2009 Mainstage Season Schedule (printable version- pdf)

Brighton Beach Memoirs , By Neil Simon ~ (January 30 through February 15)

The first play in Neil Simon's "Eugene Trilogy," this delightful coming-of-age story garnered the New York Critics' Circle Award for Best Play. Set in Brooklyn, New York's Brighton Beach, in 1937, this semi-autobiographical comedy follows the exploits and adventures of Eugene Morris Jerome, a Russian-Jewish teenager, as he struggles with puberty, sexual awakening, and a search for his own identity. Against the backdrop of an impending war and challenging family circumstances, Eugene begins to learn the ways of the world, providing a window of growing up through which we all can relate.

The Comedy of Errors , By William Shakespeare ~ (April 3 through April 19)

One of William Shakespeare's earliest plays, The Comedy of Errors tells the story of two sets of identical twins, each pair having been separated from their other half since early youth. Many years later, the four young men end up in the same town, a coincidental meeting that will result in mistaken identity, wrongful beatings, erroneous arrests, and accusations of theft, madness, and demonic possession. A farcical and deeply entertaining comedy, the play nevertheless deals with questions regarding love, family, and appearance versus reality.

Expecting Isabel , By Lisa Loomer ~ (June 5 through June 21)

A wildly entertaining comedy that features eight actors playing some thirty-plus different roles, this award-winning play follows the adventures of Miranda and Nick, a seemingly perfect, near-fortyish couple, who have everything they want in life, save for one thing: a child. When they are unable to conceive, they embark on a hilarious and heartwarming journey through a maze of alternate solutions - fertility drugs, in-vitro fertilization, support groups, self-help books, medical specialists, and an adoption agency.

Enlightenment , By Warren Doody ~ (August 7 through August 23)

This World Premiere play by local playwright, Warren Doody, is a romantic comedy that speaks to the challenges of modern-day relationships, as well as the perils and benefits of technology in the twenty-first century. When Vince, a thirty-something bachelor about to tie the knot for the first time, receives an unexpected RSVP from a former flame, the result is a soul-searching journey into his own, unresolved past. With the help of a life coach, a part-time dream analyst, an online minister, and a contemporary Shakespearean fool, Vince attempts to correct his personal history and move forward into a more enlightened future.

Frame 312 , By Keith Reddin ~ (October 2 through October 18)

Frame 312 is a contemporary political mystery that revolves around an intriguing premise: what if someone, in this case, a middle-aged suburban housewife, had kept a copy of the original Zapruder film, the one including frame 312, the missing frame that shows the second bullet hitting President Kennedy? A still-relevant conspiracy tale, the play shifts back and forth in time, from the moment, thirty years ago, when Lynette made the choice to hold onto this crucial piece of evidence, to the present, where she struggles to deal with the consequences of this decision.

A Christmas Story