Onstage

2023-2024 Villanova Theatre Season

sometimes the rain,

sometimes the sea.

Sept 20 - Oct 1, 2023

Opening Night: Sept. 21

By Julia Izumi

Directed by James Ijames

 

Once upon a time, a giddy little rain cloud fell in love with a heartsick human. Julia Izumi’s whimsical play reimagines Hans Christian Andersen’s most beloved story, complete with mooing cows, wooing princes and brewing storms. With its hopeful and heartbreaking look at the lovelorn and what it truly means to be human, Sometimes the Rain, Sometimes the Sea delightfully affirms our need for ever-new fables in an ever-changing world.

posterity

November 8-19, 2023

Opening Night: Nov. 9

By Wendy MacLeod

Directed by Edward Sobel

 

In a captivating collage of stories – from the Civil War to 9/11 and up to the present moment – three families seek connection, meaning and solace through the modern miracle of photography. Award-winning playwright Wendy MacLeod brings to life intimate snapshots of parents, children, siblings and lovers, brilliantly capturing the universal longing to freeze time and cling to those we hold dear.

crazy for you

February 14 - 25, 2024

Opening Night: Feb. 15

Music & Lyrics by George & Ira Gershwin | Book by Ken Ludwig

Directed by Rev. Peter M. Donohue, OSA, PhD

 

Bobby Child, a reluctant uptown banker, dreams of dancing on Broadway–but instead of getting his foot in the door, it seems he’s always stepping on toes. When Bobby is sent to foreclose on a rundown theatre in Nevada, his luck takes an unexpected turn as he falls head-over-heels for the theatre owner’s daughter, Polly Baker. Set in the 1930s and scored with the infectious songs of George and Ira Gershwin, this firecracker of a musical showcases classic tunes like “I Got Rhythm,” “Embraceable You” and “Someone to Watch Over Me.” Winner of the Tony Award for Best Musical, this madcap comedy “makes everything old feel new again” (New York Times).

 

the spanish tragedy

April 10 - April 21, 2024

Opening Night: April 11

By Thomas Kyd

Directed by Chelsea Phillips and Alice Dailey

 

Before Game of Thrones, before Kill Bill, before Carrie  even before Hamlet  there was The Spanish Tragedy, the great-granddaddy of modern revenge tales.  Deprived of justice for the murder of his son, the loyal courtier Hieronimo abandons legal redress and, joined by the canny and resolute Bel-Imperia, sets out to seek blood for blood. With its intricate plotting and bold theatricality, Thomas Kyd’s timeless tragedy speaks to our present moment with its unflinching look at judicial inequity, legacies of violence and the all-too-persistent seduction of vengeance.