Greater Fort Myers Chamber Of Commerce: The Lab Announces Season 14!

Press release from Greater Fort Myers Chamber of Commerce:

2022-03-03

The Laboratory Theater of Florida Announces 14th Season

FORT MYERS, FL (March 1, 2022) – The Laboratory Theater of Florida is excited to announce its 14th season.

In the Lab Theater tradition of bringing new and thought-provoking theater to our area, the coming season features another world premiere and five southwest Florida premieres in the lineup. In a continued effort to keep theatre affordable for everyone, the theater offers not just half-price preview nights, but Thrifty Thursday night discounts and expanded season-pass options. Returning for Season 14 is the perennial favorite 24-Hour Playwriting Project, staged readings, post-performance talkbacks, special events, and more.

The 14th Season of The Laboratory Theater of Florida is supported by The City of Fort Myers, Bruce and Janet Bunch, The Allegretti Foundation, The LGBTQ Fund, The Visitor and Convention Bureau, The Fort Myers Rotary Club, The Bireley Family Foundation, Art Zupko, Arlene Foreman, Hulett Environmental Services, The School District of Lee County, Marlene and Darrell Smith, Stacy Lee-Williams, Ella Nayor and Jeffrey Cull, and thousands of loyal patrons.

There remain opportunities to sponsor shows, advertise businesses, help refurbish a nearly 100-year-old building, and to help rebuild the Actor’s Fund.

Summer Season

The Birds, adapted by Annette Trossbach (WORLD Premiere), opens June 3rd.

Based on the classic Hitchcock film, this laugh-out-loud parody features our heroes battling evil birds with plans to terrorize humans.

In addition to the prestige of being a world premiere, this show has the lofty goal of setting a Guinness World Record for the most birds (in the form of Peeps) used in a theatrical production!

Adapted by Annette Trossbach and workshopped by this tight-knit ensemble cast and crew, The Birds is truly a Lab Theater original. The Birds is directed by Trossbach, with Kaci Davis as assistant director.

Adult language, raunchy humor

Performance dates:
June 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, 16, 17, 18, 23 24, 25, 30 at 8 pm
June 5, 12, 19, 26 at 2 pm
July 1, 2, at 8 pm

Special Events:
June 1, 2 at 8 pm Half-price preview night.
June 4 at 6 pm Teens get a free ticket to the performance and a meet-and-greet with the cast (reservations required)

The Birds is sponsored by Art Zupko and Hulett Environmental Services.

Trap by Stephen Gregg (SWFL premiere) is a limited engagement offering from July 15-16 as part of the theater’s education program.

Trap is a documentary-style thriller play based on research into the strange happenings of Menachap, California, where every member of a middle school play in 2019 fell unconscious. Using interviews with witnesses, first responders, and scientists involved in the strange case, the audience feels as if they’re living through the events themselves… whether they want to or not.

Performance dates:
July 15, 16 at 8 pm
July 16 at 2 pm.

Special thanks to the Lee County School District for generously providing scholarships for students involved in this production.

Fairview, by Jackie Sibblies Drury (SWFL Premiere), opens on August 5.

This 2019 Pulitzer Prize-winning show features a sitcom-style family preparing for a birthday party. An unwelcome group of observers co-opts the story, resulting in a disruption of the action that will leave spectators asking questions.

This show is directed by Brett Marston.

“A play about race, though not only about race…Fairview [will] have you squirming in your seat. You will also wind up questioning your basic right to sit there…” – New York Times.

Performance dates:
August 5, 6, 11, 12, 13, 18, 19, 20 at 8 PM
August 7, 14*, 20 at 2 PM

Special Events:
August 3, 4 at 8 pm Half-Price Preview
August 6 at 6 pm Teens get a free ticket to the performance and a meet-and-greet with the cast (reservations required)
August 14 Post-performance talkback

Fairview is sponsored by Grampy’s Charities.

Regular Season

The Play That Goes Wrong by Henry Lewis, Henry Shields, and Jonathan Sayer (SWFL Premiere) opens on September 16.

Everything goes wrong when the cash-strapped Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society tries to put on a murder mystery. This hilarious award-winning show is a play within a play that is described as what would happen if Monty Python and Sherlock Holmes had a baby – and the result is a riotous explosion of comedy!

