Arizona Theatre Company's 2018/2019 Season

Arizona Theatre Company's 2018/2019 Season Reflects Influence, Impact of First David Ivers-Shaped Lineup
Season’s Theme, “Scene in America,” Resonates in Each of the 6 Plays

“The new season offers a kaleidoscope of reflections and explorations of the American experience, themes of literal and metaphorical family, and views of the world we live in,” Ivers said. “I’m ecstatic about the six plays and the artists attached to them in a season which keeps the family at the epicenter through each show that reflects our theme for the year, Scene in America.”

The 2018/2019 season offers the American premiere of Andrew Bovell’s Things I Know to be True, a co-production with Milwaukee Repertory Theatre and directed by Mark Clements, that the Daily Telegraph (London) awarded five stars and called “A thing of beauty. An Absolute gem.”

The lineup also includes Native Gardens, Karen Zacarías hilarious new comedy; Erma Bombeck: At Wit’s End, a tribute to the Ohio wife and long-time Arizona resident, best-selling author, syndicated columnist and a key figure in the ERA movement; the irresistible musical tribute to the power of hope, The Music Man; August Wilson’s Two Trains Running about the social impact of the civil rights movement in 1969 Pittsburgh; and the vibrant new comedy, American Mariachi by José Cruz González about an all-girl mariachi band.

Subscription renewals begin on February 12th for the 6-Play subscription package. Renewals for the 3,4,5 and Flex subscriptions start on March 12th. Renewing subscribers may go online at

www.arizonatheatre.org/subscribe or by calling the box office in Tucson at (520) 622-2823 or in Phoenix at (602) 256-6995. For the 2018/2019 season,

ATC has standardized curtain times in both cities. Performance times will be: Tuesdays through Saturday evenings at 7:30 p.m., Sunday evenings at 7:00 p.m. and all matinees will be held at 2:00 p.m. New season-ticket packages will be available to the general public starting April 1.

The complete 2018/2019 season schedule:

• Native Gardens, Karen Zacarías’ hilarious new comedy, is anything but neighborly (at the Temple of Music & Art in Tucson from Sept. 8-29 and at the Herberger Theater Center in Phoenix from Oct. 4-21). It’s the story of high-powered lawyer Pablo and his wife, Tania, a doctoral student, who are working toward the American Dream. They move into a well-to-do, mostly white neighborhood in our nation’s capital. A delicate disagreement over a long-standing fence line soon spirals into an all-out, laugh out loud comic border dispute, exploring what is an otherwise hot button issue through a refreshing comedic lens. “A true breath of comic fresh air.” – DC Theatre Scene.

• Erma Bombeck: At Wit’s End, by Margaret Engel and Allison Engel, directed by Casey Stangl (Tucson: Oct. 20-Nov. 10; Phoenix: Nov. 15-Dec. 2). A loving tribute to the Ohio wife and mother turned long time Arizona resident who made herself into a national superstar as a best-selling author and syndicated journalist who was lauded for opening up the secret world of the mother and housewife. Discover the story behind America’s beloved humorist who championed women’s lives with wit that sprang from the most unexpected place of all – the truth. “Immensely entertaining.” –TheaterMania.

• The Music Man, Music and Lyrics by Meredith Willson, Book by Meredith Willson and Franklin Lacey, directed by David Ivers (Tucson: Dec. 1-22; Phoenix: Jan. 5-27, 2019). The irresistible musical tribute to the power of make believe marches onto the ATC stages – and into your heart – with trumpets blaring! By turns wicked, funny, warm, romantic, and touching, The Music Man is American musical theatre at its best. “Even if you're seeing it for the umpteenth time, you can be surprised by the musical's vigor, warmth, uplift and virtually faultless construction. Here is both popular art and a model of musical theater craft.” – New York Times

• Two Trains Running, by August Wilson, directed by Lou Bellamy (Tucson: Jan. 19-Feb. 9; Phoenix: Feb. 14-March 3.). From the writer of Fences, the story of a new president in the White House and racial tensions on the rise. But no, it’s not 2018. It’s 1969 - and the Civil Rights Movement is sending tremors through Pittsburgh’s Hill District. Two Trains Running explores a time of extraordinary change - and the ordinary people who get left behind. “Mr. Wilson's most adventurous and honest attempt to reveal the intimate heart of history.” – New York Times

• American Mariachi, by José Cruz González (Tucson: March 9-30; Phoenix: April 4-21). Spending her days caring for her ailing mother, Lucha yearns to break her monotonous routine. Here’s a wild idea: an all-girl mariachi band! But it’s the 1970s, and girls can’t be mariachis...or can they? A heartwarming and hilarious new comedy about music’s power to heal and connect, featuring gorgeous live mariachi music that will send your heart soaring.

• Things I Know to be True, by Andrew Bovell, directed by Mark Clements (Tucson: April 20- May 11; Phoenix: May 16-June 2). Can a parent love their children too much? Is it possible to not love them enough? These are questions that hover over Things I Know to be True, a beautiful and painfully perceptive portrait of a family and the frictions that arise when grown-up children try to push beyond the confines of their loving parents’ expectations.
“FIVE STARS! A thing of beauty. An absolute gem.” – Daily Telegraph

ATC’s 2018/2019 season also will include the launching of the new Arizona Artists Initiative, pop- up collaborations with other Arizona-based institutions and the Summer on Stage program for high school students.

Summer on Stage (SOS) is a five-week intensive training program in performance and technical theater for Arizona high school students who produce two productions in true rotating repertory under the leadership of Learning and Education Director Israel Jimenez.

“Summer on Stage is an important element of our commitment to blend our educational and community engagement programs to the larger season,” Ivers said.

SOS productions planned for the summer of 2018 include Polaroid Stories by Naomi Iizuka, a visceral blend of mythological stories told through the eyes of American street youth, and American Idiot by Billie Joe Armstrong and Michael Mayer, a rock opera based on Green Day’s Grammy-winning concept album that explores the struggles of American teens finding their way in a post-9/11 world.

Both productions will be performed at the Temple of Music & Art in Tucson and are not part of the 2018/19 subscription series. Tickets will be available at a date to be announced.

The 2018/2019 season sponsor is I. Michael and Beth Kasser.
The Stonewall Foundation is the lead sponsor for the 2018 Summer on Stage program.

Contact: Steve Carr, The Kur Carr Group, Inc., (602) 317-3040

About Arizona Theatre Company:

Arizona Theatre Company (ATC) is the preeminent fully professional theatre in the state of Arizona committed to inspiring, engaging, and entertaining - one moment, one production, and one audience at a time. Boasting the largest seasonal subscriber base in the performing arts in Arizona, ATC is the only resident company in the U.S. that is fully based in two cities providing its wide array of programming and community outreach across the region. Now in its 51st season, more than 130,000 people a year attend our performances at the historic Temple of Music and Art in Tucson, and the elegant Herberger Theater Center in downtown Phoenix. Each season of home-grown productions reflects the rich variety of world drama—from classics to contemporary plays, from musicals to new works—along with a wide array of community outreach programs, educational opportunities, access initiatives and new play programs. Designated The State Theatre of Arizona, ATC is led by Artistic Director David Ivers, Managing Director Billy Russo and a dedicated Board of Trustees.