American Stage announces new season

It's a new season in a new building for American Stage Theatre Company in St. Petersburg. Here are highlights for 2009-2010:

The Third Installment in American Stage’s August Wilson’s Century Cycle
FENCES
Sept. 27-Oct. 11
August Wilson's towering masterpiece, winner of the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award for “Best Play”. Set in 1957, FENCES explores what holds families together (and drive them apart) in a powerful story filled with humor, love, hope, failure, and triumph.

THIS WONDERFUL LIFE written by Steve Murray, conceived by Mark Setlock
Nov. 20-Dec. 27
It’s Christmas Eve and George Bailey stands on a snowy bridge ready to jump…when a guardian angel intervenes! Thus begins the most irresistible “what if” story of all time, a visually stunning stage adaptation of the classic holiday film that is sure to capture your heart and captivate your spirit.

BLITHE SPIRIT
Jan. 22-Feb. 7, 2010
A smash on Broadway and on London’s West End, this comic classic from the author of Private Lives and Hay Fever is the story of cantankerous novelist Charles Condomine, who is re-married but haunted (literally) by the ghost of his late first wife. When a “happy medium” conjures the late wife’s spirit, all the personalities – real or ghostly - clash with hilarious results.

The Most Requested Play American Stage’s Patrons
DRIVING MISS DAISY by Alfred Uhry
March 12-28, 2010
Winner of the 1988 Pulitzer Prize, DRIVING MISS DAISY tells the post-World War II story of a rich, sharp-tongued Jewish widow who meets her new black chauffeur. Over a series of absorbing scenes spanning 25 years, the two grow to have one of theatre’s great friendships.

25th Annual American Stage in the Park
HAIR by James Rado, Gerome Ragni, and Galt MacDermot
April 23-May 16, 2010
Overflowing with the timeless spirit of progress and hope for a better world, HAIR is the story of a group of young Americans searching for love and peace during the Vietnam era. With a groundbreaking rock score featuring such classics as Aquarius, Let the Sunshine In and Good Morning Starshine, HAIR depicts the birth of a cultural movement that changed America forever.

NOVEMBER
June 11-27, 2010
This new comedy by Pulitzer Prize winning satirist David Mamet proves once and for all that there is no lower place than the highest office in the land. Upon learning that he lacks the funds to campaign or construct a legacy-ensuring library, the incumbent President taps an unlikely income source on the eve of the next election: the turkey industry. Thanksgiving, Indian casinos and the prospect of officiating a live, televised lesbian wedding demand attention in this riotous, oval office romp. Very strong language.

Wall Street Journal’s “Best New Play”
THE SEAFARER
July 23-Aug. 8, 2010
A darkly funny new play about the sea, Ireland and the power of myth. It’s Christmas Eve in Dublin. In the rundown house where Sharky cares for his blind brother, old acquaintances gather for a card game joined by an ominous stranger. As the booze flows and the game intensifies, Sharky discovers that he may be playing for his very soul. In this eerie tale, celebrated Irish playwright Conor McPherson examines how we face the demons of our past, and struggle for redemption.

Tickets: $26-$45 depending on date and time of performance.
Subscriptions: $91 to $209
Information: 727-823-PLAY or americanstage.org

American Stage Theatre Company at the Raymond James Theater, 163 3rd St. N., St. Petersburg, Florida.