DREAMCATCHER'S 2007-2008 SEASON:
A BREATH OF FRESH AIR

Dreamcatcher Repertory Theatre’s new season is one of firsts; one New Jersey premiere and two world premieres comprise the mainstage and the Dreamcatcher Junior schedule, promising inspiration and innovation as well as great entertainment.  Dreamcatcher, in its thirteenth season, is the professional theatre in residence at the Baird Center of South Orange and a senior member of the New Jersey Theatre Alliance.  This year, the Dreamcatcher Resident Acting Company and its guests will present two mainstage productions, two improvisational comedy nights, two new play readings, one holiday variety show, and one Dreamcatcher Junior show, our annual production for families.

Kicking off the season is Multiple Personality Disorder, Dreamcatcher’s improvisational comedy troupe, on Saturday, September 15.  At this first presentation, season passes will be available for the entire season, and the ticket price for the improv show can be applied to the cost of a pass.  This popular event will also be held in the spring on Saturday, April 12, and can be enjoyed by the whole family.

Dreamcatcher’s fall mainstage production is the New Jersey premiere of David Lindsay-Abaire’s play WONDER OF THE WORLD, which had an acclaimed production at Manhattan Theatre Club in 2001 starring Sarah Jessica Parker.  This comedy tells the story of Cass, who flees her mundane life after discovering a bizarre secret in her husband’s sweater drawer.  Her zany odyssey of self-discovery takes her to Niagara Falls, where she meets a colorful assortment of misfits on her way to solving the mystery of her own life’s meaning.  WONDER OF THE WORLD, written by this year’s winner of the Pulitzer Prize in Drama, was praised by Variety:  “Full frontal lunacy is on display.  A most assuredly fresh and hilarious tragicomedy of marital discord run amok.”  The Hollywood Reporter wrote, “Lindsay-Abaire further establishes himself here as a writer with a terrific gift for absurdist humor, leavened with just enough doses of seriousness to provide emotional resonance.”  WONDER OF THE WORLD will play October 26 to November 11.

On December 7 and 8, Dreamcatcher will present A VERY SPECIAL (HOLIDAY) SPECIAL, an affectionate send-up of traditional television holiday variety shows.  This Very Special Special will include holiday songs, comic sketches and improv, and lots of good old-fashioned fun.

Dreamcatcher will present its second mainstage production in February, and its first play ever commissioned for its Resident Acting Company.  Suzanne Bradbeer, the playwright of Dreamcatcher’s acclaimed 2006 production of FULL BLOOM, has written DAVE MATTHEWS IS A GOOD MAN, a comic melodrama that features a ghost (and of course a ghost whisperer), lust, betrayal, global warming and at least one evil twin.  As Peter Filichia of the Star-Ledger wrote last spring, “Dreamcatcher Repertory Theatre is…creating, and rather admirably, a genuine company of actors that performs in true repertory fashion.”  This original work will bring the ensemble together in a new way under the direction of Linda Ames Key, who has directed many of Dreamcatcher’s productions including the 2003 hit ANTON IN SHOW BUSINESS.  DAVE MATTHEWS IS A GOOD MAN plays February 29 through March 16.

In the spring, two “Meet the Artist” new play readings will be held on May 7 and 21, which include the opportunity for audience discussion with the writer, director and actors after the performance.

From July 25 through August 3, Dreamcatcher will present DREAMCATCHER JUNIOR:  TOUCH THE SKY, an original family show that is a collection of singer, songwriter and storyteller John Farrell’s fresh and insightful songs and stories.  Spoken word, music and movement will be brought to life by a cast of young people in a way that will delight audiences of all ages.  TOUCH THE SKY embraces the experience of being young, from the ridiculous (“I’d Like To Be a Duck for a Day”) to the sublime (“Summer’s Here”).

Throughout the year, Dreamcatcher offers internships for high school and college students, classes for teens and adults, and many volunteer opportunities.  In addition, the Summer Theatre Conservatory is a four-week training program for students aged 10 to 17 that explores a variety of subjects in the performing arts.

Season passes may be purchased that provide substantial discounts to all events, and special rates for groups are also available.  FIRST FRIDAY, the first performance of each mainstage show, costs only $10 for students, and SENIOR SUNDAY, the first matinee performance of each mainstage show, costs only $10 for seniors.  Performances are in the third-floor theatre at the Baird Center, 5 Mead Street, South Orange, NJ 07079.  For more information and tickets for any of Dreamcatcher Repertory Theatre’s programs, please call 973-378-7754, ext. 2228.