Into the Woods
Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Book by James Lapine
October 22-31, 2021
At MATCH (Midtown Arts and Theater Center Houston)
Directed by Logan Vaden
Music Direction by Chelsea Lerner
Into the Woods follows a Baker and his wife, who wish to have a child; Cinderella, who wishes to attend the King's Festival; Little Red Riding Hood, who wishes to find her grandmother's house; and Jack (of Jack and the Beanstalk fame), who wishes his cow would give milk. When the Baker and his wife learn that they cannot have a child because of a Witch's curse, the two set off on a journey to break the curse. Everyone's wish is granted, but the consequences of their actions return to haunt them later with disastrous results.
The Garden Theatre is taking this Sondheim favorite and turning it on it's head. With a small cast of 10, the library is open! That's right, we are setting our production in a library story time. Grab your library card. It's time to check out a new version of this story!
White Rabbit Red Rabbit
By Nassim Soleimanpour
January 21-30, 2022
At MATCH (Midtown Arts and Theater Center Houston)
No set. No rehearsal. No director. A different actor for each performance. White Rabbit Red Rabbit is the worldwide phenomenon no on is allowed to talk about. The performer is handed the script in front of the audience and then performs the piece having never seen it before. Playwright, Nassim Soleimanpour, is forbidden from leaving his native Iran after refusing to participate in military service, which is required of all men in the country. Soleimanpour wrote the piece hoping that it would be produced world-wide. If he could not physically be in the places he desired, his dream was to have his work produced there, so that by extension, he would be there as well.
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School Girls;
or, The African Mean Girls Play
By Jocelyn Bioh
April 29-May 8, 2022
At MATCH (Midtown Arts and Theater Center Houston)
Directed by RaMina Mirmortazavi
Paulina, the reigning queen bee at Ghana’s most exclusive boarding school, has her sights set on the Miss Global Universe pageant. But the arrival of Ericka, a new student with undeniable talent and beauty, captures the attention of the pageant recruiter—and Paulina’s hive-minded friends. This buoyant and biting comedy explores the universal similarities (and glaring differences) facing teenage girls across the globe.
While Childhood Slept
Book and Lyrics by Sharon Lands Sheppard
Music and Additional Lyrics by Jo Ellen Hubert
September 2-4, 2022
At MATCH (Midtown Arts and Theater Center Houston)
September 7, 2022
At Holocaust Museum Houston
This production will be a public staged reading/workshop of the musical. Once performances conclude, The Garden Theatre will continue to work with the authors of the piece to develop and bring a fully staged production to our Houston audiences in the 23-24 season.
Directed by Logan Vaden
This heart-wrenching original musical follows the true story of the boys of Home Number One in the Nazi concentration camp, Terezin. The children create a secret republic within the camp, publishing their own magazine of art, poetry, and short stories called Vedem. A visit from The Red Cross presents the opportunity to disguise their magazine as a secret message and a means of escape. While Childhood Slept is a story of bravery, determination, and hope with a promise that we will never forget the past and will never allow history to repeat itself.
While Childhood Slept was originally produced in 1999, with a remounted and retooled production opening in 2005. This beautiful piece of theatre has not been seen in over 17 years, and The Garden Theatre is honored to tell this story onstage once again after all of this time.