Arden Theatre Company Announces RENT And More for 2024/25 Season

Philadelphia-based Arden Theatre Company has announced its 2024/25 Mainstage Season featuring five productions that include a world premiere comedy by Michael Hollinger, the Philadelphia premiere of Selina Fillinger’s POTUS, and features the work of some of Philadelphia’s leading directors. 

“We are thrilled to announce our 2024/25 season and welcome back a brilliant group of Philadelphia  artists to direct these productions – Jennifer Childs, James Ijames, Steve Pacek, and Amina Robinson,”  says Arden Theatre Company’s Producing Artistic Director, Terrence J. Nolen.  

“I’m beyond thrilled to be returning to the Arden with this vibrant and urgent production of August  Wilson’s King Hedley II,” says Ijames. “Set against the backdrop of 1980’s Pittsburgh, PA, a family strives  for a dimming American dream and are forced to confront the consequences of the past.” 

“We are also honored to be producing the world premiere of a new play by Michael Hollinger, a  playwright with whom we have a long and treasured relationship, and whose work always inspires me,”  says Nolen. “This season represents the range of work we seek to share with our audiences: raucous  satire, an intimate drama, a world premiere comedy, a continued commitment to August Wilson’s  American Century Cycle, and an immersive production of a groundbreaking musical. How wonderful to  be collaborating with these extraordinary storytellers who have shaped and continue to help lead the  way for what Philly theatre can be!” 

The Arden’s season kicks off with the highly anticipated Philadelphia premiere of POTUS: Or, Behind  Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive by Tony-nominated playwright  Selina Fillinger. This acclaimed play made its Broadway debut in 2022, earning three Tony Award  nominations and catapulting Fillinger, at the age of 28, into the spotlight as one of the youngest female  playwrights ever produced on Broadway. POTUS will be directed by award-winning director and co founder of 1812 Productions Jennifer Childs, who previously helmed the Philadelphia premiere of Heidi  Schreck’s What the Constitution Means to Me.

Next up is the two-time Pulitzer Prize-winner Lynn Nottage’s Intimate Apparel. Last season, Lynn  Nottage’s Clyde’s made its Philadelphia premiere at the Arden, a production that was embraced by  critics and audiences and nominated for seven Barrymore Awards. Intimate Apparel will be directed by  Philadelphia native Amina Robinson, the first Black woman to win a Barrymore Award for Outstanding  Direction of a Musical for The Color Purple at Theatre Horizon. Robinson’s Arden directorial credits include 74 Seconds to Judgment, School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play, The 25th Annual Putnam  County Spelling Bee, and this spring’s Once on This Island.  

At the start of 2025, the Arden brings to the stage the world premiere of Holy Grail of Memphis by  acclaimed Philadelphia playwright Michael Hollinger and directed by Terrence J. Nolen. The Arden has a  long-standing relationship with Hollinger, whose world premieres at the Arden include An Empty Plate in  the Café du Grand Boeuf, Incorruptible, Tiny Island, Red Herring, Tooth & Claw, Opus, Ghost-Writer, Under the Skin, and TouchTones. Opus had an acclaimed production at NYC’s Primary Stages directed by  Nolen. That production was dubbed “one of the surprise winners” of the 2007 season by the New York  Times, receiving the Steinberg New Play Citation from the American Theatre Critics Association, the  Barrymore Award for Outstanding New Play and nominations for the Lucille Lortel and John Gassner  Awards for Best New Play. Holy Grail of Memphis marks the Arden’s 48th world premiere in its 37-year  history. 

Next up, Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright James Ijames returns to the Arden to direct August Wilson’s King Hedley II. The Arden has an ongoing commitment to staging August Wilson’s ten-play American  Century Cycle, and King Hedley II is the sixth play the Arden has produced. James Ijames last directed the  Arden’s production of Gem of the Ocean in 2019, which received two Barrymore Awards, including  Outstanding Direction of a Play. Ijames also directed the world premiere of Lorene Cary’s My General  Tubman in 2020. Ijames returns to the Arden having received international acclaim for Fat Ham, for  which he received the 2022 Pulitzer Prize in Drama. 

The 2024-25 season concludes with Jonathan Larson’s Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning musical,  based on Puccini’s La bohème, RENT. The Arden has long wanted to bring Larson’s legendary musical to  life in a way that uniquely immerses the audience into the vibrant energy and soaring music of RENT. This production joins past Arden shows such as Sweeney Todd, Once, and Ragtime in transforming the  Haas Stage, enveloping audiences with a truly unique theatrical experience. Terrence J. Nolen and Steve  Pacek will co-direct this production. Pacek recently co-directed Larson’s autobiographical musical Tick,  Tick...Boom at Theatre Horizon. 

