(Pittsfield, MA –July 19, 2021) – Barrington Stage Company (BSC), under the leadership of Founder/Artistic Director Julianne Boyd, is pleased to announce complete casting for the World Premiere productions of Boca by Jessica Provenz (July 30-August 29 at the BSC Production Center, 34 Laurel Street) and Sister Sorry by Alec Wilkinson (August 13-29 at the Boyd-Quinson Stage, 30 Union Street).
Boca, a collection of short comedies about seniors in the Sunshine State and directed by Ms. Boyd, will feature Gilbert Cruz (TV: “The Walking Dead: World Beyond,” “Pose”), April Ortiz (Broadway: In the Heights; Film: Father of the Bride, The Majestic), Debra Jo Rupp (BSC: The Cake; Dr. Ruth, All the Way, TV: “That ‘70s Show”), Kenneth Tigar (BSC: 10×10 New Play Festival, Uncle Vanya; Broadway: Fish in the Dark), Peggy Pharr Wilson (BSC: America v2.1, 10×10 New Play Festival) and Robert Zukerman (BSC: If I Forget, 10×10 New Play Festival).
In Boca, we follow a group of retirees who, between rounds of golf, bridge and Botox, can be found bickering, gossiping and living it up like they’re teenagers all over again.
Sister Sorry, loosely based on a stunning true crime confession, and directed by Richard Hamburger (Japanoir, Curse of the Starving Class), will star Jennifer Van Dyck (Broadway: Hedda Gabler, Dancing at Lughnasa; TV: “The Good Wife,” “Madam Secretary”) and Christopher Sears (BSC: Lord of the Flies; Public Theatre: Gently Down the Stream).
In the early 1990s in New York City, a conceptual artist (Van Dyck) invites the public to confess their crimes anonymously — via an answering machine. One caller (Sears) captures her attention with a stunning and unbelievable confession, which quickly unravels into a suspenseful and thrilling adventure. Based on a true story, Sister Sorry is inspired by Alec Wilkinson’s “The Confession,” originally published in The New Yorker.
BSC’s 2021 Season also features Eleanor (July 16-August 7 at the Boyd-Quinson Stage), by Mark St. Germain (BSC and Off Broadway: Freud’s Last Session), starring Tony Award winner Harriet Harris (BSC: Sweeney Todd, Broadway: Thoroughly Modern Millie) and directed by Henry Stram, and the world premiere of A Crossing (September 23-October 17 at the Boyd-Quinson Stage), a timely new dance musical co-conceived by BSC Associate Artist Joshua Bergasse (BSC: The Royal Family of Broadway, On the Town; Broadway: On the Town) and Mark St. Germain, with book by St. Germain, music and lyrics by award-winning songwriter Zoe Sarnak (Secret Soldiers, Empire Records), created in association with Calpulli Mexican Dance Company and directed and choreographed by Bergasse.
“The Berkshires are back! It feels wonderful to be presenting an actual season again,” said Julianne Boyd. “Critics and audiences cheered for our opening productions of Chester Bailey and Who Could Ask For Anything More?, both of which extended their runs. Eleanor, starring the great Harriet Harris, is now in performance, and I am delighted to bring these two wildly different world premieres – the outrageous hijinks of Boca, and the thrilling intrigue of Sister Sorry – to our stages.”
The outdoor tent also features the following concerts by a stunning array of Broadway stars:
· I Promise You a Happy Ending (July 24): Broadway vet and BSC leading man Jeff McCarthy (BSC: Mack & Mabel, Man of La Mancha, Sweeney Todd; Broadway: Beauty and the Beast), will sing some of the most popular and beloved songs he’s performed throughout his years in the theatre.
· Joshua Henry Live (August 16): Join three-time Tony Award nominee Joshua Henry (Carousel, The Scottsboro Boys, Violet) for a soulful evening of music from Broadway to Motown.
· Legally Bound (August 23): Broadway’s Orfeh and Andy Karl (Broadway: Legally Blonde, Pretty Woman, Saturday Night Fever) have had an impressively long run as one of Broadway’s best couples. The sexy, funny and enormously talented duo will tear through an eclectic mix of pop, rock, rhythm and blues, and showtunes that is sure to excite and delight.
TICKET INFORMATION
Pricing for the 2021 summer season is $35–$85 for the outdoor venue productions, $35–$79 for the Boyd-Quinson Stage, $35–$100 for all concerts.
Preview performance tickets for all shows are $35. Bundles of tickets (three or more) can be purchased at a 20-25% discount. Please call the box office for more information. Single tickets can be purchased by calling 413-236-8888 or emailing boxoffice@barringtonstageco.org.
ABOUT BARRINGTON STAGE COMPANY
Barrington Stage Company (BSC) is an award-winning theatre located in Pittsfield, MA, in the heart of the Berkshires. Co-founded in 1995 by Artistic Director Julianne Boyd, BSC’s mission is to produce top-notch, compelling work; to develop new plays and musicals; and to engage our community with vibrant, inclusive educational outreach programs.
BSC attracts over 60,000 patrons annually and has gained national recognition for its superior-quality productions and comprehensive educational programming, including the award-winning Playwright Mentoring Project, the Musical Theatre Conservatory, Youth Theatre, KidsAct! and other initiatives. The company has become integral to the economic revitalization of downtown Pittsfield.
BSC’s reputation for excellence began with a smash revival of Cabaret that moved to Boston in 1997 for an extended run. The theatre’s prominence grew with the world premiere of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee by William Finn and Rachel Sheinkin (BSC 2004; Broadway 2005-2008, winner of two Tony Awards). Other notable productions include the world premiere of Christopher Demos-Brown’s American Son (BSC 2016; Broadway 2018); Mark St. Germain’s Freud’s Last Session (BSC 2009; Off Broadway 2010-2012); Leonard Bernstein, Comden & Green’s On the Town (BSC 2013; Broadway 2014, four Tony Award nominations); Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s Company, starring Aaron Tveit (BSC 2017); and West Side Story in honor of Leonard Bernstein and Jerome Robbins’ centenaries (BSC 2018).
BSC develops and commissions new work with two programs: PlayWorks, which supports the creation of new plays, and the Musical Theatre Lab, which develops new musicals. Since 1995, BSC has produced 36 new works, 19 of which have moved to New York and major US regional theatres.
Following the industry-wide shutdown due to the coronavirus pandemic, BSC was the first Equity theatre in the US to return to live performance with its critically acclaimed production of Harry Clarke, starring BSC Associate Artist Mark H. Dold and directed by Ms. Boyd. The season also included the acclaimed concerts, The Hills Are Alive with Rodgers & Hammerstein and Leslie Kritzer: Is It Over Yet?, the virtual benefit reading of Rob Ulin’s new play Judgment Day, a virtual staged reading of the new play Eleanor by BSC Associate Artist Mark St. Germain, a reading of Three Viewings by Jeffrey Hatcher, a reading of St. Germain’s Typhoid Mary, and BSC’s Holiday Getaway. This year, the company’s streaming productions also have included the critically acclaimed 10th anniversary 10×10 New Play Festival, and readings of the commissioned work Mother’s Day by Bekah Brunstetter, the Barrington Stage Company’s Youth Theatre’s production of The Laramie Project, and the Grand Prize Winner of the 2021 Bonnie and Terry Burman New Play Award, Get Your Pink Hands Off Me Sucka and Give Me Back by Daniella De Jesús.