Courthouse Center for the Arts Announces 2012 Season: "Broadway in the Courtroom"

Feb. 6, 2012 - PRLog -- The Courthouse Center for the Arts in West Kingston RI has announced their theatre season for 2012.  Executive and Artistic Director Richard Ericson will supervise the themed series “Broadway in the Courtroom”, which features five hit musicals, two plays and a holiday event for the community.  All theatre productions will be in the Woodcock Theater, an up-close and personal performance space fashioned from the historic Washington County courtroom.  With its high ceiling and almost 200 seat three-quarter stadium seating, no one is further than twelve feet from the performers.  Professional lighting and natural acoustics define the performance style which encourages involvement and the exciting give-and-take between an audience and a live performance.

“AVENUE Q” February 16- March 4
After 7 spectacular years on Broadway and winning the 2004 Tony ® for Best Musical, “Avenue Q” is having its first Rhode Island-created production!  The story follows a cast of characters – some human, some puppet – in a witty Sesame Street satire that explores the tough details of grown-up life through songs such as “It Sucks To Be Me” and “Schadenfreude”.  “Avenue Q” is not suitable for children.

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT” March 22- April 15  
In one of Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber’s best-known musicals, the biblical story of the coat of many colors comes alive in the spectacular “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat”.  In the Book of Genesis, Joseph’s multi-colored coat enables him to interpret dreams, gaining him fame across Egypt.  

“NUNSENSE” May 11- June 3  
A fun cabaret-style musical, “Nunsense” brings song and dance to a convent in need of financial help.  Five nuns in Narragansett, Rhode Island, raise money to bury their deceased sisters through a variety show.

“TITANIC” June 21- July 15  
2012 marks the 100th anniversary of the quintessential disaster of the 20th century.  On April 15th a total of 1,517 souls lost their lives as the “floating city” Titanic disappeared into the sea while the band played on.  Maury Yeston and Peter Stone created this Broadway musical which won five Tonys ®, including the 1997 Best Musical Award.  Touted by former talk show host Rosie O’Donnell, “Titanic” spins this disastrous journey into a heartwarming tale, with characters spanning first class and crew as they experience the tragedy on different levels.  

“TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD” September 13- 30  Courtroom @ the Courthouse : A Great Courtroom Play
The first play in the Series is based on the classic book by Harper Lee.  Using the historic Courthouse Center to its full potential, “To Kill A Mockingbird” revisits serious topics of racial injustice and class struggles in a surprisingly heartwarming and humorous narrative.  

“DRACULA: VAMPIRE” October 11-28  
The quintessential horror story of the Transylvanian bloodsucker comes to the CCA in a multi-media horror-theater event, just in time for Halloween. The dark corners of human souls, and the undead who feed on them, will scare you to death and back again in this up-close, personal adaptation of the Bram Stoker classic.

“HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS” December 20-23 (Kids version: December 14-16)
Come back to holiday tradition at the Courthouse Center for the Arts!  We’ll spin tall holiday tales, sing festive songs, and remember why we hold this season so close.  Come see your neighbors on stage, feel the energy, and (possibly!) enjoy the CCA staff dressed as elves to help bring the holiday cheer to all!

Subscriptions and single tickets are on sale now. They can be purchased from the Box Office at 401-782-1018, or on location at 3481 Kingstown Road in West Kingston, RI.  For more information on the Courthouse Center for the Arts and its programs, please visit http://www.courthousearts.org.  Program subject to change.

# # #

The Courthouse Center for the Arts has provided education and entertainment in a multitude of art forms since 1988. Since its opening, the staff has kept a busy schedule ranging from art galleries to live theatrical performances to concerts. http://www.courthousearts.org