Architectural rendering courtesy of Clark Nexsen.
Different Strokes! Performing Arts Collective to be ‘Company in Residence’ at Wortham Center for the Performing Arts
The Wortham Center for the Performing Arts is excited to announce its partnership with new company in residence, Different Strokes! Performing Arts Collective. The local nonprofit theatre company will begin its residency in September 2019, kicking off its 2019/2020 Season at the Tina McGuire Theatre, the Wortham Center’s new black-box venue with tiered seating for 80-100 people. Since its inception in 2010, Different Strokes! has primarily produced performances at The BeBe Theatre on Commerce Street, but, in recent years, the company’s popularity prompted its need for a larger space.
“We are excited to engage with new audiences and to continue the dialogue surrounding our urgent need to embrace, understand and fully accept one another,” said Stephanie Hickling Beckman, managing artistic director at Different Strokes! “As a company in residence, Different Strokes! Performing Arts Collective looks
forward to maintaining the integrity of our mission, artistic independence and centralized ticket sales at affordable pricing, while introducing reserved seating, season pass availability, increased exposure, greater potential for community partnerships and an expanded production season.”
Over its last eight seasons, Different Strokes! has established a reputation around Asheville for producing provocative and entertaining theatre. Part of its mission is to advance and sustain equity within the Western North Carolina performing arts community by producing works that confront social challenges, and by donating a portion of ticket sales to local nonprofits working to advance equity, further education or improve the lives of Asheville citizens.
Hickling Beckman continued, “Among our many core beliefs, we believe the arts can be a catalyst for social change and transformation. Our shows will make you think, and they might make you laugh or cry. They may challenge your perspectives or uncover potential biases — they certainly will make you happy to have seen outstanding theatre.”
This residency partnership was made possible by the expansion of Diana Wortham Theatre, currently in the midst of its transformation from a single-stage entity to a three-venue performing arts complex. The new Wortham Center for the Performing Arts — comprising the Diana Wortham Theatre, the Tina McGuire Theatre, and the Henry LaBrun Studio — will open in September 2019 to coincide with the Wortham Center’s 2019/2020 Mainstage Season. “A resident theatre company is a first for our organization, and we’re thrilled to embark on this new project with Different Strokes! Performing Arts Collective,” said
Jared McEntire, community engagement director at the Wortham Center. “Overall, we hope that the facility expansion provides local performing artists the
opportunity to reach new heights, connect with new audiences, and benefit from new artistic opportunities.”
Different Strokes! 2019-2020 season begins with The Education of Ted Harris, by Jamie Knox, from Sept. 12-28. The season continues with Mixed Fandango, by Travis Lowe, from Nov. 7-23, Love! Valour! Compassion!, by Terrence McNally from March 26-April 11, 2020, and ends it with Frozen, by Bryony Lavery, from June 6-20, 2020. To read more about each of these productions, visit differentstrokespac.org. The Wortham Center for the Performing Arts will officially open in September 2019 at 18 Biltmore Avenue.
In January 2019, construction began at the current Diana Wortham Theatre — transforming the single-stage entity into a three-venue performing arts complex. The new Wortham Center for the Performing Arts will open in September 2019, with a grand opening celebration to coincide with the beginning of the theatre’s 2019/2020 Mainstage season. The theatre will remain open throughout the construction.