago, and the audiences have enjoyed them a lot as well. Not only does it give us something to offer between play productions, but it’s also a way for us to give actors with the improv or stand-up skill set the opportunity to perform those talents.”
Here is the season lineup and reviews:
LOVE/SICK, directed by Renee Lierow, will run for five total performances Feb. 13 – 16.
A darker cousin to Almost, Maine, John Cariani’s LOVE/SICK is a collection of nine slightly twisted and completely hilarious short plays. Set on a Friday night in an alternate suburban reality, this 85-minute romp explores the pain, joy, highs and lows of being in love. Full of imperfect lovers and dreamers, LOVE/SICK is an unromantic comedy for the romantic in all of us.
THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION, directed by Adam Cook, will run for five total performances April 30 and May 1-3.
When Andy Dufresne is convicted of murder and sentenced to life in the notorious Shawshank prison, he must find a way to keep himself and his hope alive by using his wits and forging friendships. Based on the novella by Stephen King, Shawshank brings the story of resilience made famous by the acclaimed film to the stage.
FUNNY LITTLE THING CALLED LOVE, directed by Kimberly Tyner Jones, will run for five total performances June 25, 26, 27, and 28.
This deliriously funny show from the writing team of Jones/Hope/Wooten is all about that four-letter word: L-O-V-E. Under a full moon on an impeccable night of romance, these four rollicking tales take audiences on an around-the-globe journey of unexpected hilarious twist and turns: A Texas car-selling Romeo juggling three fed-up Juliets, the Georgia Hallelujah Girls on an island getaway, sparks flying for two strangers at a rooftop London bistro, and finally a full-on mid-life crisis in Manhattan where an elaborate marriage proposal is the basis for non-stop hilarity. If love doesn’t conquer all, it will at least make your sides ache from laughter.
OUR TOWN, directed by Kelsea Rambin, will run for five total performances Aug. 27, 28, 29, and 30.
A landmark in American drama, Thornton Wilder’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Our Town tells the story of a small town, Grover’s Corners, New Hampshire, in order to tell us the story of every town, the whole world over. Narrated by the “Stage Manager”, we follow the Gibbs and Webb families, residents of Grover’s Corners, through twelve years of life changes -- from the mundane in Act I, “Daily Life,” to the romantic in Act II, “Love and Marriage,” to the devastating in Act III, “Death and Eternity.” Through the young lovers Emily and George, their strong and loving parents, and the many other Grover’s Corners’ locals, Wilder delivers universal truths about what it means to be human.
TRP COMEDY CLUBS
As has been the case over the past two seasons, TRP will continue to offer an alternative form of entertainment with its popular comedy clubs, which will feature nights of improvisation and stand-up comedy. The improv is created on the fly with assistance of and suggestions from the audience. The stand-up portion of each show will feature local, regional, and even national-touring comedians. The three comedy clubs will take place March 27, May 22 & 23 (during 1890s Day), and July 10.
As is the case every season, TRP offers season tickets to avid theatergoers, which allows audience members to see all the company’s shows at a discounted price.
“Our ticket prices aren’t terribly expensive to begin with – $10 general admission – but the season pass essentially gives the buyer admittance to two shows for free,” Mr.Cook said. “One of our Comedy Club events is free because it’s part of the 1890s Day Jamboree, so attending the four plays and two other Comedy Clubs would cost a person $60 over the course of the season; however, our season passes are $40, so it’s a great deal for anyone who plans on attending all our shows.”
The 2020 Season will open with “Love/Sick” on Thursday night, Feb. 13. Season and single show tickets can be purchased online at Eventbrite.com.
In 2019, “Moon Over Buffalo” was named TRP Production of the Year