Theater: CATCO announces 2022-23 schedule for its 38th season
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CATCO will present a Broadway musical and new or newer plays during its 38th season.
“As a contemporary theater, for every play we pick, CATCO asks if this is relevant to the current moment. We think Columbus needs to see these deeply theatrical plays right now about trying to do your best as an individual to make the world better,” Artistic Director Leda Hoffmann said.
All but one of the seven works have been written in the past decade, reflecting a key aspect of CATCO’s mission (and its original unabbreviated name: Contemporary American Theatre Company.)
“These new voices address who we are and how we can be more empathetic members of the community — from ‘Indecent,’ about hope and perseverance, to ‘The Wolves,” about what it means to be part of a team,” Hoffmann said.
In a new COVID policy, applying only to the first Sunday performance of each show, CATCO will require masks and proof of COVID-19 vaccinations or proof of a negative PCR test within 72 hours of attending a production for all patrons 12 years of age or older.
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“Our conversations about COVID safety are driven more now by people’s individual decisions and individual risk levels. We don’t want to exclude those who need more safety precautions to come see a CATCO show,” Hoffmann said.
Except where noted, all 2022-23 performances will take place in the Riffe Center’s Studio Theatres, 77 S. High St.
• “Indecent” (Nov. 3-20, Studio One): Paula Vogel’s 2017 Broadway drama, a 90-minute one-act inspired by events surrounding the controversial 1923 Broadway debut of Sholem Asch’s Yiddish play "God of Vengeance," explores love, art, censorship and anti-Semitism as the cast is arrested for obscenity after the first lesbian kiss on the American stage. The play is suggested for ages 12 and older because of mature content. (Vogel is best-known for her Pulitzer-winning drama “How I Learned to Drive,” which CATCO staged in 1999.)
• New Works Festival for Young Audiences (Dec. 2-11, Columbus Performing Arts Center’s Van Fleet and Shedd Theatres, 549 Franklin Ave.): The festival, recommended for ages 7 and older, will offer three new plays written for young audiences while giving artists and audiences glimpses into the development process.
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• “9 to 5, The Musical” (Feb. 2-19, Studio One): The Broadway musical, with music and lyrics by Dolly Parton and book by Patricia Resnick, is adapted from the popular 1980 comedy film about three women who get even with their egotistical boss and take control of their office to improve working conditions. The musical is suggested for ages 13 and older because of mature content and strong language. “’9 to 5’ is so funny, but is about something very serious: gender in the workplace. It feels like an amazing CATCO musical, defined as one where you can have a lot of fun but also think about things that matter,” Hoffmann said.
• “...but you could've held my hand” (March 23 to April 8, Studio Two): JuCoby Johnson’s experimental work weaves dance, music, poetry, gender and racial themes into the coming-of-age, friendship, emerging sexuality and adulthood story of four 10-year-olds who meet by chance at a wedding. CATCO’s production of the new 90-minute play, suggested for ages 14 and older because of strong language and mature content, is expected to be either a Midwestern or world premiere, Hoffmann said.
• “The Wolves” (May 4-21, Studio Two): Sarah DeLappe’s 90-minute one-act, suggested for ages 14 and older because of mature language and sensitive topics, offers a portrait of teenage girlhood as nine members of an indoor soccer team warm up, talk, compete, win, lose and grow over a season.
Subscriptions cost $151 for the four main productions ($171 starting Aug. 22), or $25 more including the optional festival. Flex tickets cost $178.60 for the four shows.
For more information, call 614-469-0939 or visit www.catco.org.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: CATCO announces 2022-23 new season lineup of plays in Columbus
