The 22nd season for the Off-Broadway company kicks off with a benefit readings series featuring Noël Coward's short play cycle Tonight at 8:30 (Aug. 15-29) and will also include lesser-produced classic works by William Wycherley and Friedrich Schiller.
The 2005-2006 Pearl lineup (subject to change) is as follows:
Pearl Theatre artistic director and founder Shepard Sobel stages the Ibsen drama about a great architect who fears the coming of the success of the next generation.
Gus Kaikkonen (I Have Been Here Before, Heartbreak House) directs the New York premiere of the 1672 work filled with "women who outpace men in wit and spunk, and children who outmaneuver their elders. Add to this fancy dancing, swordplay, and a healthy sprinkling of ribaldry for the full Restoration recipe" of Wycherley's satire.
Sobel also directs this Euripides classic about the titular proud Trojan queen who seeks out vengeance for the murder of her daughter.
Beatrice Terry (Double Infidelity) stages the Bard's play in which a Duke whose city has turned to a virtueless society takes a break from his position, leaving a supposed principled man in his place, but instead of leaving town, disguises himself as a friar and watches as his city undergoes immorality laws.
Eleanor Holdridge (The Imaginary Invalid directs Schiller's drama which centers on the historic execution of Mary, Queen of Scots, by her cousin Queen Elizabeth. Pearl’s 2005-2006 resident acting company includes Rachel Botchan, Robin Leslie Brown, Joanne Camp, Dominic Cuskern, Dan Daily, Robert Hock, Sean McNall, Anna Minot, Carol Schultz, Edward Seamon and Scott Whitehurst.
The design team for the entire season will feature Susan Zeeman Rogers (set), Stephen Petrilli (lighting), Jane Shaw (sound) with costume design by Sam Fleming (The Master Builder), Devon Painter (The Gentleman Dancing-Master, Hecuba) and Frank Champa (Measure For Measure). The Mary Stuart costume designer is to be announced.
Tickets to the new season at The Pearl, performing at Theatre 80, 80 St. Marks Place (at First Ave.), are available by calling the box office at (212) 598-9802. For more information, visit www.pearltheatre.org.