CAMBRIDGE, MA– American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) at Harvard University, led by Terrie and Bradley Bloom Artistic Director Diane Paulus and Executive Director Kelvin Dinkins, Jr., announced today the four anchor productions of its 2023/24 Season, all to be performed at the Loeb Drama Center in Harvard Square, Cambridge, MA.
The season will begin in September with A.R.T.’s North American premiere production of The Half-God of Rainfall, a new epic by poet and playwright Inua Ellams (Barber Shop Chronicles) that fuses Greek mythology and Yoruba spirituality to tell a story that unfolds on basketball courts across the globe. Taibi Magar (Help; Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992; Macbeth In Stride) directs this co-production with New York Theatre Workshop.
In December and January, A.R.T. will produce the world premiere of Real Women Have Curves, a new musical based on the play and hit film of the same name about a first-generation child of Mexican immigrants torn between her parents’ vision for her life and her dreams. This story for anyone who has experienced the curves of life is directed by Tony Award winner Sergio Trujillo (Arrabal, Ain’t Too Proud, Jersey Boys) and features a book by award-winning playwright Lisa Loomer (Roe; The Waiting Room; Girl, Interrupted) with an original score by Grammy-winning recording artist Joy Huerta (from world-renowned Mexican pop duo Jesse and Joy) and Fred Ebb Award winner Benjamin Velez (Kiss My Aztec).
In February 2024, A.R.T. will produce Becoming a Man, a world-premiere stage adaptation by P. Carl (dramaturg of The White Card) of his acclaimed memoir that chronicles his journey of gender affirmation. P. Carl and Diane Paulus (1776, Gloria: A Life, The White Card) will co-direct the story about the courage and the community we need to become ourselves.
To conclude, A.R.T. will produce the previously announced world-premiere musical Gatsby, an adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic American novel The Great Gatsby, with a score by international rock star Florence Welch (Florence + The Machine) and Oscar and Grammy Award nominee Thomas Bartlett (Doveman) and book by Pulitzer Prize winner Martyna Majok (Cost of Living). Tony Award-winning director Rachel Chavkin (Hadestown; Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812; Moby-Dick) directs with choreography by Tony Award winner Sonya Tayeh (Moulin Rouge!). Gatsby will be produced by special arrangement with Amanda Ghost and Len Blavatnik for Unigram/Access Entertainment, and Jordan Roth, in association with Robert Fox. Hannah Giannoulis serves as co-producer.
“Next season is filled with must-see theatrical events—two world-premiere musicals and two vitally important plays which explore themes of immigration, the American dream, and what it means to feel welcome in our country,” said Paulus. “We’ve been thrilled to see packed houses as audiences returned to the A.R.T. this past year, and I can’t wait for our community to experience this next boundary-breaking season and line-up of extraordinary artists.”
Four-play subscriptions are now on sale to A.R.T. supporters and will be available to renewing subscribers and the general public in June. Visit AmericanRepertoryTheater.org/Subscribe for more information.