“If you are in the mood for laughs, sight-gags, double-takes, craziness, wacko antics, pure fun, here is your show. – Chicago Tribune

THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG is presented by special arrangement with Dramatists Play Service, Inc., New York.

Performance dates:
September 16, 17, 22, 23, 24, 29, 30, October 1, 6, 7, 8 at 8 PM
September 18, 25*, October 2, 9 at 2 PM

Special Events:
September 14, 15 at 8 pm Half-price preview nights
September 17 at 8 pm Teens get a free ticket to the performance and a meet-and-greet with the cast (reservations required)
September 25 Community Talkback immediately following the performance.

The Play That Goes Wrong is sponsored by Marlene and Darrell Smith.

The 24-Hour Playwriting Project — October 22

That perennial favorite bucket list event known as The 24-Hour Playwriting project is back for Season 14! The theme for this season, usually a well-guarded secret, is Jazz-Era Cabaret. Directed and coordinated by Char Loomis, playwrights will be assigned a theme, a director, and actors. Within just 24 hours, you will see the fruits of their labor when we present all of their short plays to be judged by a panel of area theater and arts professionals. A hugely popular event!

One-performance only – October 22 at 8 pm.

The 24-Hour Playwriting Project is sponsored by Stacy Lee-Williams.

The Thanksgiving Play by Larissa FastHorse (SWFL Premiere) opens on November 4.

Events go sideways when elementary school teachers attempt to put on a culturally-sensitive Thanksgiving Play, hiring a “Native American” actress who ends up being a white lady who is just a little tan… and that’s just the beginning.

The Thanksgiving Play is directed by Madelaine Weymouth, with Emarie Spiller as assistant director.

“Very, very funny. [It] skewers liberal pretensions with glee – this clever satire is something for which to be truly thankful.” – Hollywood Reporter

Performance Dates:
November 4, 5, 10, 11, 12, 17, 18, 19 at 8 PM
November 6, 13*, 19, 20 at 2 PM

Special Events:
November 2, 3 at 8 pm Half-price preview
November 5 at 6 pm Teens get a free ticket to the performance and a meet-and-greet with the cast (reservations required)
November 13 Community talkback immediately following the performance.

The Thanksgiving Play is sponsored by Arlene Foreman.

Ain’t Misbehavin’ by Murray Horwitz, and Richard Maltby, Jr. (SWFL Premiere) opens on December 9th.

Featuring the music of jazz legend Fats Waller, who believed that life was meant for fun, audiences will be swept away through the nightclubs of 1920s Manhattan in this musical revue – winner of the 1978 Tony Award for Best New Musical. Directed by Sonya McCarter.

“If there was any doubt our grandmothers and grandfathers kicked up their heels, ‘Ain’t Misbehavin’ dispels that notion, depicting hip New Yorkers enjoying swanky nightlife on the town.” – NOLA.com

Performance dates:
December 9, 10, 15, 16, 17, 28, 29, 30 at 8 pm
January 5, 6, 7, 12, 13, 14 at 8 pm
December 11, 18 at 2 pm
January 8*, 15 at 2 pm

Special Events:
December 7, 8 Half-price preview nights
November 10 at 6 pm Teens get a free ticket to the performance and a meet-and-greet with the cast (reservations required)
January 8 Community Talkback immediately following the performance.

Ain’t Misbehavin’ is currently available for sponsorship. Please contact the theater for details.

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street by Hugh Wheeler and Stephen Sondheim opens on February 10.

Sweeney Todd, an unjustly-exiled barber, returns to 19th-century London, seeking vengeance against the lecherous judge who framed him and ravaged his young wife. The road to revenge leads Todd to Mrs. Lovett, a resourceful proprietress of a failing pie shop, above which he opens a new barber practice. Mrs. Lovett’s luck sharply shifts when Todd’s thirst for blood inspires the integration of an ingredient into her meat pies that has the people of London lining up… and the carnage has only just begun.

“It’s a rollicking tour of Dickensian Hell, funny and frightening at the same time…It’s also a celebration of theatre, telling one of the most warped tales found in an accessible show.” – Broadway World.

