TheaterWorks Hartford has announced the lineup of productions for its 2024-2025 season. The theatre will stage several Connecticut premieres, highlighting work from playwrights including Jeffrey Lieber, Eboni Booth, Rajiv Joseph, and more.
The season will open with the New England premiere of Fever Dreams (of animals on the verge of extinction), penned by Jeffrey Lieber (Lost). The thriller will run October 3-November 3, with an official opening night October 11. Artistic Director Rob Ruggiero will direct.
The Fever Dreams cast includes Tim DeKay (White Collar, 1923), Doug Savant (Desperate Housewives, Melrose Place), and Lana Young (The Resident, WandaVision). The creative team includes set designer Luke Cantarella, co-costume designers Alejo Vietti and Joseph Shrope, lighting designer Sherrice Mojgani, sound designer Lindsay Jones, and production stage manager Tom Kosis. The production will also feature original music by Jones.
The company's annual holiday tradition, Christmas on the Rocks, will return November 29-December 22. The holiday production features "your favorite kids from Christmas stories—all grown up, shaken, stirred, and served with a twist."
Rajiv Joseph's King James will follow, running January 30-March 2, 2025. Ruggiero will also direct the work, which follows two strangers who eat, sleep, and dream in the language of basketball. The pair form a deep bond over their worship of the 'King" LeBron James.
From April 10-May 11, the company will stage Eboni Booth's Pulitzer Prize-winning play Primary Trust. The work follows Kenneth, a 38-year-old bookstore employee who is forced to face a world he's long avoided when he is suddenly laid off.
The season will close with Academy Award nominee José Rivera's Your Name Means Dream, running June 3-July 6. Set in the not-too-distant future, the new play examines humanity in the digital age through the story of Aislin, who pines for a simpler, analog past when her son sends a new caretaker who is not quite human.
"Going into our 39th season, we want to present plays that would not only resonate with audiences, but that would inspire us to dream big," Ruggerio said in a statement. "These heartwarming, transformative, and captivating works do just that. We’ve brought together impressive creative teams filled with renowned storytellers and innovative artists to help bring our vision to life. Come dream with us."
Visit TWHartford.org for more information.
