Dreamcatcher Repertory Theatre’s new season brings two recent Off-Broadway successes to the stage in South Orange. As always, the theater tells stories that reflect our shared experience of being human with heart and humor. Dreamcatcher, in its sixteenth season, is the professional theater-in-residence at the Baird Center of South Orange and a senior member of the New Jersey Theatre Alliance.
This year, the Dreamcatcher Resident Acting Company and its guests will present two mainstage productions, two improvisational comedy nights, two new play readings, one holiday variety show, and one Dreamcatcher Junior show, our annual production for families.- Kicking off the season is Multiple Personality Disorder, Dreamcatcher’s improvisational comedy troupe, on Saturday, September 25. At this first presentation, season passes will be available for the entire season, and the ticket price for the improv show can be applied to the cost of a pass. This popular event will also be held in the spring on Saturday, April 9, and can be enjoyed by the whole family.
- Dreamcatcher’s fall mainstage production is the New Jersey premiere of a play by Melissa James Gibson entitled This. This is the moment in time in which Jane, Marrell, Tom and Allan find themselves: the passage into a new phase of their lives. A spouse has been lost to illness, romance has been lost to parenthood and the old friends’ relationships are stretched to the limit. In its 2009 premiere, the New York Times said the “dialogue sparkles with exchanges as truthful as they are clever,” and called it the “best new play to open Off-Broadway this fall." This will open on October 29 and will play until November 14.
- On December 3 and 4, Dreamcatcher will present A Very Special (Holiday) Special, a unique and affectionate send-up of traditional television holiday variety shows. This Very Special Special will include holiday songs, comic sketches and improv, and lots of good old-fashioned fun.
- Dreamcatcher will present its second mainstage production in March, the New Jersey premiere of Lisa Loomer’s 2009 hit comedy Distracted. In the play, a suburban mother and father find that their rambunctious nine-year-old may have Attention Deficit Disorder. As his parents navigate the complicated world of medical and alternative treatments, they confront the possibility that it’s not just Jesse that’s distracted: it’s our entire culture. As funny as it is relevant, the Associated Press called it "a smartly comic, sharply observant and surprisingly humane play,” and the reviewer from Time Out New York proclaimed it “my favorite comedy of the year!” Distracted plays March 4 through 20.
- In the spring, two Meet the Artist free new play readings will be held on May 11 and 25, thought-provoking experiences which include the opportunity for audience discussion with the writer, director and actors after the performance.
- After its month-long Summer Theatre Conservatory for students aged 10-17, Dreamcatcher will present its annual DREAMCATCHER JUNIOR production on July 29, an original family show that always draws on the creativity of its young actors to shape the piece. Each year, the youth company creates a one-of-a-kind piece that ranges from fairy tale quest to Shakespeare adaptation to musical revue.
Season passes may be purchased that provide substantial discounts to all events, and special rates for groups are also available. FIRST FRIDAY, the first performance of each mainstage show, costs only $10 for students, and SENIOR SUNDAY, the first matinee performance of each mainstage show, costs only $10 for seniors. The theater at The Baird is wheelchair accessible, and such access services as large print scripts, assistive listening devices, audio description and open captioning will be available by prior arrangement throughout the season.
Performances are at 8 PM in the third-floor theatre at the Baird Center, 5 Mead Street, South Orange, NJ 07079. For more information and tickets for any of Dreamcatcher Repertory Theatre’s programs, please call 973.378.7754, ext. 2228, and visit http://www.dreamcatcherrep.org./
