ANNOUNCING OUR 2021 SEASON
Eventide is committed to presenting a regular season of interesting and creative shows and we promise no cancellations!
Other upcoming Eventide programming includes:
23rd Annual New England Songwriting Competition Submissions through April 16th.
Sue Mellen Talk Back on May 1. Sue talks about her new book about theaters of the Cape.
Playwrights ETC, our new playwriting lab
Kaplan New Playwrights, New Plays Competition, submission deadline is May 31, 2021.
A Full-Length Video Script
Written & Directed by Jim Dalglish
The show – A World Premiere Produced in Partnership with Cotuit Center for the Arts. This show will be broadcast on the two theaters’ YouTube channels.
Premiere Ep 1 & 2: 5/28
Premiere Ep 3 & 4: 6/4
Premiere Ep 5 & 6: 6/11
Premiere Ep 7 & 8: 6/18
Premiere Ep 9 & 10: 6/25
Premiere Ep 11 & 12: 7/2
Twain by the Tale by Dennis Snee with Music by Gregg Saeger
Directed by Stephen Rourke
Streaming in July for 12 performances
Sponsored by:
The Last 5 Years by Jason Robert Brown
Directed by Steve Ross
Opens LIVE AND IN PERSON September 9th for 12 performances
HA! By Rich Orloff
Directed by Toby Wilson
Opens LIVE AND IN PERSON October 7th for 12 performances
“The first two productions of 2021 will be exclusively available online through specialized streaming platforms. For the second half of the season, we have chosen productions that are small scale and can nimbly change from an indoor performance venue to an outdoor performance venue, to exclusively streaming if necessary, without impacting the quality of the production or the performances”.
True to form, the first two productions are very ambitious. So ambitious in fact, that for at least the first production, Teacher of the Year, written and directed by local playwright Jim Dalglish, will be co-produced with Cotuit Center for the Arts. “We have had a wonderful relationship with Cotuit over the years, and they have been incredibly supportive of our work,” says Edwards, “and the partnership we have forged to produce this show is the next logical step for us. It allows us to continue to expand our collaborative efforts.”
Teacher of the Year tells the tale of Annie – a finalist for the Minnesota Teacher of the Year award three times running – whose school has gone totally online because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It details the journeys of a woman, a family, a teacher, a school, a hospital, and a neighborhood in the city of Minneapolis during the tumultuous Spring of 2020. This unique production, written specifically for the virtual stage will premiere episodically, starting on May 28th with one single admission ticket spanning several nights of programming.
The second production of the season will be Twain by the Tale by Dennis Snee with music by Gregg Saeger. This choice, inspired by the Mark Twain readings over the past few months as a part of the Eventide Tales short story series, Stephen Rourke, the best Twain interpreter since Hal Holbrook, will lead and direct a full cast through this two-act revue. The show will be unique in the fact that none of the actors will appear on stage together, rather they will interact by way of green screen editing. The production will feature exclusively local performers and will begin streaming in July for a limited 12-performance run.
The second half of the season sees a return to what the theatre hopes will be more conventional theater. The plan is for both shows to be performed before a live audience. “We are aware, however that there will still be quite a few people who will be justifiably worried about in-person shows,“ offers Edwards, “so each of these shows will be available as a simulcast as well. If you can’t come to the theater we will bring the theater to you.”
Steve Ross returns this fall to direct The Last Five Years, a creative musical by Jason Robert Brown, which tells the story of two New Yorkers who fall in and out of love over the course of five years, the show’s unconventional structure consists of Cathy, the woman, telling her story backwards while Jamie, the man, tells his story chronologically; the two characters only meet once, at their wedding in the middle of the show. The two-person musical will feature Cape Cod favorites Beau Jackett and Rebecca Riley, and will open September 9th for 12 performances on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings and Sunday Matinees until September 26th.
Eventide Theatre Company’s final production of the year welcomes back the uniquely comic voice of writer Rich Orloff. Eventide produced Orloff’s Radio Ridiculous in fall of 2019, and will revisit his body of work with a production of HA!, a collection of Rich Orloff’s three most popular one-act comedies, including Oedi (a spoof of Oedipus Rex), The News from St. Petersburg (a Chekhovian parody), and The Whole Shebang (which asks the question, “What if the entire universe was simply one student’s science project?”). Together the three pieces create a hilarious full-length show. Toby Wilson will once again direct the theater’s collaboration with Orloff, and the show will open October 7th, and will run for 12 performances on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings and Sunday Matinees until October 24th.
Eventide Theatre Company is a 501(c)3 independent theatre located in the heart of Dennis Village and is known for presenting thought-provoking plays, concerts, lectures, and mixed media events. Annually Eventide hosts the Kaplan Playwriting/New Plays competition as well as the New England Songwriting Competition.
An ETC membership guarantees you a great night out with your spouse, partner, or friends. Only members get all this and more:
- $5 off a ticket for all main performances
- Free and easy ticket exchanges
- Missed performance insurance
- Special member only events & receptions
