Production Archives

• Book by Adam Hester
• Music by Jenavene Bazacas
• Lyrics by Conrad Hester
• Additional music/lyrics by Martha Vickers Heady
• Music arrangements by Joseph Mohan
• Directed by Adam Hester

The ACU Theatre premiered this new musical direct from a New York workshop production in 2015. A musical romance infused with humor and heartache, After Zoey captures the passion of a 16-year-old dreamer who yearns for a full and healthy life as she battles a critical illness. Zoey exasperates her mother and sister with her cavalier attitude toward her health, but also finds in them her biggest champions. As a series of boyfriends sneak through her bedroom window, Zoey discovers love and a glimpse of eternity. Don’t miss this heart-warming, life-affirming musical!

Trailer

• Written by Dale Wasserman
• Music by Mitch Leigh
• Lyrics by Joe Darion
• Original Production Staged by Albert Marre
• Originally Produced by Albert W. Selden and Hal James
• Directed by Jesse Galvan

A celebrated Broadway hit and winner of five Tony Awards, Man of La Mancha will leave you breathless with a score that includes the touching ode to romance “Dulcinea” and the heroic “I, Don Quixote.”
Inspired by one of the greatest novels of all time, Man of La Mancha features Miguel de Cervantes and his faithful servant. Together they channel the power of storytelling to recount the legend of knight errant Don Quixote and his trusty sidekick, Sancho, as they embark on a journey full of laughter, love and unruly windmills. His quest dares everyone to dream “The Impossible Dream.”

Trailer

• By David West Read
• Directed by Dawne Meeks

In The Dream of the Burning Boy, the sudden death of a high-school overachiever exposes a secret that could destroy those left behind or bring them closer together. Since the death of his favorite student, high-school teacher Larry Morrow has been falling asleep at his desk and dreaming. The school’s guidance counselor hangs inspirational posters designed to help everyone “process their emotions” while the student’s sister and friends find little solace in their schoolwork. The Dream of the Burning Boy is a bittersweet story of choices made, opportunities lost and finding the strength to move on.

Trailer

• By Michael Brady
• Directed by Dawne Meeks

This critically acclaimed play is an exploration of grief and coping as David celebrates the birthday of his wife, Gillian, who was killed in a boating accident two years earlier on her 35th birthday. The playwright examines the responsibilities of parents to children and the compromises of marriage, the futility of self-pity, and guilt. The efforts of a loving family and friends help David move beyond the excruciating pain of losing a loved one. This play is frank, touching, wise and generously sprinkled with humor.

Trailer

• By Katori Hall
• Directed by Laura Harris

Set in Memphis’ Lorraine Motel just hours before the civil rights leader was assassinated, The Mountaintop presents Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as a very human man, stripped of the mountains of mythology now woven into his remembrance. This recent Broadway hit and the 2010 winner of Britain’s Olivier Award for Best New Play crackles with metaphysical magical realism. The Mountaintop throws lightning bolts of insight upon our societal strengths and frailties and our own personal accomplishments and failings as, with King, we ponder the cost of what we contribute and the legacy of what we leave behind.

Trailer Study Guide

• By Rick Elice
• Based on the Novel by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson
• Music by Wayne Barker
• Directed by Kari Hatfield

In this grownup’s prequel to Peter Pan, Peter and the Starcatcher takes a hilarious romp through the Neverland you never knew. In this Tony Award-winning play with music, a dozen actors play more than 100 unforgettable characters using their enormous talent, ingenious
stagecraft and the limitless possibilities of imagination. This swashbuckling production will have you hooked from the moment you let your imagination take flight!

Trailer

• By Mark St. Germain
• Directed by Gary Varner

Don’t miss this return engagement to ACU this time with Mark Smith, artistic director of Atlanta’s Legacy Theatre, as C.S. Lewis, and Adam Hester, ACU Theatre professor, reprising his role of Sigmund Freud. Faith and science collide when Lewis pays Freud a visit. Love, sex, death and the existence of God: they’re all up for discussion in Freud’s Last Session, which imagines a late-in-life meeting between the devoutly atheist father of psychoanalysis and the philosophical Christian author-professor. Amidst the ominous sounds of World War II and just weeks before Freud’s death, Freud and Lewis engage in a riveting, tension-filled discourse on life’s most important questions.

“Delightful … a brainy fencing match of Olympic caliber” – Associated Press

PLAYBILL

A musical based on the stories of P.L. Travers and the Walt Disney Film

• Original music and lyrics by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman
• Book by Julian Fellowes
• New songs and additional music and lyrics by George Stiles and Anthony Drewe
• Co-created by Cameron Mackintosh
• Directed by Kari Hatfield
• Choreography by Melissa Zaremba

Based on the classic Disney film, Mary Poppins is the story of a mysterious nanny who magically appears at the Banks household in Edwardian London to care for Jane and Michael Banks. Adventure abounds as she whisks them away to meet dancing chimney sweeps, shopkeepers and an array of colorful characters. Featuring an irresistible story, eye-popping sets and costumes, breathtaking dance numbers and beloved songs such as the Academy Award-winning “Chim Chim Cher-ee,” “A Spoonful of Sugar,” “Feed the Birds,” “Step in Time” and “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.” You’ll have a “Jolly Holiday” with Mary and discover a world where “Anything Can Happen” if you let it!

