Prime Stage Theatre going 'beyond imagination' for 25th anniversary season

During the pandemic, Prime Stage Theatre employed imagination to reach audiences, resulting in viewers tuning in to livestream performances from as far away as Rwanda and South Africa.

With live audiences back in the New Hazlett Theater in Pittsburgh’s North Side, the company will lend its ingenuity and originality to a new series of main stage productions.

“At Prime Stage, we say we don’t do plays, we do programs and experiences,” said Producing Artistic Director Wayne Brinda. “People are so locked into the digital world, especially for the past year, and people are a little tired of it. We want to go beyond that.”

Productions for the 25th anniversary season will revolve around the theme, “Beyond the Imagination.”

“This season actually was planned for last year, but it’s even more appropriate now than it would have been then,” Brinda said.

Kicking the season off is a world premiere of a new adaptation of Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein,” by Pittsburgh native and acclaimed sci-fi/horror novelist Lawrence C. Connolly.

“The audience is watching Mary Shelley create the story as Doctor Frankenstein is creating the monster,” Brinda said. “The two things are happening at the same time. It’s a really ingenious framing device.”

The season opener will be presented Nov. 5-14.

Next up is an adaptation of Madeleine L’Engle’s “A Wrinkle in Time,” set for March 4-13. The production gives a nod to the 60th anniversary of the publication of the Newbery Award-winning young adult novel.

Developed by Brinda and Brian Wongchaowart, the adaptation follows “three youngsters as they experience a riveting adventure through space and time to rescue their father and help Good triumph over Evil.”

“Traditionally, ‘A Wrinkle in Time” is done with a lot of technology and video to create the tesseract and the different worlds,” Brinda said. “We’ll be using some digital technology, but we’re working with a choreographer and going beyond technology to create those scenes with dancers.”

Joseph Kesselring’s classic black comedy from 1941, “Arsenic and Old Lace,” will be staged May 6-15. The madcap action follows a pair of newlyweds who return from their honeymoon, only to end up dealing with the husband’s pair of homicidal spinster aunts, who are poisoning their elderly suitors with arsenic-laced elderberry wine.

“When it was written, the world was caught up in World War II and people needed an escape,” Brinda said. “It’s the same today — we need an escape, we need a good laugh. We’re getting out of the present day and back to the reason the play was written.”

‘Sprouts’ series

The final production of the 2021-22 season will be the premiere of the new Prime Stage Sprouts series, which will offer productions for elementary school-aged children and their families.

Sprouts debuts with the regional premiere of “The Amazing Lemonade Girl,” running June 16-19. Writer James DeVita was inspired by the life of Alexandra Flynn Scott, founder of the childhood cancer charity, Alex’s Lemonade Stand.

“Based on the book written by (Scott’s) parents, this regional premiere shows how a single person can change the world one act or even one cup at a time. Watch as her noble efforts inspire donations of over $1 million dollars and a foundation that has raised $200 million and funded over 1,000 medical research projects for children’s health,” according to a release.

“As we celebrate our 25th anniversary season with ‘Beyond the Imagination,’ I’m pleased that we are returning to in-person theatre with three fantastic shows, along with the beginning of our new phase with Prime Stage Sprouts,” Brinda said. “We are also pleased to continue our accessibility program that brings literature and theatre to life for everyone.”

“Our productions will be available with audio description and interpretation. The performances are sensory inclusive and a social story will be posted on the web site,” the release said. “Prime Stage Theatre is the only theater company in the Pittsburgh area to attain certified sensory inclusive status through KultureCity, as a leading nonprofit recognized nationwide for using their resources to affect change for those with sensory needs.”

For ticket information, call 412-608-2262 or visit primestage.com.