FAU's Theatre Lab Announces Three World Premieres for the 2022-23 Season

Theatre Lab, the professional resident company in Florida Atlantic University’s Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, has announced the inclusion of three world premieres for its 2022-23 season of new work. The shows include “Dorothy’s Dictionary” by E.M. Lewis, “Last Night In Inwood” by Alix Sobler, and “Refuge” co-created by Satya Jnani Chávez and Andrew Rosendorf, with translations by Mari Meza-Burgos.

“Once again, Theatre Lab is excelling at its mission to inspire, develop and produce new work, artists and audiences for the American Theatre,” said Michael Horswell, dean of the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters. “

The Lab, which was established in 2015, is one of a very few professional theatre companies located on a University campus. Students have a chance to work alongside professionals as they engage their audiences with world-class professional theatre performances, workshops and conversations with leading playwrights and theatre artists.

“Our commitment to make great theatre accessible for everyone by providing our audience and community with an in-depth understanding of every aspect of new play development is highlighted by our dynamic programming each season,” said Matt Stabile, producing artistic director of Theatre Lab.

All events will take place in the Heckscher Stage theater space in Parliament Hall, 777 Glades Road, Boca Raton campus. Tickets and season subscriptions go on sale on Monday, April 11 at www.fauevents.com or by calling 561-297-6124. Individual tickets will be on sale in August.

”Dorothy’s Dictionary” kicks off the season in November. The two-person show tells the story of Dorothy, an ailing librarian, and Zan, a 15-year-old boy, who has been sentenced to community service for a violent act he committed at school. Zan visits Dorothy daily to read to her and the two form an unexpected bond as they explore some of the great books. Ultimately, it’s a story about how literature and friendship can open new worlds.

“After joining us for our 2018 Playwright’s Forum & MasterClass, we are thrilled to welcome E.M. Lewis back to the lab for a full production of this beautiful play,” said Stabile.

The second production in the MainStage series, which will be staged in January 2023, features another world premiere, “Last Night In Inwood,” by Alix Sober. This comedy about the end of the world, which was featured in the 2021 virtual reading series “New Plays for a New Year,” will be directed by Stabile.

“It was heartbreaking to have to postpone the originally scheduled production of ‘Last Night in Inwood’ due to the omicron surge in January of 2021,” said Stabile. “So we feel incredibly fortunate to still have the opportunity to present the world premiere and share this incredibly funny and insightful show with our audiences.”

The final production in the MainStage series features an NNPN Rolling World Premiere, “Refuge,” which was co-created by Satya Jnani Chávez and Andrew Rosendorf, with translations by Mari Meza-Burgos. Originally commissioned by Curious Theatre Company in Denver, the play uses puppetry and original music to tell the bilingual tale of a young Honduran girl crossing the border into Texas and was a hit at Theatre Lab’s 2020 New Play Festival. This production will mark the third and final production of the rolling world premiere process after productions in Denver and Kansas City, Missouri. Founding director Louis Tyrrell has a lengthy history with Rosendorf and is elated to be able to produce this new work. 

“‘Refuge’ is such an important play for Theatre Lab, not only because of the subject matter, but because of what it means for us as a company,” said Tyrrell. “The joy of producing new work is that it enables us to be a place where audience members from all backgrounds feel welcomed and represented on our stage.”

The season will also include a southeastern premiere Heckscher Theatre for Families production and the annual Theatre Lab New Play Festival.  This year’s family production is the Southeastern premiere of “Red Riding Hood” by Allison Gregory. The show is a two-person, fast-paced, high-energy comedy with original music that turns the classic tale we know on its head and uses it to explore the magic of theater itself.

The production will serve as the centerpiece for Theatre Lab’s acclaimed educational outreach program, The Future PAGES Project. It runs from Saturday, Sept. 17 through Monday, Oct. 10, and in addition to performances for school groups during the week, Theatre Lab will offer public performances of the show on Saturdays at 2 and 6 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. Tickets are $25 for adults and free to all students under 18 with a paid adult admission. The show can also be added on to a MainStage subscription for an additional $10.

Free creative writing workshops for students ages 8 to17 will be offered one hour prior to matinee performances on Saturday and Sunday. All students who attend the show, whether with a field trip or at a public performance, are eligible to submit a piece of original writing for the opportunity to be included in Theatre Lab’s annual Future PAGES Project educational outreach program.

In addition, visiting playwrights will offer workshops throughout the season and the annual New Play Festival (March 10-12, 2023) offers a weekend of readings of new works with playwrights in attendance. The festival will include a new play from Theatre Lab’s Fair Play Initiative, a commission and development program for LGBT plays and stories made possible by generous funding from Our Fund Foundation.

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More information on the season follows:

2022-23 THEATRE LAB PRODUCTIONS:

Heckscher Theatre for Families Production

‘Red Riding Hood’ by Allison Gregory

A Southeastern Premiere  |  Sept. 17- Oct. 9  |  Directed by Matt Stabile

Wolfgang, the greatest actor in the world, is interrupted while performing his “one-man extravaganza” by a delivery person with a mysterious package. But the show must go on, and the two of them take on all the roles in this fast, funny and surprising adaptation. The wolf may have dinner plans, but this “Red” is courageous, clever and talented.

Allison Gregory, playwright of the first ever Heckscher Theatre for Families production “Ronia, the Robber’s Daughter,” returns to The Lab with her newest show for families, fresh off its world premiere at Seattle Children’s Theatre.

Performances open to the public on:

Saturdays at 2 and 6 p.m.  |   Sundays at 3 p.m.

$25 for adults.  Up to four children tickets (under 18) free with adult admission.