"This season, Two River Theater is celebrating our 20th Anniversary with a season of plays that reflect our history and honor our founding mission: 'to present plays that most richly direct our gaze to the life of the human spirit,'" artistic director John Dias said in a statement. "We produce new works and classics that challenge us to see ourselves in the human condition. Theater doesn’t pretend to provide answers; instead it invites us to ask the necessary questions. The artists who are coming to Red Bank are among the greatest writers, directors, and actors working in the American theater today. They are driven by their passions, and we chose our 20th anniversary lineup to support their explorations and insights."
The season will open with Paul Osborn's On Borrowed Time. Directed by Grey, who made his theatrical debut in 1941 in the play, performances will begin Sept. 14 and continue through Oct. 6.
Seth Barrish will direct A Map of the Soul, which includes The Tricky Part and All the Rage, both written by and starring Martin Moran. The two plays, which address sexual abuse, will be performed in repertory beginning Oct. 26.
A Wind in the Willows Christmas, reworked following its premiere production in 2012, will be performed Dec. 7-29. Based on the novel by Kenneth Grahame, the show features music by Mike Reid, lyrics by Sarah Schlesinger and a book by Mindi Dickstein. Daniella Topol will direct.
As You Like It, by William Shakespeare, will star Jacob Fishel and begin performances Jan. 25, 2014 for a run through Feb. 16. Michael Sexton will direct. The world premiere of Pinkolandia, a new play by Andrea Thome about two sisters exiled from Chile to Reagan-era Wisconsin, will begin Feb. 22 and run through March 23. The play will be directed by José Zayas.
Jade King Carroll will direct Trouble in Mind by Alice Childress. The play, which addresses issues of race within a comedy about a besieged acting company, will run April 5-27.
The season will conclude with Third, the final play by the late Wendy Wasserstein, who won the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award for The Heidi Chronicles. Michael Cumpsty, a Tony nominee for Broadway’s The End of the Rainbow and a performer in Present Laughter (Two River’s current production), will direct. Third runs May 31-June 22.
Tickets and more information can be found by calling (732) 345-1400 or visiting trtc.org.