Trailer

Playbill

Study Guide

• By Lauren Gunderson
• Directed by Adam Hester

Anthony arrives unexpectedly at classmate Caroline’s door, carrying a beat-up copy of Walt Whitman’s poetry and an urgent assignment from their English teacher. Homebound because of illness, Caroline hasn’t been to school in months but she is as quick and sardonic as Anthony is athletic, sensitive and popular. When these two let down their guard and share their secrets, this seemingly mundane poetry project unlocks the much deeper mystery that brought them together.

Trailer

Playbill

Sudy Guide

• By Neil Simon
• Directed by Adam Hester

You want funny? Don’t miss Neil Simon’s love letter to his years as a young writer for Sid Caesar’s “Your Show of Shows.” Capturing the hilarity and heart of television’s glory days, Laughter on the 23rd Floor is one of Simon’s funniest and most touching comedies. Prepare yourself for sidesplitting laughter!

3 Trailers in one

Playbill

Study Guide

• By Joan Holden
• Based on Nickel and Dimed, on (Not) Getting by in America by Barbara Ehrenreich
• Directed by FaithAnn Jones

Can a middle-aged, middle-class woman survive when she suddenly has to make beds all day in a hotel and live on $7 an hour? Maybe. But one $7-an-hour job won’t pay the rent: she’ll have to do back-to-back shifts as a chambermaid and a waitress. This isn’t the first surprise for acclaimed author Ehrenreich, who set out to research low-wage life firsthand, confident she was prepared for the worst. Joan Holden’s stage adaptation is a focused comic epic shadowed with tragedy.

“Involving, important and urgently topical.” – Philadelphia Inquirer

“A rare example of theater that tries to open people’s eyes to the way life is lived in the real world – and maybe even rouse them to action.” – Time magazine

3 Trailers in one

 PLAYBILL

Based on the documentary film by S. R. Bindler and Kevin Morris

• Book by Doug Wright
• Lyrics by Amanda Green
• Music by Trey Anastasio and Amanda Green
• Directed by Kari Hatfield

Inspired by true events … For 10 hard-luck Texans, a new lease on life is so close they can touch it. Under a scorching sun for days on end, armed with nothing but hope, humor and ambition, they’ll fight to keep at least one hand on a brand-new truck for a chance to win it . In the hilarious, hard-fought contest that is Hands on a Hardbody, only one winner can drive away with the American Dream.

“You can hear America singing in this daring new musical.” – New York Times

3 Trailers in one

Playbill

Study Guide

• By Mark St. Germain
• Directed by Gary Varner

Faith and Science collide when C.S. Lewis pays Sigmund Freud a visit. Love, sex, death and the existence of God. It’s all up for discussion in Freud’s Last Session, featuring ACU Theatre professor Adam Hester, as Freud, and audience favorite Jacob Alexander, a senior, as C.S. Lewis. Winner of the 2011 Off Broadway Alliance Award for Best Play, Freud’s Last Session imagines a late-in-life meeting between Dr. Sigmund Freud, the devoutly atheist father of psychoanalysis, and the philosophical Christian author-professor C.S. Lewis. Amidst the ominous sounds of World War II and just weeks before Freud’s death, Freud and Lewis engage in a riveting, tension-filled discourse on life’s most  important questions.

“Delightful … a brainy fencing match of Olympic caliber” – Associated Press

PLAYBILL

• Book by John Austin
• Music and Lyrics by Andrew Lippa
• Directed by Dawne Meeks

Having just finished its Broadway run, Big Fish is quite a catch for the ACU Theatre, one of the first in the nation to mount a production. Big Fish centers on Edward Bloom, a traveling salesman who lives life to its fullest… and then some! Edward’s incredible, larger-than-life stories thrill everyone around him – most of all, his devoted wife, Sandra. But their son, Will, who is about to have a child of his own, is determined to find the truth behind his father’s epic tales. Overflowing with heart, humor and spectacular stagecraft, Big Fish is an extraordinary new Broadway musical that reminds us why we love going to the theatre –for an experience that’s richer, funnier and BIGGER than life itself.

PLAYBILL

Study guide

• By Sarah Ruhl
• Directed by Kari Hatfield

“Ruhl’s zany probe of the razor-thin line between life and death delivers a fresh and humorous
look at the times we live in.” – Variety

When Jean answers the cell phone of a recently deceased café patron, she holds on to the device to keep the man alive in a strange yet significant way. Jean’s quiet life is turned upside-down as she’s thrust into a world of mysterious strangers, shady business deals, and the potential for true love. A story about memory, redemption, and connection – and disconnection – in a technology obsessed world, Ruhl’s comedy is a mesmerizing reflection of today.

