Still in the midst of their 28th season and ongoing renovations at their BMO Studio Theatre the Saint John Theatre Company announced its 29th season today. The announcement included three of their historically impressive large-scale Main Stage Series productions at the Imperial Theatre, a number of smaller works hosted at SJTC’s own BMO Studio Theatre, and a handful of works produced in partnership with other theatre companies.
“Overall – when it comes to programming – I start from the position that theatre is for everyone,” says Saint John Theatre Company’s Artistic Director Stephen Tobias.
“It isn’t the domain of any particular group or demographic. I want a theatre that welcomes all. Again, our programming reflects that. The 2018-2019 season will include highly popular works, original scripts, and more challenging thought-provoking plays. Whether one attends the theater to be entertained and be taken out of your day-to-day routine, or whether one attends the theatre to be challenges, provoked or questioned, I want to have a season that offers that to our audience.
The SJTC Studio Production series for 2018-2019 will continue to offer an eclectic mix of theatre experiences which will be of interest to both theatre-makers and savvy theatre audience members.”
Among the announcements today were partnerships with Loyalist City Shakespeare and their production of The Tempest (July 18-21) and the anything-goes small production blitz Fundy Fringe Festival (Aug 20-25).
The three jewels of the season’s Main Stage Series include Elf – The Musical (Nov 21-25), The Crucible (Mar 20-23), and the perennial Little Shop of Horrors (May 15-19) directed by SJTC’s own Stephen Tobias.
“I’m extremely pleased to welcome back Ron Jenkins to direct the Arthur Miller Classic, The Crucible. In a world where we hear daily complaints in the media of people claiming to be the victim of witch hunts, it is an appropriate time to reflect on one on the most horrific witch hunts in history,” says Tobias.
“I am also extremely pleased to get back behind the director’s chair myself to help us end the season with a bang. I have been a fan of Little Shop of Horrors for many years. I love the music. I love the story… and I can’t wait to share that with our audience.”
The SJTC’s in-house Studio Series opens with comedy Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike (Aug 1-4), followed by the Glengarry Glen Ross (Oct 3-6), the story of a sales team being brutally motivated by a corporate trainer, otherwise known as that film with the Alec Baldwin monologue: “Always Be Closing.”
Two more partnerships will be bringing Billy Bishop Goes to War, presented by Sackville based Live Bait Theatre, (Oct 26-27), the classic story of a Canadian WWI flying ace, and Manwatching (Feb 20-23), is being performed by the Royal Court Theatre of London; “a funny and frank insight into female desire, presented by an unprepared man.”
Tales of an Urban Indian, which SJTC describe as “a unique and unforgettable story of a young First Nations man’s journey from the reservation to downtown is a moving story in more ways than one…” which would be story enough of its own, but on top of all that the play will be performed on a moving bus travelling through the streets of Saint John (Apr 2-7).
Closing out the season will be the stable of Maritime-written one-act scripts, Script Happens (Jun 19-22).
“The Main-Stage series at Imperial Theatre continues to be the most public face of SJTC productions. This season, for the first time ever, over 10,000 people will attend the 3 Main-Stage productions at Imperial Theatre making it one of the most successful theatre series in the region. I want to top that this coming year and I think we have the programming to do it. I am thrilled to be offering a provincial premiere of Elf – the Musical. It is an amazingly entertaining work that will be a highlight of the theatre season in Southern NB.”
Details on the Saint John Theatre Company’s Live @ The BMO Music Series are yet to be announced.
Three show subscription packages go on sale at Imperial Theatre box office on May 23, single tickets for Main Stage shows go on sale September 5. Tickets for the SJTC Studio Series will go on sale on June 1st and can be purchased by visiting www.ticketpro.ca or calling 1-888-311-9090.