PTC looks forward to exciting season

The weather breaks, buds appear on the trees, the tulips bloom and theaters begin announcing their upcoming seasons.

It's such an exciting time for theatergoers and actors looking for shows.

Pioneer Theater Company has announced its upcoming season, which includes five plays and two musicals.

"In these trying times, I think all of us could use a good time," said artistic director Charles Morey. "We need to have some laughs, be told some great stories and forget our troubles for a couple of hours when we escape to the theater."

"A Chorus Line," Sept. 25-Oct. 10. This Tony Award-winning musical isn't the singing and dancing show you might expect. It is the story of 16 dancers auditioning for parts in a Broadway show. When asked to tell something about themselves, they each reveal a story about their pasts that shaped them. The show ran for 15 years on Broadway and features the classic songs "One" and "What I Did for Love."

"Is He Dead?" Oct. 30-Nov. 14. A "new" comedy by Mark Twain, the play was discovered in the author's papers in 2002 and was adapted by David Ives. It opened on Broadway in 2007 to "peals of laughter."

"A Christmas Story," Dec. 4-19. Yes, THAT Christmas story. This semiautobiographical tale, by Jean Shepherd and adapted for the stage by Philip Grecian, is about Ralphie and his quest for an official Red Ryder, carbine action, 200 shot range model air rifle.

"Touch(ed)," Jan. 18-23, 2010. Discovered through the PTC New Play Initiative, this production by Bess Wohl is a touching, often humorous and always compelling story about the special relationship between two sisters.

"Twelve Angry Men," Feb. 12-27, 2010. The riveting courtroom drama has been a hit Broadway show and was the basis for a classic film and a TV series.

"Our Town," March 12-27, 2010. Called "the great American play," this is a story about family, neighbors, community and triumph of the human spirit — still relevant 70 years after its premiere.

"42nd Street," April 23-May 8, 2010. The Tony Award-wining, song-and-dance extravaganza is a celebration of show business and the people who chase their dreams. It's filled with one classic song after another including, "Lullaby of Broadway," "Shuffle off to Buffalo," and "We're in the Money."

For ticket information, go to www.pioneertheatre.org.

E-mail: ehansen@desnews.com