Bloomington Civic Theatre announces 2012-2013 season
Feb 11, 2012

Bloomington Civic Theatre (BCT) is pleased to announce its 2012-2013 season, featuring 5 musicals and three plays. On the Schneider Theater stage, BCT presents 42nd Street, directed and choreographed by Michael Matthew Ferrell; Sunday In The Park With George, directed by Karen Weber, Cabaret directed and choreographed by Joe Chvala; and On The Town , directed by Wendy Lehr and choreographed by Michael Matthew Ferrell. Anita Ruth will serve as musical director for all four productions. In the Black Box Theater, BCT will present A Few Good Men directed by Zach Curtis, the contemporary holiday musical Striking 12 directed by Christine Weber, Moonlight and Magnolias directed by Mary Cutler, and Art directed by Robert Neu.

42nd Street is an unforgettable, tap-dancing extravaganza; a big, bold dance musical set in 1933 that celebrates the stuff that dreams are made of. This is the story of hard work, being in the right place at the right time, talent and love. It focuses on the journey of aspiring chorus girl Peggy Sawyer in the ultimate show business fairy tale where a stage struck chorine becomes an overnight star. 42nd Street is a celebration of Broadway and the people involved. 42nd Street features music by Harry Warren, lyrics by Al Dubin, book by Michael Stewart & Mark Bramble, and is based on the Novel by Bradford Ropes. The show had original Directions and Dances by Gower Champion and was originally produced on Broadway by David Merrick. The use of all songs is by arrangement with Warner Bros., the owner of music publishers' rights. 42nd Street will run in the Schneider Theater August 17 through September 16, 2012.

A Few Good Men, presented in the Black Box Theater September 14 through October 7, 2012, is a well-known play-turned-film by Aaron Sorkin (writer of The West Wing and The American President), produced by special arrangement with Samuel French, Inc. New York City. You may be familiar with the movie starring Jack Nicholson, Demi Moore and Tom Cruise; now see the more powerful and more intimate, original stage play. A Few Good Men is based on a true story of military lawyers at a court-martial defending two U.S. Marines who were accused of murder - and in the process, uncover a high-level conspiracy.

Inspired by the painting "A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte" by Georges Seurat, Sunday In The Park With George is a deeply insightful and highly personal examination of life, the creation of art, and its lasting impact not only on its creators but future generations,. Shimmering with love and light, this unique, inventive musical is one of the most acclaimed shows of our time. After seeing the show, composer Leonard Bernstein wrote to his friend Stephen Sondheim, calling the show "brilliant, deeply conceived, canny, magisterial and by far the most personal statement I've heard from you thus far. Bravo." A book by James Lapine and music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim intertwine with Seurat's distinctive art to create a moving, poetic drama that explores the complexity of life and the art of understanding it. Sunday In The Park With George will be presented in the Schneider Theater October 19 through November 17, 2012.

Striking 12, a contemporary holiday musical based on Hans Christian Andersen's "The Little Match Girl," will run in the Black Box Theater November 30 through December 16, 2012. Created by Tony Award-winning writer Rachel Sheinkin (The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee), Striking 12 weaves a modern-day New Year's Eve into Anderson's classic fable. This unique hybrid of musical theatre and live concert tells the story of a grumpy, overworked New Yorker whose resolve to spend New Year's Eve alone crumbles when an unexpected visitor brings some much-needed cheer. The show springs to life through an eclectic score of new music with roots in classical, musical theater, jazz and rock. Striking 12 is by Brendan Milburn, Rachel Sheinkin, and Valerie Vigoda. The original New York City production was produced by Nancy Nagel Gibbs and Greg Schaffert. This piece was originally presented by Prince Music Theatre, Philadelphia, and subsequently produced at The Old Globe, San Diego, California. Striking 12 was developed at TheatreWorks, Palo Alto, California, and presented at the National Alliance for Musical Theatre's Festival of New Musicals in 2004.

Life in 1920s Berlin, like many other parts of the world, was a time of excess and carefree living. Take your seat at the Kit Kat Klub, the perfectly marvelous cabaret. Cabaret depicts the interlocking stories of a cabaret singer (Sally Bowles), a writer from America (Cliff Bradshaw), and the citizens of Berlin, all caught up in the swirling maelstrom of a changing society. As the Nazi party begins its rise to power in the 1930s, each character's life is deeply affected and each must decide how to respond to the political events happening around them. Sally and Cliff must each decide if they will abandon themselves to the pleasures of the cabaret, or open their eyes and face the coming storm. Cabaret runs in the Schneider Theater January 18 through February 17, 2013. Cabaret features a book by Joe Masteroff, based on the play by John Van Druten and the story Goodbye to Berlin by Christopher Isherwood. With music by John Kander and lyrics by Fred Ebb, The Broadway production of Cabaret was directed and produced by Harold Prince.

Witness the creation of one of the greatest movies ever made, Gone with the Wind, in the comedy Moonlight and Magnolias, March 1 through March 24, 2013 in BCT's Black Box theater. Famed Hollywood producer, David O. Selznick has shut down production of his new epic, Gone with the Wind: the script just doesn't work. His solution: Fire the director, pull director Victor Fleming off The Wizard of Oz, and lock himself, Fleming, and script doctor Ben Hecht in his office for five days until they have a screenplay. Moonlight and Magnolias recreates this comedic true story of the characters working through and acting out Margaret Mitchell's bestseller and in the process, making movie history. Moonlight and Magnolias is written by Ron Hutchinson, and was originally produced in New York City by the Manhattan Theatre Club on March 3, 2005, Lynn Meadow, Artistic Director; Barry Grove, Executive Producer. The World Premiere was produced by The Goodman Theatre, Chicago, Illinois on May 15, 2005, Robert Falls, Artistic Director; Roche Schulfer, Executive Director.

A classic American musical comedy, On the Town is one of Broadway's most energetic and inventive musicals. As three soldiers come to New York City on a whirlwind, one-day shore leave, On the Town follows their antics and exploits as they seek to experience and embrace life. Set against the backdrop of WWII and the soldiers' own uncertain futures, On the Town is an exuberant and poignant comedy. Experience Leonard Bernstein's first Broadway score the way it was meant to be: with full orchestration from BCT's live orchestra, large, energetic dance sequences and amusingly innovative sets. On The Town concludes the Schneider Theater season April 26 through May 26, 2013. On The Town features music by Leonard Bernstein, book and lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolf Green, based on an idea by Jerome Robbins.

Running in the Black Box Theater May 17 through June 9, 2013, Art is a play that poses the questions: 'what is art' and 'what is friendship?' The comedy concerns three long-time friends, Serge, Marc, and Yvan. Serge, indulging his penchant for modern art, buys a large, expensive, completely white painting. Marc is horrified, and their relationship suffers considerable strain as a result of their differing opinions about what constitutes "art". Yvan, caught in the middle of the conflict, tries to please and mollify both of them. Art is written by Yasmina Reza and translated by Christopher Hampton.

BCT's 2012-2013 season ticket renewal campaign will begin online March 30, by phone or in person March 31, and new season ticket subscriptions begin May 1. For more information about Bloomington Civic Theatre's current or upcoming season, visit www.bloomingtoncivictheatre.org or call 952-563-8575.

BCT is a program of the Bloomington Theatre and Art Center (BTAC), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization formed in 2009 from the merger of the Bloomington Civic Theatre and Bloomington Art Center. BTAC offers high quality theater productions, art education for children and adults, and visual arts exhibitions featuring the work of emerging and established artists from Minnesota and surrounding states.

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