RED BANK — Two River Theater, under the leadership of Artistic Director John Dias and Managing Director Michael Hurst, have announced the lineup of 2017/18 productions that will launch in September.
The season will kick off with Lorraine Hansberry’s “A Raisin in the Sun,” featuring Brandon J. Dirden as Walter Lee Younger and Crystal A. Dickinson as Ruth Younger, directed by Carl Cofield. The play will run Sept. 9 through Oct. 8.
“We launch the season with Lorraine Hansberry’s earth-shattering answer to Langston Hughes’ most profound question: ‘What happens to a dream deferred?’ Each play that follows — whether classic or brand new, comedy or tragedy — in some way addresses that same existential pursuit,” said Artistic Director John Dias. “The playwrights are all searching out a world that’s new and better …. They are plays that speak to our current national mood of uncertainty and confusion, and each play in its own way is pointing us forward, whether through laughter or tears or just the telling of a really great story.”
Other plays include Oscar Wilde’s “The Importance of Being Earnest” Nov. 11-Dec. 3; Matt Barbot’s “El Coquí Espectacular and the Bottle of Doom” Jan. 6-Feb. 4; Thornton Wilder’s “The Bridge of San Luis Rey” Feb. 17-March 18; Brian Friel’s “Dancing at Lughnasa” April 14-May 13; and Regina Taylor’s “Oo-Bla-Dee” June 9-July 1.
The theater will also stage plays for young audiences, including “Skeletons: A Day of the Dead Bedtime Story” Oct. 12-15; “The Rainbow Fish” Dec. 15-18; “A Little Shakespeare” March 6-11; and “The Young King” April 20-22.
Full-season six-play subscriptions are on sale now. Subscribers save 25 percent on tickets, receive prime seating and a number of additional benefits. Call 732-345-1400 or visit tworivertheater.org.
