Gloucester Stage Company Announces 40th Anniversary Season

Gloucester Stage Company Artistic Director Robert Walsh and Interim Managing Director Christopher Griffith, are proud to announce the 2019 slate for Gloucester Stage's 40th Anniversary Season of professional theater on Boston's Northshore.

"We are tremendously excited by our line-up of plays for this anniversary season! An absolute knockout will be Ben Butler, both funny and smart - I'm thrilled my colleague and friend Joe Discher is able to direct, following his off-Broadway premiere. Butler, a Gloucester resident and Union General, comes to life in this historic comedy - a true portrait for the Boston community. Additionally, we welcome back Paula Plum and Richard Snee, along with numerous artists who have contributed to Gloucester Stage in the past and will continue to define the future. Through this lineup we are able to honor the late Neil Simon, introduce Karen Zacarias to our audiences, and invest in a unique partnership to impact Boston area schools by bringing Hamlet to life" shared Robert Walsh.

Griffith adds, "This theater has always been changing, through seasons, different buildings, market crashes, new plays, good years and bad years - we kept going. Reflecting on our 40th anniversary, there has been talk that we could never rival what we were, but we can - it's happening now. There is a reinvigorated need to create at Gloucester Stage, beneath our feet and in our hands. We're not going to just talk about what we've done in the past, but show our audiences what's in-store for the future. I hope when you walk through our doors this season, you feel that vision coming to life."

Season Opener: June 7 - June 30

Celebrating Neil Simon

Barefoot in the Park by Neil Simon

Directed by Shana Gozansky

The romantic comedy Barefoot in the Park, award-winning playwright Neil Simon's longest-running hit, and the tenth longest-running non-musical play in Broadway history opens Gloucester Stage's 40th Anniversary season on June 7. The comedy opens as newlyweds Corie & Paul move into a top floor garret off Third Avenue in the east 40's of Manhattan and follows the young couple as they quickly discover there's more to marriage than meets the eye. Shana Gozansky makes her GSC debut directing Paula Plum, Richard Snee, McCaela Curran Donovan and Joe Short in this Neil Simon classic. Neil Simon's Barefoot in the Park runs June 7 through June 30. Performances are Wednesday through Saturday at 7:30 pm and Saturday and Sunday at 2:00 pm at Gloucester Stage Company, 267 East Main Street, Gloucester, MA.

Second: July 5 - July 28

Alfred Hitchcock's

The 39 Steps by Patrick Barlow,

Adapted from the John Buchan novel

Directed by Robert Walsh

A fast paced and witty mystery play, The 39 Steps follows Richard Hannay who feeling stricken with a boring life sets out for adventure. He quickly gets swept up in a murder/espionage story and must save the entire UK from peril. GSC Artistic Director Robert Walsh directs this imaginative stage adaptation of the classic Alfred Hitchcock thriller. Lewis D. Wheeler and Amanda Collins, last seen at GSC in the sellout To Kill a Mockingbird, return for this indomitably funny play. Patrick Barlow's The 39 Steps runs from July 5 through July 28. Performances are Wednesday through Saturday at 7:30 pm and Saturday and Sunday at 2:00 pm. at Gloucester Stage Company, 267 East Main Street, Gloucester, MA.

Third: August 2 - August 25

Boston Area Premiere

Ben Butler by Richard Strand

Directed by Joe Discher (Director of the World Premiere and Off-Broadway Productions)

Richard Strand's Ben Butler, a smart and funny discourse on race, protocol and our sense of humanity garnered high critical acclaim during its Off Broadway run in 2016. When an escaped slave shows up at Fort Monroe demanding sanctuary during the Civil War, Union General Benjamin Butler is faced with an impossible moral dilemma - follow the letter of the law, or make a game-changing move that could alter the course of US history? Benjamin Butler, a lawyer and former Governor of Massachusetts who championed the causes of labor and of naturalized citizens, spent his summers in the Bayview neighborhood of Gloucester (present-day Ames Estate). Joe Discher who helmed the show's world premiere production in 2014 and the Off Broadway production in 2016, makes his GSC debut directing Ben Butler. Richard Strand's Ben Butler, runs from August 2 through August 25. Performances are Wednesday through Saturday at 7:30 pm and Saturday and Sunday at 2:00 pm at Gloucester Stage Company, 267 East Main Street, Gloucester, MA.

Fourth: August 30 - September 22

TBA

Extra effort is being put into curating the final piece of the 40th Season, and with special opportunities come the need for perfect timing. Gloucester Stage looks forward to announcing the fourth production in the first quarter of 2019.

Fifth: September 27 - October 20

Native Gardens by Karen Zacarias

Karen Zacarias' comedy follows the high-powered lawyer Pablo, and his very pregnant wife doctoral candidate Tania, who have just purchased a house next door to community stalwarts Virginia and Frank. Soon a disagreement between the neighbors over a longstanding fence line derails their plans of realizing the American Dream. Karen Zacarias' Native Gardens runs from September 27 through October 20. Performances are Wednesday through Saturday at 7:30 pm and Saturday and Sunday at 2:00 pm at Gloucester Stage Company, 267 East Main Street, Gloucester, MA.

Sixth: October 25 - November 17

Hamlet by William Shakespeare

Directed by Christopher V. Edwards, Artistic Director of Actors' Shakespeare Project

Shakespeare's classic tale of revenge comes to Gloucester Stage after two successful seasons of full-house student matinees. Responding to a need from Boston area schools to immerse students in classic literature, this performance has an adjusted schedule to impact over 2,000 middle and high school students. Hamlet's story begins when he meets his father's ghost, revealing that his brother, Claudius, has murdered him and taken Hamlet's mother, Gertrude, for his queen. Hamlet then begins his journey of revenge while struggling with self-doubt and facing challenges from all sides. Artistic Director of Actors' Shakespeare Project Christopher V. Edwards makes his GSC directing debut with William Shakespeare's Hamlet running October 25 through November 17 at Gloucester Stage. Public performances are limited to weekends with student matinees weekdays. Specific show dates and times available online.

SINGLE TICKET PRICES: Single Ticket prices are $15 to $48 with discounts available for Preview Performances, Senior Citizens, Military Families, and College Students and those under 18 years of age. For detailed ticket information visit www.gloucesterstage.com