Playhouse on the Square will Complete their Digital Play Series with Two Regional Premieres

Playhouse on the Square’s at home digital series, in partnership with Dr. Thomas Ratliff and generous grants from The Jeniam Foundation, ArtsMemphis, and the Tennessee Arts Commission, will conclude its 52nd season with Regional Premieres of The Taming, by Lauren Gunderson, May 21-23 & 28-30, 2021 and Songs for a New World, written and composed by Jason Robert Brown, June 18-20 & 25-27, 2021.  The theatre is also proud to announce its new streaming partner, Broadway on Demand; which will be the streaming platform for the production of The Taming.

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The Taming - Running May 21-23 & 28-30 - Streaming via Broadway on Demand 

Tickets are available at https://www.broadwayondemand.com/channels/details/the-taming-by-lauren-gunderson--playhouse-on-the-square

Girls have all the fun in this Lauren Gunderson political farce.  Inspired by Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew, beauty pageant contestant Katherine aims to revolutionize the structure of American government.  To accomplish this, all she needs is help from a conservative senator’s aide and a bleeding-heart Internet blogger.  Let’s lock all three in a hotel room and see what happens.

Ostrander Award-winner, Whitney Brannon (Head Over Heels, Cabaret) directs a cast of talented female performers and design team.  Playhouse on the Square Resident Company Members Brooke Papritz (When We Get Good Again, 1984) and Kim Sanders (The Book of Will, Cabaret) play the roles of Katherine and Patricia.  Playhouse on the Square Associate Company Member, Haley Wilson (Schoolhouse Rock, Live!, Kinky Boots) returns to the Playhouse on the Square stage as Bianca.

An all female cast deserves to have its story told by an all female design team.  With the talents of Scenic Designer - Kiah Kayser, Lighting Designer - Haley Northington, and Costume Designer - Lindsay Schmelling; Playhouse on the Square has done just that. “One of the tenants to our mission is to tell the stories of our community and to do it in a way that is honest and representative.  Productions like The Taming, allow us the opportunity to highlight the work of our female actors and design team and we are really proud of that,” says Playhouse on the Square Director of Community Relations, Marcus Cox.

The complete cast of The Taming is as follows:

Cast:

Katherine-Brooke Papritz

Bianca-Haley Wilson

Patricia-Kim Sanders

Production Team:

Director- Whitney Branan

Production Manager/Technical Director- Phillip Hughen

Stage Manager- Tessa Verner

Scenic Designer- Kiah Kayser

Lighting Designer- Haley Northington

Costume Designer- Lindsay Schmelling

Sound Designer- Whitney Branan

Video Designer- Amy Forester

Sound Engineer-Jason Eschhofen

Videography- Pedro Da Silva

Six performances of The Taming will be available for streaming via Broadway on Demand. Purchase tickets by visiting www.playhouseonthesquare.org.  

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Songs for a New World written and composed by Jason Robert Brown, June 18-20 & 25-27, 2021

Tickets are available at https://www.showtix4u.com/event-details/50004

A musical theatre song cycle composed by Jason Robert Brown takes four singers through a journey of discovery.  Posing the question - When your back is against a wall and you are faced with a decision: Do you take a stand? Or turn around? With a small, powerhouse cast and a driving, exquisitely crafted score that runs the gamut of today's popular music, Songs for a New World is a great way to bring the next generation into the theatre.

Playhouse on the Square Resident Company Member, Daniel Stuart Nelson (Kinky Boots, Tuck Everlasting) returns as director and choreographer. The powerhouse cast is filled with a bevy of Memphis theatre favorites: Jarrad Baker (Memphis, Ragtime), Playhouse on the Square Associate Company Member, Haley Wilson (Head Over Heels, Kinky Boots), Johnathon Lee (Memphis), and Playhouse on the Square Resident Company Member, Brooke Papritz (Peter Pan, Priscilla Queen of the Desert).

Songs for a New World complete production staff is as follows:

Directed by: Daniel Stuart Nelson

Stage Manager: Morgan Corlew-Strauss

Technical Director & Scenic Designer: Phillip Hughen

Costume Designer: Kathie Kovarik

Lighting Designer: Haley Northington

Sound Designer: Jason Eschoffen

Videography & Editing: Pedro Da Silva

Six performances of Songs for a New World will be available for streaming via www.showtix4U.com.   Purchase tickets by visiting www.playhouseonthesquare.org.  

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“We wanted to finish what has been a trying season for our theatre and city with a message of hope,” says Michael Detroit, Executive Producer for Playhouse on the Square. For the past year, Playhouse on the Square’s creative team transitioned from presenting in-person performances to offering digital content online.  From virtual theatre education classes and digital performances via Zoom and streaming platforms, like Showtix4U, the theatre has produced over 200 hours of digital content for its patrons in the Mid South and abroad.  February marked the theatre’s return to onstage performances with the Playhouse on the Square Revival of I Am My Own Wife, streamed nationwide, with Resident Company Member Michael Gravios.  

The theatre plans to welcome patrons back into the theatre with the beginning of their 53rd season in July.  Patrons who currently have Playhouse on the Square subscriptions will be able to redeem those for streaming tickets by calling the box office at (901) 726-4656.  Arts Access members should call the box office for streaming ticket availability.

For additional information, visit the website at www.playhouseonthesquare.org for the Playhouse at Home FAQ, or contact Playhouse on the Square Director of Community Relations, Marcus Cox at (901) 937-6496 or by email: marcus@playhouseonthesquare.org