The 2015-2016 Independence Studio on 3 season includes Pulitzer Prize-winner Donald Margulies’ daring tale of a high seas adventure, Shipwrecked! (October 6 – November 1); the humorous and surprising life story of Dr. Ruth Westheimer, Becoming Dr. Ruth (November 17 – December 27); Pulitzer Prize-winner Eugene O’Neill’s masterpiece, A Moon for the Misbegotten (January 12 – February 7); the Tony Award-winning Best Play celebrating artist Mark Rothko, Red (February 23 – March 20); and the hit musical celebration of true friendship with a star, Always…Patsy Cline (April 5 – July 3).
THE SEASON
The 2015-2016 season opens with Shipwrecked! An Entertainment – The Amazing Adventures of Louis de Rougemont (as Told by Himself) (October 6 – November 1). An old man hobbles onstage and declares, “I’m about to tell you a story. A fantastic and amazing story! A story all the more remarkable because every word of it is true.” So says Louis de Rougemont. His brave and amazing adventures left nineteenth-century England spellbound. Dare to be whisked away in this heroic tale of the high seas, filled with exotic islanders, flying wombats, giant sea turtles and a monstrous man-eating octopus! Inspired by a true story, Pulitzer Prize-winner Donald Marguiles’ Shipwrecked examines how far we're willing to blur the line between fact and fiction in order to leave our mark on the world.
Next up is the triumphant story of Karola Siegel, the girl that became “Dr. Ruth.” When she was very young, Karola was forced to leave her family and flee from the Nazis in the Kindertransport. With no home to return to after the war, she joined the Haganah in Jerusalem as a scout and sniper. She married, became a single mother and moved to America to pursue her dreams as Ruth Westheimer. Becoming Dr. Ruth (November 17 – December 27) is filled with the humor, honesty and life-affirming spirit of a girl who found her own unique place in this world as America’s most famous sex therapist.
The season continues with Eugene O’Neill’s A Moon for the Misbegotten (January 12 – February 7). On a Connecticut tenant farm, on a barren patch of earth in 1923, two lost souls find hope under a lover's moon. In Eugene O'Neill's touching and heartbreaking play, Josie Hogan is a boisterous woman with a quick tongue and a tarnished reputation. It's been a hard and lonely life, working the Tyrone farm with her bullying father. When James Tyrone Jr.'s mother dies, he returns to the farm to settle the estate. One night, under the autumn moon, he opens his heart to Josie. Sparks fly and hope burns anew as two “misbegotten” people come together. Philadelphia audiences can see the Walnut’s production here first, before its National Tour!
Winner of the Tony Award for Best Play, Red (February 23 – March 20) is a thrilling portrait of Mark Rothko. This brilliant abstract expressionist has just landed the biggest commission in the history of modern art. He has been chosen to create a series of murals for New York’s historic Four Seasons Restaurant. As classical music blasts from his record player, the painter works feverishly with his young assistant, mixing paints and building canvases. His creative process brings audiences an intense portrait of the artist, exposing his ambition and his vulnerability. Audiences will see this working visionary meet his match with the blank canvas. Will Rothko’s crowning achievement also be his undoing?
The 2015-2016 season finale is the fun-loving, crowd-pleasing musical, Always…Patsy Cline (April 5 – July 3). One day a voice from the television screen spoke to her. Louise Seger was hooked. Making a special trip to a honky-tonk bar in Houston, Texas, Louise met her idol, Patsy Cline. Here was a woman that gave her soul a voice. Over a pot of strong coffee, a friendship began that would last until Patsy’s untimely death in 1963. Through letters and visits, the two share the homespun stories of laughter and heartache that brought together a housewife and a legendary country singer. Always…Patsy Cline features 27 classic songs, including “Crazy,” “Walkin' After Midnight,” “I Fall to Pieces,” “Sweet Dreams,” “Back In Baby's Arms” and more.
SUBSCRIPTIONS
The only way to guarantee seats to the 2015-2016 season is to subscribe. Subscriptions for all five shows are available for as little as $65 ($13 per ticket). Single tickets are $30 - $40 each and go on sale on August 16, 2015. All show titles, dates and subscription prices are subject to change. For information on season subscriptions, call the Walnut at 215-574-3550 ext. 6 (10AM – 10PM) or visit our website at www.WalnutStreetTheatre.org.