Things have been relatively quiet at the Arkansas Repertory Theatre since the April 2023 announcement that they’d be shifting to a shorter show schedule that situates their season in the summer months, rather than throughout the school year.
With the first major production of their 2024 season on the horizon, The Rep revealed yesterday that their reduced cost ticket offerings are expanding. Starting with Kate Hamill’s “Pride and Prejudice” — which runs from June 18-30 — at least 10 “pay what you can” (even zero dollars, if you so wish) tickets will be set aside for every performance of the season’s five shows. Tickets will be available in person at The Rep’s box office 30 minutes before each performance on a first-come, first-served basis.
Additionally, The Rep will continue their long-standing tradition of offering up to 100 “pay what you can” tickets for the first one to two performances of each production, depending on general ticket sales. The way to claim these tickets is a little less intuitive and involves showing up at the box office from 10-11 a.m. on the Saturday before opening night of each show. They, too, will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis.
The Rep also recently announced that “Into the Side of a Hill,” the third production of their season, will be replaced by “Jitney,” a show by August Wilson, who wrote the Pulitzer Prize-winning play “Fences,” which was adapted into a 2016 Oscar-winning film. The dates from the original show — August 6-18 — will remain the same.
Here’s a bit about The Rep’s whole season:
Pride & Prejudice
By Kate Hamill, Based on the novel by Jane Austen
June 18-30, 2024A 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.
Footloose
Stage Adaptation by Dean Pitchford and Walter Bobbie
Based on the Original Screenplay by Dean Pitchford
Music by Tom Snow
Lyrics by Dean Pitchford
Additional Music by Eric Carmen, Sammy Hagar, Kenny Loggins and Jim Steinman
July 9-28, 2024Toes 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.
Jitney
By August Wilson
August 6-18Set in 1970s Pittsburgh, this richly textured, humor-filled drama follows a group of men trying to eke out a living by driving unlicensed taxis. When the city threatens to board up the business and the boss’ son returns from prison, tempers flare, potent secrets are revealed and the fragile threads binding these people together may come undone at last.
Hello, Dolly!
Book by Michael Stewart
Music and lyrics by Jerry Herman
Based on the play The Matchmaker by Thorton Wilder
August 22-24, 2024This Broadway blockbuster is a 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!
Responders
By Joseph Scott Ford
September 3-15, 2024Things 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.