McCarter
Announces 2024-2025 Theatre Series
Duel Reality by The 7
Fingers.
Artistic Director Sarah Rasmussen and
Executive Director Martin Miller today announced McCarter Theatre
Center’s 2024-2025 Theatre Series, including a gravity-defying spectacle, an
engrossing true story from Moisés Kaufman and the legendary Tectonic Theater
Project, two comedies making their New Jersey premiere, and a much-anticipated,
world-premiere musical. The company returns to a full five-play offering
for the first time since the 2019/20 Season. Also returning as a season add-on
is McCarter’s annual holiday production of A Christmas Carol.
“We are delighted to share
our epic, boundary-breaking new season of unforgettable theatre at McCarter,”
said Sarah Rasmussen, Artistic Director. “Our adventure begins with the world
premiere of Empire Records, a new comedic musical based on the ‘90s
cult-classic film. This high-energy debut is already generating national buzz.
Next, Montreal-based circus collective The 7 Fingers—the celebrated breakaway
group from Cirque de Soleil, whose work is represented on Broadway right now
with the Critics’ Pick, Water for Elephants, and renowned for their Tony
Award-winning work on the 2013 revival of Pippin—presents their new Romeo
& Juliet-inspired Duel Reality. In January, we’ll host Tectonic
Theater Project’s visceral new work Here There Are Blueberries. The
season concludes with two brilliant comedies, Legacy of Light by Karen
Zacarías—set right here in Princeton— and the inventive and kind-hearted Primary
Trust, by Eboni Booth.”
Executive Director, Martin
Miller adds, “It is exhilarating to partner with artistic juggernauts like The
7 Fingers and Tectonic Theater Project, as well as some of the nation’s most
celebrated playwrights. Each partnership, each production, and each premiere
allow us to push the boundaries of storytelling and innovation, reflecting
McCarter's commitment to excellence and our passion for bringing extraordinary
live theatrical experiences to our community and region.”
Subscriptions
to McCarter’s 2024-2025 Theatre Series for new and returning subscribers are
now available at McCarter.org or by calling Patron Services at 609-258-2787.
Subscribers save 20% on tickets and receive benefits like free exchanges,
exclusive pre-sale access, and preferred seating.
World Premiere Musical
EMPIRE RECORDS
Music & Lyrics by Zoe Sarnak
Book by Carol Heikkinen
Choreographed by
Ellenore Scott
Directed by Trip Cullman
September 6 – October 6, 2024
Berlind Theatre
Overflowing with optimism, ‘90s counterculture, rooftop dancing,
and the spirit of punk rock, Empire Records tells the story of a band of
idealistic misfits fighting to save their beloved record store from a corporate
takeover. With tactics ranging from desperate to dangerous, the team comes
together during a visit by over the hill pop star Rex Manning to discover the
true value of friendship, love, and music—all in one extraordinary,
unforgettable day.
With music and lyrics by Jonathan Larson Award-winner and
Princeton native Zoe Sarnak and a book by original screenwriter Carol
Heikkinen, Empire Records is directed by Trip Cullman (Broadway’s Choir
Boy, Lobby Hero), choreographed by Ellenore Scott (Broadway’s Funny Girl),
and produced by special arrangement with Bill Weiner, Hunter Arnold and Cody
Lassen.
DUEL REALITY
by The 7 Fingers
October 9 – 13, 2024
Matthews Theatre
An epic, cirque-infused performance that dazzles the senses and
stirs the heart. Inspired by Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet, two
feuding families engage in a battle of skill, each competition more daring than
the last – while a pair of star-crossed lovers struggles to escape the
showdown. Exhilaration and danger provide a thrilling backdrop to The 7
Fingers’ one-of-a-kind daredevil theatrical extravaganza. For all
ages.
HERE
THERE ARE BLUEBERRIES
by
Moisés Kaufman & Amanda Gronich
Conceived
and Directed by Moisés Kaufman
January
24 – February 9, 2025
Matthews
Theatre
Hailed
as the “best theatre of the year” (Los Angeles Times) this celebrated
new production from Tony-nominated director Moisés Kaufman and the Tectonic
Theater Project (The Laramie Project), comes to Princeton with this
unmissable, two-week-only engagement.
In
2007, a mysterious album featuring Nazi-era photographs arrived at the desk of
a U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum archivist. As curators unraveled the shocking
truth behind the images, the album soon made headlines and ignited a debate
that reverberated far beyond the museum walls. Based on real events, Here
There Are Blueberries tells the story of these historical photographs—what
they reveal about the perpetrators of the Holocaust, and our own humanity.
LEGACY
OF LIGHT
by Karen Zacarías
Directed by Sarah Rasmussen
March 20 – April 6, 2025
Matthews Theatre
What is the science of love? In Princeton, New Jersey, a brilliant
astrophysicist tries to become a mother. Meanwhile—300 years earlier in
France—a mathematician, scientist, and lover to Voltaire finds out she’s about
to become one. From the writer of Native Gardens and Destiny of
Desire, Legacy of Light is a bright and funny play about life, the
universe, and parenthood.
PRIMARY TRUST
by Eboni Booth
Directed by Timothy Douglas
Co-production with Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park
May 8 – 25, 2025
Berlind Theatre
A New York Times Critics Pick, hailed as a “a five-star,
exceptional, buffed-to-gleaming jewel” by the Daily Beast, this play
arrives fresh from its acclaimed, sold-out premiere. An absorbing and
open-hearted comedy about new beginnings, Primary Trust explores the
inner and outer lives of Kenneth, a dedicated loner with a passion for drinking
Mai Tais on weeknights. When he begins to face a world he’s long avoided, will
he have the courage to embrace a new start in life?
SEASON ADD-ON
A CHRISTMAS CAROL
By Charles Dickens
Adapted and directed by
Lauren Keating
December 10-29, 2024
McCarter's annual holiday
tradition returns with magic, music, and merriment for all. Follow Ebenezer
Scrooge on a fantastical journey through Christmases past, present and future
and enjoy this classic story as it comes to life around you. Create magical
memories with the ones you love as this festive spectacle ushers you into the
spirit of the season with all the delight, wonder, and generosity that Scrooge
himself discovers.
About McCarter
McCarter is one of the country's flagship theatres and a vibrant
center for community and for the performing arts. Located on the campus of
Princeton University, the company is an independent nonprofit, serving as a
nationally renowned, multi-disciplinary creative hub of arts and ideas,
offering theatre, music, dance, spoken word, and educational programs for all
ages. A two-time Tony Award winner, McCarter’s legacy of artistic excellence
traces back to the theatre’s first performances in 1930. Thornton Wilder’s Our Town, Kaufmann & Hart’s You Can’t Take It with You, and
William Inge’s Bus Stop all had their premieres on the
McCarter stage, paving the way for a long history of collaborations with
playwrights to launch remarkable works that have gone on to tens of thousands
of performances reaching millions of audience members around the world. The company
is equally revered for presenting global artists on its stages, including Alvin
Ailey, Yo-Yo Ma, Samara Joy, Hasan Minhaj, Jon Stewart, Caetano Veloso,
Rhiannon Giddens, Patti Smith, Esperanza Spalding, Lake Street Dive, and Herbie
Hancock, among many others. Of the 100,000 community members who directly
participate in the company’s work every year, more than 5,000 are students
taking part in McCarter’s robust educational offerings in Princeton, Trenton,
and in schools throughout the region. McCarter leads with values of “justice
and joy, and beauty in belonging,” creating stories and experiences that
enliven minds, expand imaginations, and engage communities.