Audiences who subscribe to Arden’s 2024/25 season before April 30 will receive 40% off regular ticket  prices and can save on handling fees by using (or mentioning) the code WAIVE. Subscribers will also  have access to exclusive benefits, including priority seating, ticket exchange privileges, and parking and  dining discounts. Subscriptions start at $117 and may be purchased HERE or by calling the Arden’s box  office at 215-922-1122. 

The Arden Theatre Company’s 2024-25 Mainstage Season Productions: 

POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive 

**PHILADELPHIA PREMIERE** 

By Selina Fillinger/ Directed by Jennifer Childs 

September 12 – October 6, 2024 | Opening Night: Wednesday, September 18 at 7 p.m.

One four-letter word is about to rock 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. When the President unwittingly spins a  PR nightmare into a global crisis, the seven brilliant and beleaguered women he relies upon must risk  life, liberty, and the pursuit of sanity to keep the commander-in-chief out of trouble. Comic dynamo  Jennifer Childs directs the Philadelphia premiere of this all-female farce–a hilarious homage to the  women who keep things running and get the job done.  

Intimate Apparel 

By Lynn Nottage 

Directed by Amina Robinson 

October 24 – December 1, 2024 | Opening Night: Wednesday, October 30 at 7 p.m. The time is 1905. The place is the Lower East Side of New York City. Sewing beautiful lingerie gives  Esther Mills, an African American seamstress, an intimate look at the love lives of her clientele, but she  yearns for a story of her own. Last season, audiences embraced two-time Pulitzer Prize-winner Lynn  Nottage’s Clyde’s–falling in love with her extraordinary characters and their pursuit of the perfect  sandwich. Directed by Barrymore Award-winner Amina Robinson, the Arden returns to the work of  Nottage with Intimate Apparel, a moving portrait of love, resilience, and the rich tapestry of life. 

Holy Grail of Memphis **WORLD PREMIERE** 

By Michael Hollinger  

Directed by Terrence J. Nolen 

January 16 – February 23, 2025 | Opening Night: Wednesday, January 22 at 7:00 p.m. Newton Stover III’s got a legacy. When he discovers the long-lost recordings of a legendary bluesman in  the basement of his granddaddy’s rundown music studio, Newt resolves to rebuild both the place and  his life. But time and money are running out fast, and the ghosts of the past and an unexpected stranger  keep showing up. A new comedy by beloved Philadelphia playwright Michael Hollinger about embracing  the future, releasing what haunts us, and singing the blues.  

August Wilson’s King Hedley II 

Directed by Pulitzer Prize-winner James Ijames  

February 27 – March 23, 2025 | Opening Night: Wednesday, March 5 at 7 p.m. After seven years in prison, an ambitious and proud Hedley reenters society determined to take control  of his life. But as he salvages relationships with his wife, mother, and community, Hedley’s aspirations  come in conflict with the stories he’s been telling himself and insists on planting seeds where nothing  can grow. Set against the backdrop of 1980s Pittsburgh, King Hedley II continues the Arden’s  commitment to August Wilson’s monumental American Century Cycle and will be directed by James  Ijames, the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright of Fat Ham who directed the Arden’s Gem of the Ocean. 

RENT  

Music, Lyrics, and Book by Jonathan Larson 

Directed by Terrence J. Nolen & Steve Pacek  

May 15 – June 8, 2025 | Opening Night: Wednesday, May 21 at 7 p.m. 

At the end of the millennium, a group of bohemians in the East Village of New York City struggle with  gentrification, love, loss, and legacies amidst the HIV/AIDS crisis. In this immersive, exciting new  production, Jonathan Larson’s Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning musical, based on Puccini’s La  bohème, will transform the Haas Stage and shake the rafters with the iconic chords of “Seasons of Love,”  “I’ll Cover You,” and the thrilling, soaring score that is RENT!

The Arden will also be producing two Arden Children’s Theatre productions, which will be announced at  a later date. 

About Arden Theatre Company  

Arden Theatre Company, founded in 1988, is a professional theatre company in Old City, dedicated to bringing to life great  stories by great storytellers on the stage, in the classroom, and in the community. To date, the Arden has produced 47 World  Premieres.  

The Arden has developed four distinct educational programs: Arden for All, our in-school arts education program for  elementary level students; Arden Drama School, our on-site, tuition-based theatre classes for pre-K through 12th-grade  students; Teen Arden, our theatre enrichment program for high school students; and the Arden Professional Apprentice  program, a rigorous training program for young theatre professionals.  

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