Performance dates:
Feb 10, 11, 16, 17, 18, 23, 24, 25 at 8 pm
March 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11 at 8 pm
Feb 12, 19, 26 at 2 pm
March 5 at 2 pm

Special Events:
February 8, 9 at 8 pm Half-price preview nights
February 11 at 6 pm Teens get a free ticket to the performance and a meet-and-greet with the cast (reservations required)

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street is currently available for sponsorship. Please contact the theater for details.

Pass Over by Antoinette Chinonye Nwandu (SWFL Premiere) opens on March 31.

Moses and Kitch stand around on the corner, talking trash, passing the time, and hoping that maybe today will be different. As they dream of their promised land, a stranger wanders into their space with his own agenda and derails their plans. Pass Over exposes the unquestionable human spirit of young men stuck in a cycle and looking for a way out. A provocative riff on Waiting for Godot, this is a rare piece of politically charged theater by a bold new American voice.

“The play…comes across as the embodiment of an escalating frustration over how to make Black lives matter.” – Washington Post.

Performance dates:
March 31 at 8 pm
April 1, 6, 7, 8, 13, 14, 15 at 8 PM
April 2, 9*, 16 at 2 PM

Special Events:
March 29, 30 at 8 pm Half-price preview nights
April 1 at 6 pm Teens get a free ticket to the performance and a meet-and-greet with the cast (reservations required)
April 9 Community Talkback immediately following the performance.

Mature themes

Pass Over is sponsored by Ella Nayor and Jeffrey Cull.

Also included are two special Holocaust events (January 9 at 7 pm and April 10 at 7 pm) and the New Play Festival on May 5, 6, 7 at 8 pm.

Performance Subscription Packages:

Preview subscription $90.00 – (Sept. 2022 – May 2023) – includes mainstage show preview nights on Wednesday and Thursday before opening; no special events included.
Thrifty Thursday Pass $230.00 (June 2022 – May 2023) – includes any Thursday night performances and all special events.
Year-Round Pass Weekend $270 (June 2021 – May 2022) – includes all shows and special events.
Flex Pass 5 seats (June 2022 – May 2023) $165 – 5 seats anytime/anywhere you want them!
Flex Pass 10 seats (June 2022 – May 2023) $333 – 10 seats anytime/anywhere you want them!

Individual Tickets:

Individual ticket prices are $30 for adults and $10 for students for non-musical performances, $37 for adults and $15 for students for musicals.
Thrifty Thursday tickets are $25 for adults and $10 for students.
Group discounts are available for parties of 10 or more, reserved in advance.

Please note that with ANY ticket purchase (subscription or individual sale), check-in MUST occur prior to 5 minutes to curtain, or seats will become available for sale to others.

ALL DATES AND SHOWS ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE

TICKET REFUND POLICY: Tickets are nonrefundable; tickets may be exchanged for another date or for a Laboratory Theater of Florida credit. Cancellations must be made by 10 am on the date of the performance. There will be no credit for missed performances. The theater may, but is not obligated to, make reasonable accommodations for performances missed due to illness, traffic, or other unforeseen circumstances. Refunds are only available if the theater cancels the performance for which the patron holds tickets; tickets to postponed performances may be exchanged for another date or for a credit. For holders of our Flex passes, no credit is given for lower-priced performances. Internet service fees are non-refundable.

PREVIEW PERFORMANCES: Please note that previews are considered final dress rehearsals. Thus, it is at the director’s discretion if the show experiences any “holds” for the actors, director, or crew to make adjustments or give/receive notes, as needed.

ABOUT THE LABORATORY THEATER OF FLORIDA
The Laboratory Theater of Florida, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, is dedicated to the promotion of the performing arts, through live performance, education, community outreach, experimentation, and the development of ensemble work. The company features ensemble productions, produces classic works, takes artistic risks, which both feature and challenge local performers. For more information visit www.LaboratoryTheaterFlorida.com or the physical location at 1634 Woodford Avenue, in the Fort Myers River District.

The Laboratory Theater of Florida

Season 14

The Birds: A Parody

Trap

Fairview

The Play That Goes Wrong

The 24-Hour Playwriting Project

The Thanksgiving Play

Ain’t Misbehavin’

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Pass Over

This press release was produced by Greater Fort Myers Chamber of Commerce. The views expressed here are the author’s own.