Press Release: Cotuit Center for the Arts Announces another Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious season.

On the heels of their blockbuster 2018 season finale production of Mary Poppins, Cotuit Center for the Arts is proud to announce a season of programming and fundraising with a focus on dreaming, planning, imagining, and amplifying all art forms: visual, performing, and literary — in all of our theater, music, exhibition, education, and collaboration offerings.

Following another year of tremendous growth at Cotuit Center for the Arts, the 2019 season once again offers something for everyone. The Center will present seven Mainstage theatrical productions, including Of Mice and Men; the world premiere of A Talented Woman by Jim Dalglish and Linda Sturner; The Odd Couple; Much Ado About Nothing and Sweet Charity alternating weekends throughout the summer; Sweeney Todd; and White Christmas.

Concerts and special events include a third collaboration with the Cape Symphony presenting The Wizard of Oz in Concert; several co-productions with Payomet Performing Arts Center including An Evening with Judy Collins at Tilden Hall; more celebrity guest appearances in the Broadway@ series and perennial favorites including The Provincetown Jazz Festival, Cape Cod Chamber Music Festival, Brazen Belles Burlesque, Suede, Lee Squared, Art & Souls Masquerade Ball, Kentucky Derby Gala, CapeCodCAN, and many others.

For two weeks in August the Center will feature “We Are the Champions,” an original tribute to Queen, featuring the virtuosic band from last year’s hit spring musical Jesus Christ Superstar; and in September the Center will present the Cape Cod premiere of Black Inscription, a multimedia contemporary song cycle written by an impressive creative team lead by Carla Kihlstedt and Matthias Bossi, drawing on the most powerful aspects of rock, classical, and pop music.

Cotuit’s Black Box theater space will feature 12 exciting full productions including Weight of Silence, Constellations, Seminar, Rose, Handbag, Fully Committed, Brittany Loves Lucy, Theater Under the Stairs’ Family Friendly Production, Dark Night Cabaret, A Woman’s Heart, Flowers in the Desert, Lopsided, and I and You.

The 2019 “Second Wednesday Theater” ongoing series of free staged readings will include Here!, Lone Star/Laundry and Bourbon, Comedy of Errors, Survivor to Thriver, Star Wars Parody, 110 Stories, The Devil Inside, A Christmas Story, and a surprise movie musical singalong!

Gallery exhibitions include local and regional artists, the Center’s fourth Piece by Piece collaborative community large-scale art exhibition, a tribute to the renowned Joe’s Twin Villa titled Proud to be American by local artist Joe Diggs; Bon Appetit!, the annual Winter Art exhibition by the Arts Foundation of Cape Cod, and two exciting open juried exhibits: Serious Fun and Proud to be American.

The Center’s education and outreach programs will continue to grow, with over 160 classes and workshops offered throughout the year for students of all ages and abilities. Classes will include art, performance, dance and movement, music, photography, humanities, and more. The class catalog for the first several months of the year is already published on our website. Education offerings will be expanded as we utilize new classroom space in our “Schoolhouse” located behind the administration building, including summer theater offerings for kids and teens on the new outdoor teaching stage. In addition, the Center hopes to complete renovation of the old gas station into a Ceramics Studio by mid-year and begin offering a wide array of wheel, sculpture, and handbuilding clay classes. We will also launch a series of free workshops in 2019, generously funded by The Cooperative Bank of Cape Cod.

Highlights of the season include (and are subject to change):

THEATER:

Main Stage:

Of Mice and Men (January 24-February 10) by John Steinbeck. The story of George Milton and Lennie Small, two displaced migrant ranch workers, who move from place to place in California in search of new job opportunities during the Great Depression.

A Talented Woman (March 21 - April 7) by Jim Dalglish and Lynda Sturner. World Premiere Production. The story of a woman who, after her husband dies, discovers she’s spent most of her adult life living in a house of cards. Now she's destitute in a down economy. Her practical daughter – who has her own set of problems with an unemployed husband and hellion daughter – insists that she begin a new life of austerity and sacrifice.

The Odd Couple (April 11 - 27) by Neil Simon. This classic comedy centers around uptight, neat Felix Ungar and easygoing, disheveled Oscar Madison as new roommates.

Sweet Charity (June 19 - July 14) by Cy Coleman, Dorothy Fields and Neil Simon. Sweet Charity follows the romantic trials and tribulations of Charity Hope Valentine, “a girl who wanted to be loved.” Charity is a taxi dancer, a dance partner-for-hire at a seedy dance hall in New York City.

