Short North Stage's new season to offer fresh take on women-centric works

Short North Stage will focus on women in its 12th season, with fresh interpretations of musicals and the Midwest premiere of a gender-bending off-Broadway comedy.

“Our whole season aims to center women and female visions,” Artistic Director Edward Carignan said, mentioning as examples songwriter Carole King in “Beautiful,” the women of “Nine,” the African American heroines of “The Color Purple” and the lesbian teens and Broadway divas of “The Prom.”

“We have such a wealth of wonderful female actors and directors on our roster and want to empower them on our stage,” Carignan said.

Reimagining musicals

Rather than staging traditional versions of musicals, the company reimagines familiar hits while producing area premieres of lesser-known titles.

For example, the 2023-24 season finale will be the first professional Columbus production of “Nine,” based on the recently approved nearly all-female version of the 1982 Tony-winner for best musical.

This season: 'Rock of Ages,' 'Slave Play' part of season lineup at Short North Stage

“Part of our music-driven brand is not just doing revivals but fresh takes. Sometimes, that take is vastly new and sometimes more nuanced, but we always strive to be innovators in theater,” Associate Artistic Director Dionysia Williams said.

“Musicals are bigger and harder to produce, but we’re passionate about doing high-quality productions that give people in the community another option ― besides tours ― to enjoy these shows in an intimate setting,” Williams added.

Nurturing diverse talent

To fulfill that mission, Short North Stage routinely casts both local actors and up-and-coming New York performers.For instance, Diana DeGarmo, a Broadway actress-singer famous as the 2004 runner-up to winner Fantasia in the third season of “American Idol,” is playing the Witch in “Into the Woods,” the company’s just-opened production (through April 16) of the Stephen Sondheim fairytale musical.

“We’re becoming known as a place to nurture talent,” Williams said, adding that past performers have moved up to Broadway or national tours, such as “Cats” and “Beetlejuice.”

“Often, the perception is that we mostly bring in out-of-town talent, but the reality is that the majority of our casts feature amazing local talent,” she said.

Preparing for growth

Carignan and Williams view Short North Stage as reaching a “tipping point,” making possible a new level of artistry and growth buoyed by higher pay for casts and crews.

“More people have come to see our shows during the last five years, even during the pandemic, than ever have before. ... Many are returning with friends and families,” Williams said.

Not so long ago, their musicals were attracting 2,500 to 3,000 theatergoers. Now, 3,000 to 5,000 people are seeing each show, Carignan said.

“We can take more chances in programming because more people trust our brand,” he said.

Breaking attendance records

Short North Stage repeatedly has broken Garden Theater box-office records with its bigger, better-known musicals, from “Little Shop of Horrors” (last spring) and “Rent” (last fall) to “White Christmas” (in December).

Those are positive signs of the troupe’s recovery from the pandemic lulls of 2020-21, Carignan said, allowing a 2023-24 budget of $1.7 million. That’s up from $1.5 million this season, which ends in May with Andrew Lippa’s musical “The Wild Party.”

Coming back from COVID:Area troupes continued to bounce back as pandemic waned

“Largely dependent on ticket sales, we have to produce some popular musicals ... That makes it possible to do intriguing lesser-known shows with great scores like ‘Wild Party’ and ‘Nine,’ which haven’t been seen as widely,” Carignan said.

Sustaining professional theater

Short North Stage is one of Greater Columbus’ four professional theaters. Like CATCO and Evolution Theatre Company, Short North Stage contracts with Actors’ Equity Association, the national union for stage actors and stage managers, to pay performers a living wage. (Shadowbox Live, a non-Equity resident ensemble, pays performers an equivalent wage.)

“Many people still don’t realize that Columbus has professional-level local theater,” Williams said.

“We’re a young company compared to other theaters,” Carignan said. “But people are trusting our vision and quality, even if they’re not familiar with all the show titles.”

Outlining next season

Next season, Short North Stage will produce musicals on the Garden Theater’s proscenium-style MainStage, expanded from 244 to 280 seats, and plays in the flexible 85-seat Green Room.

All performances will take place at 7 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays (and selected Saturdays) at 1187 N. High St.

• “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical” (July 6-30): The jukebox bio-musical chronicles the 1950s-1970s rise of the singer-songwriter, who became one of the most successful solo acts in popular music with her record-breaking "Tapestry" album. Among King’s hits: “I Feel the Earth Move,” “It’s Too Late,” “You’ve Got a Friend” and “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman.”

• “Sondheim on Sondheim” (Sept. 8-10): The Broadway tribute-revue, conceived by director James Lapine with new song arrangements and exclusive interview video footage, offers an intimate look at the life and artistic process of the father of the modern musical. The musical will be staged concert-style as a benefit, with a post-show party.

• “Which Way to the Stage” (Oct. 19 to Nov. 5): Ana Nogueira’s off-Broadway comedy focuses on friendship, ambition and celebrity as two Broadway superfans (one a drag queen) await their idol Idina Menzel nightly at the stage door. The Midwestern premiere will be the second regional run following Signature Theatre’s production, which Carignan saw in December in Washington, D.C.

“This one-act about musical theater lovers is perfect for our audience because of its ins and outs about the best Gypsy Rose, interesting commentary on drag performers and how to include women in that world,” he said.

• “The Rocky Horror Show” (Oct. 5-29): The sixth Garden production of Richard O’Brien’s sci-fi/horror musical has become an audience-participation favorite as fans dance to the “Time Warp.”

“We like to call ‘Rocky Horror’ our ‘Nutcracker.’ We had to turn people away last fall from our Green Room production, so we’re bringing this annual favorite back to our MainStage,” Williams said.

• “Kinky Boots” (Nov. 24 to Dec. 31): The Tony-winning musical comedy, in its professional Columbus premiere, was adapted by composer-lyricist Cyndi Lauper and author Harvey Fierstein from the British film about a failing shoe factory saved by the son’s discovery that drag queens need sturdy stilettos.

“’Kinky Boots’ has been our patrons’ number-one choice for a while. It’s more challenging, from costume costs to casting specifics, but we’ve done ‘La Cage aux Folles,’ so we know we can pull this off. ... It’s all about those heels,” Williams said.

• “The Color Purple” (Jan. 18 to Feb. 18, 2024): The Broadway musical drama, adapted from Alice Walker’s Pulitzer-winning novel, revolves around the healing power of love and a downtrodden young Black woman’s awakening over four decades.

• “The Prom” (March 14 to April 14, 2024) – The musical comedy, in its regional professional premiere, revolves around four desperate Broadway stars, desperate to resurrect their fading careers, who visit a small town trying to help young lesbians overcome prejudice and attend their high school prom.

• “Nine” (May 9 to June 2, 2024): Broadway’s Tony-winning musical drama was adapted by composer-lyricist Maury Yeston (“Titanic”) and author Arthur Kopit from Federico Fellini’s semi-autobiographical film “8½” about the midlife crisis of an Italian director haunted by the women in his life.

Subscription renewals (on sale March 27) and new subscriptions (on sale May 8) cost $300 to $500. Single tickets, available June 1, cost $33 to $69. Visit shortnorthstage.org or email tickets@cbusarts.com.

mgrossberg1@gmail.com@mgrossberg1

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Short North Stage announces 12th season focusing on women