Arsht Center Announces 018-19 Theater Up Close Season; SWEENEY TODD, DRACULA, EVERY BRILLIANT THING, and More

The Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County and Zoetic Stage are proud to announce the lineup for the Center's 8th season of THEATER UP CLOSE. The 2018-2019 season features SIX extraordinary productions - including one world premiere and four South Florida premieres.

Continuing the Arsht Center's ongoing, critically-acclaimed collaboration with Zoetic Stage, the THEATER UP CLOSE 2018-2019 series opens with DRACULA (October 11 - 28, 2018), a new feminist take on Bram Stoker's classic novel written by Carbonell Award-winning playwright Michael McKeever; THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME (January 17 - February 3, 2019), Simon Stephens' Tony Award-winning adaptation of Mark Haddon's internationally best-selling novel; EVERY BRILLIANT THING(February 14 - March 3, 2019), an exhilarating one-man tour de force about loving life and all it has to offer; and SWEENEY TODD, THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET(March 14 - April 7, 2019), Sondheim's beloved modern musical masterpiece. THEATER UP CLOSE will also include HUNDRED DAYS (April 10 - 21, 2019), "a luminous musical memoir" (The New York Times) and two-time New York Times' Critic's Pick; and The House Theatre of Chicago's UNITED FLIGHT 232 (May 4 - 19, 2019), a haunting true story of compassion and grace that leaves the audience with "a heightened sense of being alive" (Chicago Sun-Times).

The Theater Up Close Series has transformed the Arsht Center into a showcase for some of the most dazzling theatrical work being done anywhere in this country. Productions in the series have earned 20 Carbonell Awards and 73 nominations. The Center is also honored to have partnered with and be the home of Zoetic Stage, one of South Florida's most critically-acclaimed theater companies.

The Arsht Center's 2018-2019 THEATER UP CLOSE SERIES is generously supported by Adrianne and Jerry L. Cohen, Alan and Diane Lieberman and the Hotel Croydon Miami Beach.

Tickets

Early bird six-show subscription packages are available now starting at $205* until May 1, 2018. After that, six-show packages are $225* (non-peak) and $255* (peak). Subscriptions can be purchased now through the Adrienne Arsht Center box office by calling (305) 949-6722, or online at www.arshtcenter.org. Tickets for individual performances will be available starting this summer.

Programming for the 2018-2019 THEATER UP CLOSE SERIES includes the following:

Zoetic Stage and Adrienne Arsht Center present

DRACULA - World Premiere!

By Michael McKeever

Directed by Stuart Meltzer

October 11 - 28, 2018

A world premiere play by award-winning playwright and Zoetic Stage co-founder Michael McKeever.

It's 1897, and Jonathan Harker and his fiancée Mina Murray are welcoming Count Dracula from Transylvania. From that point on, nothing is what you'd expect it to be. Using Bram Stoker's novel as starting point, McKeever has reinvented the Gothic horror tale and - taking a feminist point of view - created female characters that not only stand up to the title character, but eventually overcome him. Breaking the mold of what a Victorian "lady" should be, the women in this DRACULA are strong, determined and unwilling to play victim to any predator. A very modern take on a classic story.

Zoetic Stage and Adrienne Arsht Center present

THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME - South Florida Premiere!

By Simon Stephens

Directed by Stuart Meltzer

January 17 - February 3, 2019

Simon Stephens' Tony Award-winning adaptation of Mark Haddon's internationally best-selling novel comes to thrilling life onstage. Fifteen-year-old Christopher has an extraordinary brain; he is exceptionally intelligent but not well equipped to deal with everyday life. When he falls under suspicion for killing his neighbor's dog, he sets out to identify the true culprit, which leads to an earth-shattering discovery that will change his life. An incredible journey to the world of a very special mind. Time Magazine hailed it as an "Eye-opening, life-affirming and unmissable."

Zoetic Stage and Adrienne Arsht Center present

EVERY BRILLIANT THING - South Florida Premiere!

By Duncan Macmillan with Jonny Donahoe

Directed by Stuart Meltzer

February 14 - March 3, 2019

This exhilarating play strikes a delicate balance between sobering loss and cathartic laughter. In this one-person tour de force, a man attempts to cure his mother's depression by creating a list of the best things in the world. The list grows as he progresses from childhood ("Ice Cream") and adolescence ("Star Trek"), to college ("Surprises") and marriage ("Falling in Love"). But when life deals a bitter blow, the list proves to be helpful to the son in ways that it could never be for the mother. London's The Stage called it an "Extraordinary piece of inclusive, participative theatre."

Zoetic Stage and Adrienne Arsht Center present

SWEENEY TODD, THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET

By Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler

Directed by Stuart Meltzer

March 14 - April 7, 2019

This modern musical masterpiece tells the story of the obsessively vengeful barber Benjamin Barker and his twisted partnership with the outrageous Mrs. Lovett who together devise a devilish plot to add a special ingredient to a recipe that has all of London dying for their pies. Sondheim's gloriously gruesome musical combines melodrama and murder and features one of the most thrilling scores ever written for the stage. Zoetic Stage, continuing its ongoing relationship with the work of Stephen Sondheim, will present an interpretation that promises surprises and a whole new feel to this beloved musical.

The Adrienne Arsht Center presents

HUNDRED DAYS - South Florida Premiere!

Book by The Bengsons and Sarah Gancher

Music & Lyrics by The Bengsons

April 10 - 21, 2019

Dubbed "a luminous musical memoir" and a Critic's Pick by The New York Times, HUNDRED DAYS is an exhilarating and heartrending true story about embracing uncertainty, taking a leap, and loving as if you only had 100 days to live. With magnetic chemistry and anthemic folk-punk music, creators and stars Abigail and Shaun Bengson explore a fundamental question: how do we make the most of the time that we have?

HUNDRED DAYS?was originally developed and produced by Z Space, Lisa Steindler, Artistic Director and piece by piece productions/Wendy vanden Heuvel. Further Developed and Produced Off-Broadway by the New York Theatre Workshop on December 4, 2017, Jim Nicola, Artistic Director, Jeremy Blocker, Managing Director.

The Adrienne Arsht Center and House Theatre of Chicago present

UNITED FLIGHT 232 - South Florida Premiere!

Adapted and Directed by Vanessa Stalling from the book Flight 232 by Laurence Gonzales

May 4 - 19, 2019

On July 19, 1989, a DC-10 headed for Chicago with 296 aboard was paralyzed mid-air. For 44 minutes, the aircraft descended towards an emergency landing and crashed at Sioux City Gateway airport. To the astonishment of all who witnessed the event, 184 of 296 passengers and crew survived. Drawing on the interviews and research conducted by author Laurence Gonzales for his critically-acclaimed book, Flight 232: A Story of Disaster and Survival, this new play, UNITED FLIGHT 232, is a reflection on how to comprehend tragedy and celebrate human ingenuity in the face of overwhelming challenges. "The very great artistic worth of this piece, beautifully staged, lies in its ability to make you think about what really matters in your life," (Chicago Tribune).

*All programs, artists, ticket prices, availability, dates and times are subject to change without notice. Visit www.arshtcenter.org for up-to-date information.

The Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County is made possible by the public support of the Miami-Dade County Mayor and the Board of County Commissioners, the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Tourist Development Council and the City of Miami Omni Community Redevelopment Agency, as well as the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs and the Florida Council on Arts and Culture. The Adrienne Arsht Center also receives generous support from individuals, corporations and local, state and national foundations.

Zoetic Stage is made possible with the support of the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners.