Just as their 2018-19 seasons are wrapping up, many area arts organizations are already announcing their plans for next year, one which promises to provide plenty of options for theater and dance fans.
Wagon Wheel’s spins
One regional theater, the Wagon Wheel Center for the Arts, gets a jump on everyone as it once again hosts its annual summer theater schedule which this year includes a great combination of classic musicals as well as popular new shows.
Matilda (June 5-15) leads things off, bringing Roald Dahl’s plucky little heroine to the Warsaw venue. That’s followed in short order by two all-time classics from both stage and screen, Singin’ in the Rain (June 19-29) and Oklahoma (July 3-13).
The ABBA jukebox musical Mamma Mia! (July 17-27) is a sure fire hit, while Peter Pan prequel Peter and the Starcatcher (July 31-August 10) and the musical based on the documentary of the same name, Hands on a Hardbody (August 14-24), provide something a bit different and less frequently performed in our area. The wildly popular camp classic, The Rocky Horror Show (Sept. 3-8), caps off the season.
Civic Theatre’s staging
The Fort Wayne Civic Theatre is also staging a production of Mamma Mia! (April 27-May 12), the last show of this season. Their next season kicks off this summer, ahead of many others who wait until September.
Their first show of the season, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (July 27-August 11), should be a popular choice for families as summer vacation winds down. That show is followed by the grisly masterpiece Sweeny Todd (Sept. 13-22), followed by the musical version of the Christmas favorite Miracle on 34th Street (Nov. 9-24).
In another parallel of the Wagon Wheel summer lineup, Matilda takes the Civic stage (Feb. 15-March 1, 2020) while Noises Off rounds out the lineup of musicals for the season. In between Matilda and Noises Off is a Civic collaboration with the Fort Wayne Philharmonic, A Cole Porter Celebration, which has two performances (March 28-29, 2020).
Fort Wayne Ballet’s new season
Fort Wayne Ballet opens season 63 with their weekend performances of Diversions 19 (Sept. 27-28), a blend of classical and modern dance pieces. The annual staging of The Nutcracker (Dec. 6-15), a decades-long tradition for the ballet and northeast Indiana, provides not only a perfect holiday celebration for dance fans but also a great way to highlight the ballet’s professional company and their many students, some of which are very young and impossibly adorable.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream (March 27-29, 2020) is Fort Wayne Ballet’s annual collaboration with the Fort Wayne Philharmonic who also accompany the first three performances of The Nutcracker. The FWB Family Series, which provides a low-key atmosphere for younger audiences in the ballet’s own studios, this year includes Sleepy Hollow (Oct. 19), Jungle Book (Feb. 22, 2020) and The Tale of Peter Rabbit (April 25, 2020).
Their performances in the ArtsLab will once again include Love Notes (Feb. 14-15, 2020) and Progressions (May 15-16, 2020).
All for One’s next Year
all for One Productions has also just announced their upcoming season. Once again there are some very creative choices for their four productions at the ArtsLab.
Sherlock Holmes and the 1st Baker Street Irregular (Sept. 20-29) is a new Holmes story woven together from previous Doyle novels. Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley (Nov. 15-24) revisits the beloved Elizabeth and Darcy with a holiday spin.
Ruth2 (Feb. 21-March 1, 2020) is a remarkably unusual performance with the Biblical Ruth being presented in a classic allforOne script, The Redemption of Ruth, followed by a different take on the same story in My Name Is Ruth.
The season ends with Texas in Paris (April 17-26, 2020), a concert musical, two-person play which tackles race relations in a thought-provoking way.
News and Venues covers Northeast Indiana’s music and arts organizations, venues, and colleges, from large to small. Send your news items to info@whatzup.com.
