Boston Theatre Works presents a season of premieres and continues its tradition of contemporary Shakespeare
June 21, 2006

The local regional premiere of I Am My Own Wife, the New England premiere of a 2004 Obie Award winner, the Boston premiere of Confessions of a Mormon Boy and a new production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream bow at BTW.

[BOSTON, MA] Boston Theatre Works will kick off its 06/07 Season in Sepetember with the local regional premiere of the 2004 Pulitzer and Tony Award-winning play I Am My Own Wife. The production stars American Repertory Theatre actor Thomas Derrah and is presented by special arrangement with A.R.T. at Zero Arrow Theatre under the helm of BTW Artistic Director Jason Southerland.

The season continues in December with the regional premiere of the 2004 Obie Award-winning A Very Merry Unauthorized Children’s Scientology Pageant by Kyle Jarrow (author of this season’s Gorilla Man). This tongue-in-cheek holiday pageant devoted to the life of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard, was dubbed “an instant cult classic!” by the Los Angeles Times. BTW will present it at the Boston Center for the Arts for the holiday season.

In February former BTW company member Daniel Elihu Kramer will direct a new production of William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. BTW was nominated for a pair of Elliot Norton Awards including Outstanding Production for its February hit production of Othello. Dream will play for five weeks at the BCA and will include a dozen student matinee performances.

BTW will close out its mainstage season with the Boston premiere of Confessions of a Mormon Boy by Steven Fales and directed by Tony Award winner Jack Hofsiss. This captivating true story is the winner of the Overall Excellence Award for a Solo Show at the New York International Fringe Festival. The New York Times called it “compelling confessional theater” while the Associated Press wrote, “this is the stuff of great theater…riveting.”

In addition to the mainstage season, BTW will continue its tradition of developing new work with the 9th installment of our weeklong festival of new plays, BTW Unbound. Several new plays have come through Unbound and later debuted on BTW’s mainstage or stages around the country, including Conspiracy of Memory, Veronika Vavoom Volcanologist, and the 2002 Jefferson Award-winner (Chicago), Waving Goodbye.

“I’m extremely pleased by the dynamic mix of work we’re able to offer in the upcoming season,” Jason Southerland said today. “ Our two solo shows reach theatrical heights by exploring deep emotional journey while Kyle Jarrow, with tongue firmly planted in check, takes us though the doctrines of one of America’s most controversial religions. I am also excited to partner with the American Repertory Theatre and use their beautiful new facility.” With the exception of I Am My Own Wife, the season will be presented at the Boston Center for the Arts. Subscriptions are available at www.BostonTheatreWorks.com or by calling (617) 728-4321.