Artists Rep’s 30th Anniversary Season to Inclue SEVEN GUITARS, SHERLOCK HOLMES CHRISTMAS CAROL

Artists Repertory Theatre announces its 2012/13 season's play selections: And So It Goes… by Aaron Posner, adapted from Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.; Seven Guitars by August Wilson; Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Christmas Carol by John Longenbaugh; The Lost Boy by Susan Mach; Red Herring by Michael Hollinger; The Invisible Hand by Ayad Akhtar; Ten Chimneys by Jeffrey Hatcher; and the Fowler-Levin Prize Award-winning New Play Commission by Andrea Stolowitz.

This is Producing Artistic Director Allen Nause's last year at the helm of play selection after 25 years. "This is a season with a lot of heart," Nause says. "This season continues Artists Rep's commitment to new, challenging, vibrant work with three world premieres along with West Coast and Portland premieres. We continue our journey exploring the human condition, the human heart, with plays set over the course of a century, through these eight, distinct, quintessentially 'Artists Rep' premiere plays."

THE 2012-13 30^th ANNIVERSARY SEASON at ARTISTS REPERTORY THEATRE

AND SO IT GOES… by Aaron Posner, adapted from Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.

SEVEN GUITARS by August Wilson

SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE CASE OF THE CHRISTMAS CAROL by John Longenbaugh

THE LOST BOY by Susan Mach

Red Herring by Michael Hollinger

THE INVISIBLE HAND by Ayad Akhtar

TEN CHIMNEYS by Jeffrey Hatcher

THE FOWLER-LEVIN PRIZE AWARD-WINNING NEW PLAY COMMISSION by Andrea Stolowitz

And So It Goes… by Aaron Posner, adapted from Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.

Sept 4 – Oct 7

Can we ever protect ourselves from the idiocy of our hearts?

Down a well-worn path, hand-in-hand, take a walk…through leaves and over bridges, breathe in the soul's seductive moments of mythological small-town America. It's 1962 New England when we join Tom, our 'Homo Eros' tour guide, for a stroll with a host of hearts just like our own. Along the circuitous course of Love we travel with our new friends hoping to catch a genuine glimpse of humankind's most elusive sentiment in the wonderfully flawed characters muddling along before us. This quirky love letter to the human race flows from Vonnegut's first collection Welcome to the Monkey House.

World Premiere.

Seven Guitars by August Wilson

Oct 9 – Nov 11

Is where you are ever where you hoped you'd be?

The rhythm of 1948 Pittsburgh comes to life with August Wilson's seven African American characters whose backyard chords and Chicago dreams play out a yearning whisper and an indignant refrain.  Buried romance, resentments and aspirations are unearthed in these everyday lives much like epic lyrics to a moving story. The rooster crows for justice, the musicians weave like boxers as hope, pride and desperation partner to waltz away the American Dream. Seven Guitars is the sixth play in August Wilson's set of 10 plays exploring the African-American experience in the 20th Century. Part of the Red Door Project's August Wilson Festival.

Portland Premiere. 

Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Christmas Carol by John Longenbaugh

Nov 27 – Dec 23

Will Sherlock Holmes crack his own case?

Our favorite quirky, Scrooge-infused inquisitor and his host of supernatural visitors returns this holiday season with the hit holiday show crafted by Seattle veteran playwright John Longenbaugh.  In this caper through time, Dr. Watson rallies to cheer Holmes into celebrating the holiday season but the unrepentant, ill-tempered detective resists until he is forced to deduce the facts and solve the most important mystery of his own life – past, present and future.

Special addition! Not included in regular subscription programming.

Holiday Show. 

The Lost Boy by Susan Mach

Jan 8 – Feb 10

In a culture of fear and exhibitionism, who preys upon whom?

A 4 year-old boy is snatched and ransomed by down-on-their-luck roustabouts. His father, the police and P.T. Barnum attempt to outsmart the captors using newspaper headlines, trains and death-defying trickery, while a mother mourns what she has lost.  Meanwhile, Tiny Tim, the Strong Man, a trapeze artist and a Circassian psychic create their own acts at the boy's expense. Loosely based on true story, this media frenzy and entertainment spectacle of 1874 is a tightrope mystery where a boy's life hangs in the balance amid the self-serving interests of white collars and circus-folk vying for the upper hand.

World Premiere.

Red Herring by Michael Hollinger

Feb 12 – Mar 17

If you pay attention, will the clues lead you in the right direction?

Replete with farcical spy antics and ill-fitting shoes, something smells fishy in this comedic noir fable. A pulpy delight awaits with Commie spies afoot, the H-bomb looming and McCarthy's detective daughter is hot on the trail of a fog-filled murder case.  As the knots of three convoluted relationships tie and fray, the plot-crossed lovers in this 1950s espionage bumble, subvert and strategize their way to finding each other, eventually unraveling their tryst into a riotous, inescapable tangle.

Northwest Premiere.

The Invisible Hand by Ayad Akhtar

Mar 26 – Apr 28

When ethics crouch in crisis, do the ends justify the means?

This riveting, modern-day play exposes that the ability to reach in and manipulate market outcomes for money, ideology and power could be the ultimate mechanism for total control. When a futures trader is kidnapped in Karachi, Pakistan, his desire for self-preservation is tapped by his savvy guard who demands to be tutored in market trading skills. Tense scenarios unfold as the trader works to earn his release but unwittingly hands the tools for financial chaos and political vindication to his captor.

West Coast Premiere. 

Ten Chimneys by Jeffrey Hatcher

Apr 23 – May 26

When life and theatre collide it is a beautiful thing, is it not?

This revealing comedy peers into the backstage lives of Broadway power-duo Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne in Jeffrey Hatcher's new play brimming with theatre lore. Set at the couple's legendary Wisconsin estate in the 1930s, love triangles and family dysfunction unfold when the rehearsal process for an upcoming production of Chekhov's The Sea Gull becomes a true-to-life plot. A heartwarming and hilarious look into a slightly warped mirror reflects the real depths of truth, loyalty and love in private lives behind the curtain.

West Coast Premiere. 

Fowler-Levin Prize Award-winning New Play Commission by Andrea Stolowitz

May 28 – Jun 30

How long does the battle continue after a soldier returns home?

With this newly commissioned play, Oregon playwright Andrea Stolowitz examines the coming home of two female Marines who served in Afghanistan. As the two undertake an Odyessian journey through the American landscape, they are forced to either face their demons or be consumed by them. Stolowitz's work draws from interviews with veterans and their families. In Fall 2011, Stolowitz was awarded the commission with this play concept. She will write and develop this timely piece as the final production of the 2012/13 Season.

World Premiere. 

The 2012/13 season is sponsored by the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation. Founded in 1982, Artists Repertory Theatre is the longest-running professional theater company in Portland. More information about Artists Rep can be found at www.artistsrep.org.