Much Ado About Nothing (June 26 - July 21) by William Shakespeare. The story of young lovers Hero and Claudio, soon to wed, conspire to get verbal sparring partners and confirmed singles Benedick and Beatrice to wed as well.

Sweeney Todd (October 10 - 27) by Stephen Sondheim. The unsettling tale of a Victorian-era barber who returns home to London after fifteen years of exile to take revenge on the corrupt judge who ruined his life.

White Christmas (November 26 – December 22) by David Ives and Paul Blake, with music by Irving Berlin. A musical based on the Paramount Pictures 1954 film of the same name. Features such classics as Happy Holidays, Sisters, Blue Skies, I Love a Piano, How Deep is the Ocean, I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm, and, of course, White Christmas.

The Black Box Theater in the Annex:

The Weight of Silence (January 10 - 27), written by Cheryl Allan Carlyle and presented by Anna Marie Johansen

Constellations (February 7 - 24), written by Nick Payne and presented by Jason Mellin

Seminar (March 7 - 24) written by Theresa Rebeck and presented by Alligator Watermelon

Rose (April 4 - 21), written by Laurence Leamer and presented by Linda Monchik

Handbag (May 26 - 29), written by Moira Buffini and presented by Marcus Liuzzi

Fully Committed (June 6 – 23), written by Becky Mode and presented by Ruthe Lew

Brittany Loves Lucy (July 11 - 28), written and presented by Brittany Halls

Family Oriented Production (August), written and presented by Holly Erin McCarthy

A Woman’s Heart (September 12 - 29), written and presented by Judith Partelow

Lopsided (October 10 - 27), written by EA Kafkalas and presented by Alligator Watermelon Theater Company

Flowers in the Desert (November 7 - 24), written by D.M. Larson and presented by Jade Schuyler

I and You (December 5 - 22), written by Lauren Gunderson and presented by Ryan Rudewicz

CONCERTS AND SPECIAL EVENTS:

January 19 • The Bruce Marshall Group

February 9 & 10 • The Wizard of Oz In Concert (With Cape Symphony)

February 15 • Best of the Woods Hole Film Festival

February 19 & 20 • Winter Magic with Rich Archer

February 22 • Best of the Woods Hole Film Festival

March 1 • Member’s Movie Night

April 20 • Ruby Rose Fox

April 28 • Andrea Baker

May 2 • UNBOUND III - ArtWeek MA

May 4 • 6th annual Kentucky Derby Gala

May 10 • Bob Dylan Birthday Bash

May 11 • Nancy Witter Mother’s Day Comedy Special

May 17 - 19 • Cape Cod CAN Musical Review

June 15 • Piece by Piece IV Art Installation

July 9 • Entertainment Tonight!

July 15 & 16 • FACB 2019: Still a Bitch

July 23 • Melissa Errico sings Sondheim

July 31 • A Night at the Disco

August 1 • The-Rip-It-Ups

August 2 • Sarah Swain and the Oh-Boys

August 3 • A Tribute to Joe’s Twin Villa

August 4 • Annual Member’s Summer Social

August 6, 13, 20 • Cape Cod Chamber Music Festival

August 8 - 18 • We are the Champions: A Tribute to QUEEN

August 19 • Provincetown Jazz Festival

August 21 • Broadway Backwards with Tedi Marsh and John Weltman

August 22 • Lee Squared: An Evening with Liberace and Miss Peggy Lee

August 23 & 24 • Suede

August 28 - 31 • Brazen Belles’ Burlesque Festival

September 7 • George Gritzbach Blues Band

September 11 - 15 • Black Inscription

November 1 • Dia De Les Muertos: the 19th Annual Art & Souls Masquerade Ball

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RECURRING EVENTS:

Cape Cod Drum Circle (1st Sunday of every month)

2nd Wednesday Theater (2nd Wednesday of each month), a free play-reading series

Wine and Music Wednesday (3rd Wednesday of each month), enjoy wine, live music, great art and scintillating conversation

Salon of Shorts (3^rd Wednesday of each month), an open-mic series of poetry, story, essay, song, performance art, dance, improv and stand-up

Drumming Through Trauma (ongoing Tuesdays)

Life Drawing (ongoing Tuesdays)

Sunday Morning Yoga (ongoing Sundays), in the gallery

What’s Your Story? (ongoing Saturdays), a writing gym for women

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Schedule subject to change - please check website for current information

For more information, visit www.artsonthecape.org or call 508-428-0669.

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