The Nevada Conservatory Theatre announces its 2016-17 season, which features Ayad Akhtar’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Disgraced; the family favorite musical Peter Pan, in a collaboration with Rainbow Company; and three inventive stage adaptations: Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility, Ovid’s Metamorphoses by Mary Zimmerman, and the hip-hop musical adapted from Shakespeare, The Bomb-itty of Errors, which paved the way for the hit musical Hamilton.
Christopher Edwards, NCT artistic director, describes the season as one that explores the ideas of freedom and of breaking from tradition. “These plays resonate with inventiveness, cultural significance, and youthful exuberance. It is a season for young and old alike, and I am excited for Las Vegans to share in what we have in store this year.”
The 2016-17 season offerings range from the fanciful family favorite Peter Pan, to the cultural turmoil of the Pulitzer Prize-winning drama Disgraced, to the serene poetry of body and language in Metamorphoses, a Tony-winning adaptation that breathes new life into Ovid’s masterpiece.
The season will continue to celebrate the anniversary of the death of William Shakespeare with two plays. First is the irreverent and hilarious Shakespeare shook up, hip-hop adaptation The Bomb-itty of Errors. It will be followed by an unsettling chamber production of Shakespeare’s Macbeth. All of this will be rounded out by a lively adaptation of Sense and Sensibility, which the New York Times describes as “Jane Austen for those who don’t usually like Jane Austen.”
Audiences will experience professional shows featuring the work of nationally recognized playwrights, directors, and actors supported by early career conservatory students — many of whom established themselves in the American theatre before pursuing further professional development at UNLV.
For tickets, visit the Nevada Conservatory Theatre website or call 702-895-ARTS (2787).
The 2016-17 season
The Bomb-itty of Errors
September 2-11
By Jordan Allen-Dutton, Jason Catalano, Gregory J. Qaiyum, Jeffrey Qaiyum, Erik Weiner
The Bomb-itty of Errors is an award-winning “Ad-Rap-Tation,” hip-hop theatre adaptation of Shakespeare's The Comedy of Errors. See what happens when a classic meets a rap concert. The play is refreshingly current but retains the integrity of Shakespeare’s original language with four actors and a live DJ on stage. For fans of Hamilton: Bomb-itty is the play for you!
Macbeth
October 14-30
By William Shakespeare
A Scottish general receives a supernatural prophecy that changes the course of his life. Driven by ambition to become King, Macbeth will kill anyone who gets in his way. Paranoia, deception and treachery consume Macbeth and his wife, as they come to terms with his inevitable fate.
Sense and Sensibility
December 2-17
Adapted from the novel by Jane Austen
By Kate Hamill
Sense and Sensibility is a youthful and lively new adaptation of Jane Austen’s beloved novel that recently was a hit Off-Broadway. The play follows the fortunes (and misfortunes) of the Dashwood sisters—sensible Elinor and sensitive Marianne—after their father’s sudden death leaves them financially destitute and socially vulnerable. When reputation is everything, how do you follow your heart?
Metamorphoses
February 17-26
By Mary Zimmerman
Based on Ovid's transformation myths, Metamorphoses subtly mixes the ancient stories of pathos and tragedy with contemporary language, humor, and thought. In a series of vignettes, the characters experience love and loss, joy and pain, as they discover the consequences of their own actions.
Disgraced
March 31-April 9
By Ayad Akhtar
Amir Kapoor is a successful Pakistani-American lawyer who is rapidly moving up the corporate ladder while distancing himself from his cultural roots. Emily, his artist wife is entranced and inspired by Islamic imagery. When the couple hosts a dinner party with another mixed-race couple, what starts out as a friendly conversation escalates into a damaging revelation of racial identity. Winner of the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
Peter Pan
April 28-May 14
Music by Mark "Moose" Charlap, with additional music by Jule Styne. Lyrics by Carolyn Leigh, with additional lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green
Based on the play by J. M. Barrie
Peter and his mischievous fairy sidekick Tinkerbell visit the nursery of the Darling children late one night and, with a sprinkle of pixie dust, begin a fantastical journey across the stars to Neverland. And so begins a series of adventures that excite the kid in all of us to “crow.” Bring the entire family to enjoy this first-ever collaboration between NCT and local children’s theatre, The Rainbow Company.
For tickets, visit the Nevada Conservatory Theatre website or call 702-895-ARTS (2787).
