americanrepertorytheater.org 2011/2012 SEASON


WELCOME TO SPRING AT THE A.R.T.!


I’m thrilled to introduce you to the last three shows of our 2011-2012 season, which will take you on a journey from Maoist China, to a Civil War battleground, and into the life-story of America’s most beloved folk music legend, Woody Guthrie. With gripping family narratives and iconic tunes, the spring months are brimming with unique theatrical experiences. The world premiere adaptation of Jung Chang’s celebrated memoir,


DIANE PAULUS, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR


DISCO VER HARVARD SQUARE


Nov. 25th – Dec. 31st SPARKLEFEST! A month-long Celebration of the Holiday Season


Wild Swans, will open in February, in a co-production with the Young Vic Theatre Company in London and the Actors Touring Company. A gut-wrenching chronicle of one family’s struggle during Mao’s Cultural Revolution, Wild Swans raises questions about how far we are willing to go to protect our family and our principles. As in last season’s “Bucky and Me” series that we organized around our acclaimed production, R. BUCKMINSTER FULLER: THE HISTORY (and Mystery) OF THE UNIVERSE, we look forward to using Wild Swans as an opportunity to open a larger conversation about the Cultural Revolution, its legacy, and China today. We are collaborating with the Fairbank Center at Harvard on an extensive discussion series that will feature historians, writers, sociologists, artists and actors. To learn more about this series, please visit americanrepertorytheater.org


March brings Brooklyn-based indie rock band The Lisps, and their


new “Civil War Sci-fi Musical,” FUTURITY, to OBERON. The story of one soldier’s dream to invent a machine that will bring world peace, FUTURITY defies all conventional definitions. Read on in this Guide for an interview with the band and OBIE Award-winning director Sarah Benson. Finally, the foot-stomping, toe-tapping, hootin’-and-hollerin’ musical


biography Woody Sez rounds out the season on the Loeb Mainstage. This celebration of American folk legend Woody Guthrie uses the singer’s own words and songs to carry the audience along his Dust Bowl journey from musical performer to political hero. After select performances, join the cast for a “hootenanny” on the patio of the Loeb Drama Center. What’s a hootenanny? Read on! Join us at the A.R.T. for a transporting and transformative spring.


Jan. 6th – Feb. 14th WINTER CARNIVAL


Jan. 27th – Jan. 29th 2ND ANNUAL CHOCOLATE FESTIVAL


Feb. 10th – Feb. 14th LOVIN’ THE SQUARE!


Mar. 1st – Mar. 31st WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH


April 28th 5TH ANNUAL BOOKISH BALL & SHAKESPEARE’S BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION


May 6th 29TH ANNUAL MAYFAIR (Rain date, May 20th)


and Harvard Square Shops, Restaurants, Hotels and Culture… www.harvardsquare.com


Harvard Square Business Association For more information about these events


A.R.T. GUIDE STAFF


Managing Editor Ryan McKittrick Features Editor Arthur Holmberg Senior Editors Brendan Shea, Grace Geller Graphic Designers Joel Zayac, Tak Toyoshima Contributors César Alvarez, Deborah Cunningham, Annie DiMario, Jenna Clark Embrey, Christopher H. Gibbs, Eli Keehn, Shira Milikowsky, Kenneth Molloy, Tyler J. Monroe


THE A.R.T. GUIDE


Custom publishing by Dig Publishing LLC 242 East Berkley St. 5th


Fl. Boston, MA 02118 For sales e-mail sales@digpublishing.com


Special thanks to Michael Maso, our colleague at the Huntington Theatre, whose video message inspired our winter cover. Scan this code to watch the video.


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Wild Swans


FUTURITY


Woody Sez


PHOTO: DARIO ACOSTA


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