The Education of Ted Harris

September 12-28, 2019

Written by Jamie Knox

Directed by Stephanie Hickling Beckman

The 2019-2020 season opens with a world premiere by Asheville-based playwright Jamie Knox. A family struggles, each in their own way, to deal with a matriarch’s illness. Long-buried secrets come to light as family members are forced into close proximity. Told through flashbacks and in real time, this provocative piece of storytelling explores issues around consent, physical intimacy, and emotional intimacy.

The Education of Ted Harris is a world premiere.

With Jim Abbott, Kaelyn Brandt, Daniel Henry, Anna Lyles, Alexandra McPherson, David Mycoff, Samantha Spiegel

Performed Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at 7:30 pm in the new Tina McGuire Theatre at The Wortham Center for The Performing Arts (18 Biltmore Avenue, Asheville NC 28801).

Mixed Fandango

November 7-23, 2019

Written by Travis Lowe

Directed by Stephanie Hickling Beckman

An original play by one of Asheville’s most-produced new playwrights, Travis Lowe, Mixed Fandango celebrates the unique-yet-universal aspects of romantic love. Three couples confront family, relationships, and loss in the days before Thanksgiving; but things get complicated as this structurally unique play mixes and matches lovers!

Says Playwright Travis Lowe, “The overarching point is to illustrate that love is love is love, by showing that people can and do love each other in common ways regardless of their sex, race, age, nationality, creed, etc. At its heart, [the play] is a love story (or three) and a bit of a fun Rubik’s cube.”

Mixed Fandango is a world premiere. With Aaron Ybarra, Molly Graves, Emmalie Handley, Jason Williams, Phillipe Coquet, and David Mycoff.

Performances are Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 7:30pm in the new Tina McGuire Theatre at The Wortham Center for The Performing Arts (18 Biltmore Avenue, Asheville NC 28801).

Love! Valour! Compassion!

Postponed due to COVID-19

Written by Terrence McNally

Directed by Stephanie Hickling Beckman

Winner of the 1995 Tony Award for Best Play, Love! Valour! Compassion! explores the lives, loves, and fears of eight gay men in the 1990s. Over the course of three holiday weekends, the men’s conversations touch on themes of infidelity, flirting, AIDS, skinny-dipping, and questions about life and death. By turns soul-searching and hilarious, the play sings with truth.

Writes McNally, “I think I wanted to write about what it’s like to be a gay man at this particular moment in our history. I think I wanted to tell my friends how much they’ve meant to me. I think I wanted to tell everyone else who we are when they aren’t around.”

“[…]his most ambitiously unambiguous gay play, and it speaks difficult truths with acid grace and all those generous words exclaimed in his title.” —New York Newsday

Love! Valour! Compassion! was the first show ever produced by Different Strokes! We re-visit it now in celebration of our 10-year anniversary!

This production has been postponed due to COVID-19 and will be presented as part of our 2020-21 season.

Frozen

Cancelled due to COVID-19

Written by Briony Lavery

Directed by Ashleigh Millett-Goff

Ten-year-old Rhona is missing. Her mother, Nancy, is frozen with fear and hope. When New York psychiatrist Agnetha arrives to research her thesis: “Serial Killing—A Forgivable Act?” she puts lives back into motion. Drawn together by horrific circumstances, a victim’s mother, a murderer, and a researcher undergo a dark journey which ultimately culminates in light. Angry, humane and compassionate, Frozen explores humans’ capacity for forgiveness, remorse, and change–after an act that would seem to rule them out entirely.

With: Natasha Charles, Molly Graves, Skylar Goff

“…[a] fine play…so concentrated and unflinching that at times it takes your breath away.” —Observer (London).

 This production has been cancelled due to COVID-19.