AURORA | There’s no turning back now. Some Little Women, some good-bad and even some laser-gun-toting pandas from outer space will be taking curtain calls on Colfax next season.
The Aurora Fox Arts Center finalized its 2015-2016 theatrical docket on Feb. 26, announcing the five shows that will make up the East Colfax theater’s 31st season.
At a small announcement party at the Fox’s studio theater, The Fox’s Executive Director Charles Packard told a crowd of local theatergoers, actors, writers, directors and producers to expect more familiar titles and playwrights to appear on the theater’s marquee through the spring of 2016. He said that The Fox has an obligation to both fill seats and honor Aurora’s ever-growing and culturally diverse community, notions that are reflected in the theater’s season selections.
“It’s the Fox’s responsibility to reach a little bit further into the global cuisine,” he said in a comparison of the theater’s offerings to the city’s wildly diverse dining options.
Packard also touted the recent success of nearby companies Vintage Theatre, Ignite Theatre and Theatre Esprit Asia.
The Fox’s 2015-16 production season is as follows:
Jekyll and Hyde — the musical
Sept. 18 — Oct. 11, 2015
Conceived for the stage by Steve Cuden and Frank Wildhorn
Book and lyrics by Leslie Bricusse
Music by Frank Wildhorn
Based on the 1886 novel by Robert Louis Stevenson
Little Women — the musical (regional premiere)
Nov. 27 – Dec. 27, 2015
Music by Kim Oler
Lyrics by Alison Hubbard
Book by Sean Hartley
Based on the 1868 novel by Louisa May Alcott
The Arabian Nights — a play (in the Studio Theatre)
Jan. 8 — Feb. 14, 2016
By Mary Zimmerman
Black Elk Speaks
Feb. 27 — March 22, 2016
Adapted for the stage by Christopher Sergel
Based on the 1932 book by John G. Neihardt
Catch Me If You Can
April 24 — May 16, 2016
Book by Terrance McNally
Score by Marc Shaiman & Scott Wittman
Based on the 2002 Dreamworks film
Lisa Mumpton, education director at the Fox, outlined two summer productions, which will be put on through the theater’s youth program, The Little Foxes. Held each year, the program offers aspiring actors and stage hands the opportunity to gain professional theater experience alongside veterans in the industry. This summer’s productions are as follows:
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
June 9 — 29, 2015
Based on the book by C.S. Lewis
Revenge of the Space Pandas
July 7 — 23, 2015
Directed by Jack Wefso
Phamaly Theatre Company will also be putting on a production of “Fuddy Meers” at The Fox starting Feb. 6 through Fe. 21, 2016.
The Fox is currently preparing to debut a musical adaptation of “Big Fish,” based on a 1998 novel by Daniel Wallace that was later turned into a Tim Burton Film, on Feb. 27. The show runs through March 27. “She Kills Monsters” is the final show of the Fox’s 2014-2015 season, which premiers April 24 and runs through May 16.