The Alliance Theatre, Atlanta’s biggest professional theater, announced Wednesday the nine productions it will present during the 2022-2023 season, which will include four premieres on two stages, the Coca-Cola Stage and the Hertz Stage.
“Our upcoming season is a celebration of joy, and all the varied places and circumstances in which we find it,” said artistic director Susan V. Booth.
Many of the live performances from this 54th season will be filmed and made available for streaming on the Alliance Theatre’s streaming platform, Alliance Theatre Anywhere.
A highlight of the new season will be the world premiere of the stage musical “Water for Elephants,” based on the novel by Sara Gruen. A film version of the novel, featuring Robert Pattinson and Reese Witherspoon, was released in 2011.
The musical features a book by Rick Elice, score by PigPen Theatre Co., and direction by Jessica Stone.
Credit: Joe Mazza Brave Lux Chicago
Credit: Joe Mazza Brave Lux Chicago
The new season will feature the following productions:
“The Incredible Book Eating Boy,” July 13-Aug. 14, on the Hertz Stage. This comedy, inspired by the children’s book by Oliver Jeffers, was written by Madhuri Shekar, with music by Christian Magby, lyrics by Christian Albright and direction by Jamil Jude.
Credit: Alliance Theatre
Credit: Alliance Theatre
“Everybody,” Sept. 2-Oct. 2, on the Coca-Cola Stage, is by Pulitzer Prize finalist and Obie Award winner Branden Jacobs-Jenkins. The play will be co-directed by Susan V. Booth and Tinashe Kajese-Bolden.
“A Christmas Carol,” Nov. 12-Dec. 24. This holiday favorite receives a new staging on the Coca-Cola Stage, and has been called “a nostalgic feast for the eyes.”
“Club Hertz Presents: A Gift of Love with Adam L. McKnight,” Dec. 7-23. Uplifting original songs and holiday classics performed by Adam L. McKnight will be presented on the Hertz Stage.
Credit: Alliance Theatre
Credit: Alliance Theatre
“The Hot Wing King,” Feb. 10-March 5, is the winner of the 2021 Pulitzer Prize for drama, and is described as “a fierce new comedy about the risks and rewards of celebrating who you are.” Written by Katori Hall, and, for the first time, directed by the playwright, it will be presented on the Coca-Cola Stage.
“The Many Wondrous Realities of Jasmine Starr-Kidd,” March 1-26, winner of the Alliance/Kendeda National Graduate Playwriting Competition, is a story about a 12-year-old computer genius. This world premiere will be presented on the Hertz Stage.
“The Boy Who Kissed the Sky,” April 1-16, 2023. Set in the heart of Seattle, the musical, to be presented on the Coca-Cola Stage, is inspired by the early life of musical icon Jimi Hendrix.
“Lonely Planet,” April 26-May 21, 2023, on the Hertz Stage. An intimate portrait of two friends navigating life at the height of an epidemic, this play was written 30 years ago but is particularly relevant today.
“Water for Elephants” is scheduled for next summer, in June and July of 2023, and will have its world premiere on the Coca-Cola Stage.
In addition to the nine productions mentioned above, the Alliance’s Bernhardt Theatre for the Very Young will produce four plays developed for Atlanta’s most youthful audience, newborns to age five, and their families.
Those plays will all be performed at the Selig Family Blackbox Theatre at the Alliance Theatre and they include:
“Do You Love the Dark?” a play about courage, Sept. 28-Nov. 16.
The holiday play “(Knock Knock),” Nov. 30-Dec. 23, created and directed by Olivia Aston Bosworth and Samantha Provenzano.
“All Smiles,” Jan. 25-March 5, created and directed by Tinashe Kajese-Bolden. Produced in partnership with the Marcus Center for Autism, this show explores how all smiles are different.
“The Lizard and El Sol,” March 15-April 30, 2023. Young audience members and their caregivers will help the tenacious Lizard find the sleepy El Sol and finally coax him out of his hiding place.
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