3/8/19
While most plays we produce have been produced before, whether a Shakespeare play or contemporary Broadway or regional hit, once or twice each season, we premiere a brand new work. Often we have commissioned a playwright to write a play specifically fitting your resident acting company. The Song of Summer by Lauren Yee marks the 70th world premiere at Trinity Rep, and represents one of the more than a dozen plays we have commissioned over the past few years thanks to the support of The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust.
As a non-profit theater company, new play development is an important part of what we do — it is the research and development work of our company, and in some ways the commercial theater. Today theaters like Trinity Rep commission and develop most of the plays and musicals that find their way to Broadway and beyond. Each summer, Trinity Rep conducts workshop readings of each of the plays in our developmental pipeline, providing a valuable tool for playwrights to hear their work read aloud by professional actors. While we workshop as many as four or five scripts each year, ultimately only one or two may actually make it to our stages.
After a play premieres, a subsequent production is never guaranteed. To help assist plays gain subsequent productions, the National New Play Network, of which Trinity Rep is an Associate Member, promotes new plays around the country. We also share the script with other producers who may be interested. Some Trinity Rep premieres have had significant life beyond Providence, including last season’s hit Into the Breeches! by George Brant, which enjoyed four productions this season alone with others in the works.
We are excited to kick-off your 2019-20 Season with the much-anticipated premiere of one our recent commissions, the stage adaptation (also by George Brant) of the New York Times bestseller The Prince of Providence by Mike Stanton. Last year’s announcement of the commission alone gathered national news coverage, and we anticipate this production to be a blockbuster. The only way to guarantee your tickets to this sure to sell out hit is to subscribe to the full 2019-20 Season.
Next season’s lineup (more about that later) is packed with a mix of drama, comedy, classics, and music that is sure to surprise, delight, and entertain. There is something for everyone. From a Pulitzer Prize winner, to innovative adaptations, to the Tony Award-winning musical that won Trinity Rep resident designer Eugene Lee his second Tony Award 40 years ago, the diversity of styles reflects the variety our audiences love. You will not want to miss it! If you have not yet renewed or purchased your subscription for next season, I encourage you take advantage of our low subscription prices, beginning at only $114 for six plays. That’s less than the price of a single Broadway ticket, and it’s like getting six plays for the price of four — or two plays free. In addition to guaranteeing yourself memorable evenings out and saving up to 33% off, as a full season subscriber, you get the best prices; the best seats; money-saving restaurant and parking discounts; exchange privileges; advanced, discounted access to A Christmas Carol; and a host of other great benefits. Performances will sell out, so subscribe today!
It’s an exciting time to be a part of Trinity Rep, and we thank you for joining us.
Tom Parrish
Executive Director
