The Rep’s upcoming season is made up of five wildly different plays, set up for nearly back-to-back runs in the summer of 2024. You’ve got “Footloose,” tried-and-true musical “Hello, Dolly!” and Jane Austen’s “Pride & Prejudice,” plus work by Little Rock local playwright Joseph Scott Ford and MacDowell Fellow James Anthony Tyler, a Howard/Juilliard grad who, among other accolades, was one of the first playwrights to receive a commission from the Audible platform.
Head to The Rep’s website for tickets, and here’s the full rundown:
June 18-30
PRIDE & PREJUDICE
By Kate Hamill, Based on the novel by Jane AustenA fresh, comedic take on the beloved classic novel, this new adaptation is fast-paced, and filled with surprises, laughs, and romance. Lizzy Bennet does not believe in marriage, or even love. That is, until the handsome, amusing, and impossibly aggravating Mr. Darcy starts popping up at every turn, causing her to question her resolve. This timely theatrical retelling of literature’s greatest tale of latent love explores the insanity and exhilaration of finding your perfect (or imperfect) match in life.
July 9-28
FOOTLOOSE
Stage Adaptation by Dean Pitchford and Walter Bobbie
Music by Tom Snow
Lyrics by Dean PitchfordToes will be tapping and spirits will be soaring when this explosive movie musical bursts onto the live stage! With dynamic new songs, coupled with the powerhouse hits from its bestselling Oscar-nominated score, this musical celebrates the exhilaration of youth, the wisdom of listening to one another, and the power of forgiveness.
August 6-18
INTO THE SIDE OF A HILL
By James Anthony TylerSet at a historically black university in 2004, six fraternity brothers rehearse for their homecoming step show. Toxic relationships, mental health, and war bring the young men into battle with each other, threatening, but ultimately strengthening, the bonds of brotherhood. This high-energy, fast-paced comedy is produced in partnership with Flint Repertory Theatre, in its world premiere.
August 22-24
HELLO, DOLLY!
Book by Michael Stewart
Music and lyrics by Jerry Herman
Based on the play The Matchmaker by Thorton WilderThis Broadway blockbuster is golden-age musical theatre at its finest. Follow the romantic and comedic exploits of Dolly Gallagher-Levi, a turn-of-the-century matchmaker forging her own path in a world that constantly underestimates her. Boisterous and charming from start to finish, “put on your Sunday clothes” for The Rep’s concert production, performed at Robinson Center with the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra!
September 3-15
RESPONDERS
By Joseph Scott FordThings go from bad to ridiculous in this genre-bending dark comedy, written by Little Rock-native, Joseph Scott Ford. When two small-town paramedics and an ambitious reporter arrive at the roadside scene of an expected suicide, we join them on a journey of trying one’s best to do the right thing. This world-premiere production by an Arkansas artist is produced in partnership with TheatreSquared.
First up, though, is a tribute show called “A Very Merry Motown Christmas” — which, in the hands of vocalist Bijoux, UAPB Choral Director Jerron Liddell and composer Nygel Robinson, should be the perfect place to show off Little Rock’s undersung arts scene to your visiting friends and fam. It’s directed by The Rep’s interim artistic director, Ken Matt-Martin, and performances are scheduled for 7 p.m. Dec. 20-22; and 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. Dec. 23. Tickets are $40 for adults and $20 for theatergoers under 18.