From “Misery” to “Elf” to “Rent,” theatre excitement ramps up
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — March 7, 2023 — The Fine Arts Center Theatre Company is pleased to announce its lineup for the 2023–2024 performing arts season.
The FAC has six theatre company productions planned, including Elf the Musical for the holiday season and Quiara Alegria Hughes’ Pulitzer Prize-winning drama, Water by the Spoonful, telling a multi-faceted story of addiction and recovery, in addition to Stephen King’s psychological thriller Misery. Be on the lookout for Jonathon Larson’s award-winning musical Rent next spring. The highly anticipated season kicks off October 12.
“Great things are on the horizon,” said Chris Sheley, production manager and interim producing artistic director of the FAC’s performing-arts division. “And we wouldn’t want you to miss out on the ground-breaking work, unique performances, local and national talents, familiar and unfamiliar stories, and breathtaking spectacles we’ve got in store for you.”
The 2023–2024 Season Includes:
Misery
Mainstage: Oct. 12–29, 2023
By William Goldman | Based on the Stephen King Novel
Misery follows successful romance novelist Paul Sheldon, who is rescued from a car crash by his “number one fan,” Annie Wilkes, and wakes up captive in her secluded home. While Paul is convalescing, Annie reads his latest book and becomes enraged when she discovers the author has killed off her favorite character, Misery Chastain. Annie forces Paul to write a new Misery novel, and he quickly realizes Annie has no intention of letting him go anywhere. The irate Annie has Paul writing as if his life depends on it, and it does.
Balloonacy (not included in season subscription)
Second Stage: Oct. 28–Nov. 19, 2023
By Barry Kornhauser
It starts so simply: A red balloon drifts through the window of a solitary old man’s home. But then some serious silliness begins — with things fast becoming so magical and so blissfully fun, you barely notice that along the way you’ve learned something about the extraordinarily transformative power of play! Without a single spoken word, this sweet, inventive, and uplifting show — packed with plenty of playful shtick, along with touching reminders of the ups and downs of building a friendship — is a tender and laugh-filled delight for little ones (and big ones, too)!
Elf the Musical
Mainstage: Nov. 30–Dec. 31, 2023
Music by Matthew Sklar, Lyrics by Chad Beguelin | Book by Bob Martin and Thomas Meehan
A title known the world over, Elf the Musical is a must-produce holiday musical that can easily become an annual tradition for any theatre. Based on the cherished 2003 New Line Cinema hit, Elf features songs by Tony Award nominees Matthew Sklar (The Wedding Singer) and Chad Beguelin (Disney’s Aladdin on Broadway), with a book by Tony Award winners Thomas Meehan (Annie, The Producers, Hairspray) and Bob Martin (The Drowsy Chaperone).
Water By the Spoonful
Mainstage: Feb. 15–March 3, 2024
By Quiara Alegria Hudes
Somewhere in Philadelphia, Elliot has returned from Iraq and is struggling to find his place in the world. Somewhere in a chat room, recovering addicts keep each other alive, hour by hour, day by day. The boundaries of family and community are stretched across continents and cyberspace as birth families splinter and online families collide. Water by the Spoonful is a heartfelt meditation on lives on the brink of redemption.
Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus (Not included in season subscription)
Second Stage: March 2–24, 2023
By Mo Willems | Lyrics by Mo Willems | Music by Deborah Wicks La Puma
Based on the award-winning children’s book, audiences can now hop on board for an unforgettable ride. It’s not easy being the Pigeon-you never get to do ANYTHING! But when the Bus Driver has a crisis that threatens to make her passengers (gasp!) late, maybe that wily bird CAN do something.
Rent
Mainstage: May 2–26, 2024
Book by Jonathan Larson | Music by Jonathan Larson | Lyrics by Jonathan Larson and Billy Aronson
Based loosely on Puccini’s La Boheme, Jonathan Larson’s Rent follows a year in the life of a group of impoverished young artists and musicians struggling to survive and create in New York’s Lower East Side, under the shadow of HIV/AIDS. The physical and emotional complications of the disease pervade the lives of Roger, Mimi, Tom and Angel. Maureen deals with her chronic infidelity through performance art; her partner, Joanne, wonders if their relationship is worth the trouble. Benny has sold out his Bohemian ideals in exchange for a hefty income and is on the outs with his former friends. Mark, an aspiring filmmaker, feels like an outsider to life in general. How these young bohemians negotiate their dreams, loves and conflicts provides the narrative thread to this groundbreaking musical. Winner of the Tony Award for Best Musical and Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
TICKET INFORMATION
Season subscriptions start at $110 and go on sale March 8, 2023.
Discounted subscription offer – In an effort to create access and welcome the next generation of theatre lovers in to experience the performing arts, the FAC will offer a special subscription package for patrons 40 years old and younger to see four mainstage shows of the season for only $110.
Single tickets for all shows start at $25 and will be available for purchase starting April 26, 2023.
For more information call (719) 634-5583, or visit fac.coloradocollege.edu
PLEASE NOTE: Exposure to COVID-19 is possible in public places. For the latest information on any COVID guidelines and requirements, visit the FAC website.
ABOUT THE FAC THEATRE COMPANY
The award-winning FAC Theatre Company produces an annual season of innovative and exciting theatrical productions and is committed to creating stories that heal, uplift, educate and enlighten in a thoughtful and inclusive environment.
Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College
The story of the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College (FAC) began with the founding of the Broadmoor Art Academy in 1919. A museum, performing arts theatre, and community art school, the FAC is a pillar in the cultural community of the Rocky Mountain West providing innovative, educational, and multi-disciplinary arts experiences designed to elevate the individual spirit and inspire community vitality. For more information about the FAC, visit fac.coloradocollege.edu or follow on Facebook @CSFineArtsCenter.
Land Acknowledgement
Colorado College occupies the traditional territories of the Nuchu, known today as the Southern Ute Tribe, the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, and the Northern Ute People, who lost their beloved homelands due to colonization, forced relocation, and land theft. Other tribes have also lived here including the Apache, Arapaho, Cheyenne, and Comanche — and notably, continue to do so, along with many other Indigenous Peoples. To actively seek social justice, we acknowledge that the land continues to hold the values and traditions of the original inhabitants and caretakers of this land. We pay honor and respect to their ancestors, elders, and youth — past, present, and future.
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