Kitchen Theatre Company's 2016-17 season marks the start of the theater's second quarter century. From the world premiere of Wendy Dann's Birds of East Africa to the hilarious encore production of Precious Nonsense, it promises to be one to remember. Darian Dauchan's Death Boogie showcases his mastery of multi-character solo work, accompanied by live musicians on bass and violin. It is a hip hop musical that is part performance, part concert and all Darian.

Clean Alternatives by Brian Dykstra was ahead of the curve when first produced, with its focus on the environment and our shared responsibility to ensure a sustainable planet. Alexander Thomas' Throw Pitchfork is a brilliantly performed solo performance by one of KTC's favorite actors.Sex With Strangers by Laura Eason explores the high-powered, cutthroat world of publishing and two passionate writers' relationship to fame and to each other. Opening the season is the irreverent, buckle-your-seat-belts, Tony-nominated Hand To God by Robert Askins.

About the Plays:

Hand to God by Robert Askins, directed by Rachel Lampert, takes place in the quiet and conservative town of Cypress, Texas, where Pastor Greg asks recently widowed Margery to take over the puppet club. When one puppet is possessed by the devil, mayhem, madness, secrets and unbridled attraction ensue. This production features an ensemble cast of Kitchen Theatre Company notables. Karl Gregory*, who brought down the house with his onstage cohort in comedy Aundre Seals in Peter & the Starcatcher; return as Margery's son Jason and Pastor Greg respectivley. Also returning is Erica Steinhagen* (Margery), who last performed at KTC during its inaugural season in the new theater in Bed & Sofa. Making their Main Stage debuts are Montana Lampert Hoover* (Jessica) and newcomer Michael Patrick Trimm (Timothy). Outrageous and irreverent, Hand to God was nominated for five Tony Awards.

"[Askins makes] us laugh while juggling those big themes that make life so terrifying: death, depression, alcoholism; sexual guilt; emotional repression; religious hypocrisy; and the eternal battle between your good puppet and your bad puppet." ~Variety Previews are September 4, 6, 7. Opening night is September 8, and the play runs through September 25. Regional Premiere (ages 16+ Adult Language and situations)

Precious Nonsense by Rachel Lampert, directed by Sara Lampert Hoover, is a backstage/on stage tour de force musical for seven players, one pianist and an evening of belly laughs. Packed with mistaken identities, romantic entanglements and gender-bending role playing, this is a smart, funny, screwball musical comedy.

"A sparkling musical that has not only concocted something unique and fresh out of Gilbert and Sullivan's songs, it is overflowing with enough laugh-out-loud silliness to block out winter's coldest chill" ~Ithaca Journal

Previews are October 16, 18, 19. Opening Night is October 20, and the play runs through November 6. Fun for the whole family!

Darian Dauchan's performances at Kitchen Theatre Company have been extraordinary. Death Boogie by Darian Dauchan, directed by Jennifer McGrath, is no exception. A hip hop musical, it tells the story of an ordinary office worker who dreams of revolution. Accompanied by a violinist and double bass player, the performance includes video, beat-box, spoken word and performance poetry.

"What a talented performer! Actor and poet Darian Dauchan is someone special... [Death Boogie] is poetry meets song meets political activist meets story-teller meets live music. And it works." ~British Theatre Guide

Previews are November 15 and 16. Opening Night is November 17. The play runs through December 4 with time off for Thanksgiving. Regional Premiere. (Ages 16+ Adult language & situations)

Keeping up with Kitchen Theatre Company's mission to nurture new work, 2017 begins with the World Premiere of Birds of East Africa by Wendy Dann. Marion's life studying the birds of East Africa has not prepared her for the loss and loneliness she faces after her husband's sudden death, but old friends and family she never really knew, help her begin to see the world again.

Previews are January 29, 31 & February 1. Opening night is February 2 and the play runs through February 12. World Premiere (Ages 14+)

Laura Eason is a fearless writer. Known for her work on Netfix's House of Cards, she is a keen observer of power, success and attraction. Sex with Strangers by Laura Eason, directed by Rachel Lampert, gets its title from a blog of "sexcapades" that has catapulted 20-something Ethan into the heady atmosphere of online celebrity and success. Forty-something Olivia is an underappreciated mid-career novelist. When the two are waylaid in a remote cabin, the chemistry is explosive.

"Who are you?" Those are the first words spoken in "Sex with Strangers" a twisty and timely play by Laura Eason, and they cut right to the core of this two-character drama about lust, love and the complex nature of identity in our digital-dominated era."~New York Times

Previews are March 12, 14 & 15. Opening Night is March 16 and the play runs through April 3. (Ages 16+ Adult language and situations)

Throw Pitchfork, by writer/performer Alexander Thomas, directed by Sara Lampert Hoover, explores two generations of men in his African American family. It is an edge of your seat story of a family's struggles and successes, told with humor and full of surprises. Originally performed in 2002 at Kitchen Theatre Company, Kitchen Theatre Company is excited to reprise this exceptional solo piece.

"... in addition to telling his own tale, Mr. Thomas delivers monologues in the guise of his father and all three brothers. And the result is a portrait of a father's poignant legacy and what struck me as a dead-on depiction of how a family diverges from a center" ~New York Times

Previews are April 23, 25, 26. Opening Night is April 27, and the play runs through May 7. (Ages 14+)

Closing out the 2016/2017 Season is Clean Alternatives by Brian Dykstra, directed by Margarett Perry. A businesswoman turned environmentalist takes on a pollution-spewing corporation in this satire of environmental politics and Corporate America. High-speed dialogue, performance poetry, Eastern Philosophy and ahead-of-the curve insights into environmental catastrophes... hold on to your seats. You can run, but you can't hide from karma.

"A powerful meditation on social responsibility and personal redemption, mixing razor-edged dialogue with a poetry-slam directness." ~Ithaca Times

Previews are June 4, 6 & 7. Opening Night is June 8, and the play runs through June 18. (Ages 14+)

Performances throughout the season are Tuesdays at 7:00 PM, Wednesdays and Thursdays at 7:30 PM, Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 PM, Sundays at 4:00 PM. There is also one matinee at 2:00 PM on the second Thursday of every production.

In addition to its 7-play Main Stage season, Kitchen Theatre Company enhances the experience with ancillary events, including: expert talks on subjects related to the Main Stage play series, post-show talkbacks with the creative teams and the acting companies, and Meet the Artist conversations.

Kitchen Theatre Company also hosts performances by other local theater companies. Homecoming Players and Running To Places return with exciting productions for their 2016-17 seasons, and Fitzandstartz Productions returns with theater for all ages, including Adventure in Apartment G Sharp on October 29 and November 5, 2016, and Emmett and Ella's Big Apple Escapade on April 29 and May 6, 2017.

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