PLAYBILL

• Written and created by Roger Bean
• Directed by Dawne Meeks

This smash off-Broadway hit takes you to the 1958 Springfield High School prom where we meet the Wonderettes, four girls with hopes and dreams as big as their crinoline skirts! As we learn about their lives and loves, we are treated to the girls performing classic ’50s and ’60s songs such as “Lollipop,” “Dream Lover,” “Stupid Cupid,” “Lipstick on Your Collar,” “Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me,” “It’s My Party,” and more than 20 other classic hits! You’ve never had this much fun at a prom and you will never forget The Marvelous Wonderettes – a must-take musical trip down memory lane!

“The fun never stops!” – Associated Press

Trailer

PLAYBILL

Study guide

• By Brittany Taylor
• Directed by David Porter

After the publication of a startling photograph taken in Africa, a photojournalist undergoes a backlash of controversial public opinion ripping away his and his wife’s newlywed bliss. Their
innocence living in a comfortable, American culture is challenged and changed. Award-winning playwright Brittany Taylor, a 2012 ACU alumna, captures a close-up view of a couple struggling to make sense of love, choice and personal responsibility as citizens of the world.

PLAYBILL

Study guide

• Book and Lyrics by Bruce Joel Rubin
• Music and Lyrics by Dave Stewart and Glen Ballard
• Based on the film produced by Paramount Pictures and Bruce Joel Rubin
• Directed by Adam Hester
• Choreographed by Christine O’Grady

Based on the popular Oscar-winning movie that captured the hearts and imaginations of a generation back in the 1990s, Ghost is a timeless fantasy about the power of love. Sam is trapped as a ghost between this world and the next, trying to communicate with girlfriend Molly through a phony psychic in the hope of saving her from his murderer. Don’t miss this rollercoaster ride of music, romance and comedy.

TRAILER

PLAYBILL

Performed by Stephen Trafton

Experience Scripture in a whole new way. Living Letters: Encountering Philippians is a whole new approach to experiencing the biblical story. Living Letters recreates the historic circumstances surrounding Paul’s writing of the letter and invites the audience to leave their present-day culture behind and become members of the first-century church. The result is a dynamic, exciting, transformative encounter with scripture. You won’t want to miss the rare opportunity to see a Broadway performer bring Paul’s letter to the Philippians to life. Q&A to follow.

• Book by Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg
• Music by Claude-Michel Schönberg
• Lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer
• Directed by Adam Hester and Dawne Meeks

“Do you hear the people sing?” The musical that has captivated the world is officially ACU’s 2013 Homecoming Musical in a truly spectacular new production. Based on Victor Hugo’s classic novel, Les Misérables is a sweeping, heartfelt, epic saga. The fugitive, Jean Valjean, is pitted against the tenacious Inspector Javert in a
lifelong struggle to evade capture. What follows is a deeply personal and spiritual tale set against a historical backdrop of an unparalleled scale.

• Book and Lyrics by Brian Yorkey
• Music by Tom Kitt
• Directed by Adam Hester

This inventive, emotional powerhouse (winner of the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Drama) captures the tender, insightful, funny and heart-breaking portrayal of a family trying bravely to come to terms with life and love and loss. With a thrilling
contemporary score, this multiple Tony Award-winner breaks new ground as it redefines the American musical.

• By Mark Twain, Adapted by David Ives
• Directed by Kari Hatfield

A sparkling slapstick comedy composed in 1898 in Vienna by Mark Twain, Is He Dead? was left virtually undiscovered until its heavily acclaimed Broadway production in 2007. To find success
in 1840s Paris, a penniless painter fakes his demise and disguises himself as his identical twin sister. Variety called Is He Dead? an “elaborate madcap comedy that reaches especially high comic heights.”

• By Kate Fodor
• Directed by Matthew Silar

In a compelling and heartrending journey, we meet a priest who must reconcile his desires with his role in the church, a teenage boy confused about his own sexual identity, and a young woman desperate for spiritual validation. They are all brought together on one fateful night in which they discover the tenuous common ground they share. Playwright Fodor doesn’t neatly tie up the story, but, rather, elicits profound unanswered questions of faith and our dependence on one another for our spiritual worth. 100 Saints You Should Know is a serious play with a sharp comic edge.

• by Tennessee Williams
• Directed by Dawne Meeks

Awarded Best Play in 1945 by the New York Drama Critics’ Circle and acclaimed as Williams’ first great Broadway success, this
emotionally devastating portrait of hope, glitters and reflects with a delicacy and beauty that will fix your gaze and move you to tears. In 1930s St Louis, aspiring poet Tom Wingfield reluctantly works in a shoe warehouse to support his overbearing, faded-Southern-belle mother and desperately shy sister, Laura. Pushed by his mother, he finds Laura a gentleman caller to try to coax her from her fragile private world. Tennessee Williams’ masterpiece is a touching tale of lost dreams, family bonds and survival.