Everyman Theatre announced a 2009-2010 season that bucks a national trend by staging at least one large-cast show, and by increasing the theatrical "extras" available to customers.
Highlights of the next subscription season include:
* Rabbit Hole, Sept. 9-Oct. 11. The Baltimore premiere of David Lindsey-Abaire's Pulitzer Prize-winning drama is a harrowing look at how the death of a child can pull a family apart.
* The Mystery of Irma Vep, Nov. 11-Dec. 13. This satire of penny dreadfuls by playwright Charles Ludlam will feature actor Bruce Nelson. "This is one of those fast-change shows that gets faster and funnier with every entrance and exit," says Everyman artistic director Vincent Lancisi. "It requires more people backstage than on stage to pull it off."
* Two Rooms, Jan. 20-Feb. 21, 2010. Playwright Lee Blessing's study of the personal effects of terrorism focuses on a professor being held hostage in the Middle East, and the wife who waits for him in a cell that she has created in their home to mimic the conditions of his imprisonment.
* Our Town, March 17-April 18, 2010. The iconic and entirely unsentimental play by Thornton Wilder examines life and death in the small town of Grover's Corner has a huge cast, which will be supplemented by students at the Baltimore School for the Arts.
* Blackbird, May 12-June 13, 2010. David Harrower's play is full of dropped cues and misdirection, and will feature actress Megan Anderson. A young woman confronts an older man and forces him to come to terms with their relationship.
The three shows in the Explore! Everyman series on Monday nights will be sold for an extra fee:
* The Exonerated, Nov. 16-Dec. 14. This non-fiction work by Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen draws on case files and court records to tell the true-life stories of six people who were wrongly convicted of crimes and sentenced to death.
* The Songs of Irving Berlin, Dec. 26-Jan. 3, 2010. The popular annual holiday cabaret will feature the writing of the man who created such classics as Cheek to Cheek and There's No Business Like Show Business.
* A Passion for Justice: An Encounter with Clarence Darrow, June 18-26, 2009. Local actor Paul Morella worked for eight years crafting this one-actor, warts-and-all portrayal of the great barrister.
