(RED BANK, NJ) -- Phoenix Productions, the community theatre company of the Count Basie Center for the Arts, has announced its 35th season, with THE MUSIC MAN, IN THE HEIGHTS, THE ADDAMS FAMILY and RAGTIME coming to the Count Basie Center stage in 2023-24. An additional title will be unveiled in early July.
Season ticket subscriptions, which offer a discounted, early purchasing opportunity as well as legacy seat preservation for current subscribers, are on sale now at www.thebasie.org/phoenix.
“This year marks our 35th season of providing the very best community theatre productions in the region,” said Managing Artistic Director James Grausam. “We’re celebrating with classics like RAGTIME and THE MUSIC MAN, but also acknowledging Broadway’s modern era with IN THE HEIGHTS, THE ADDAMS FAMILY musical and a title we’ll unveil in a few months.”
“We’re incredibly excited for the diversity of roles and opportunities these titles will provide for area actors, as well as our loyal patrons and fans of musical theatre throughout the Basie Center region.”
In addition to the mainstage titles, Phoenix will also present two smaller productions at The Vogel, the Count Basie Center’s club performance space: EVIL DEAD: THE MUSICAL returns for a second Halloween weekend run, as well as the company’s 35th season gala, which will be announced shortly. Tickets for those performances will go on sale later this summer.
MERGER COMPLETE
The Count Basie Center and Phoenix announced in 2021 their intentions to merge operations, citing the organizations’ common goals of performing arts preservation, educational opportunities and a focus on showcasing diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility in its performances. The merger was made official on January 1 of this year, meaning that this season – Phoenix’s 35th – will be the first as a fully-fledged part of the nonprofit Basie Center.
“For more than three decades, the Count Basie Center and Phoenix Productions enjoyed a symbiotic relationship that saw the company call our mainstage its home,” said Adam Philipson, President and CEO, Count Basie Center for the Arts. “Today, Phoenix thrives as one of the many ingredients that makes the Count Basie Center a thriving and inclusive center for the arts.”
Phoenix announced its new season during last weekend’s run of ONCE ON THIS ISLAND, the Broadway classic whose original run, revivals and an upcoming production in London have been credited with providing opportunity to actors of color, as well as for tackling issues of racism and colorism – two elements of theatre Grausam says have long been overlooked.
“Community theatre is an opportunity to break down walls and open doors,” he said. “Our doors – as we make clear in every casting call – are wide open: Regardless of a person’s race, religion, body type or gender expression, they are welcome here. Theatre, by nature of the art form, must be inclusive to represent the reality of everyday life it seeks to reflect.”
PHOENIX PRODUCTIONS 2022-23 SEASON
Season subscriptions are on sale now at thebasie.org/phoenix. Single-show tickets go on sale Friday, May 5 at 10am.
THE MUSIC MAN
FRIDAY JULY 21 • 7:30PM
SATURDAY JULY 22 • 2PM | 7:30PM
SUNDAY JULY 23 • 2PM
IN THE HEIGHTS
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 22 • 7:30PM
SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 23 • 2PM | 7:30PM
SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 24 • 2PM
THE ADDAMS FAMILY
FRIDAY NOVEMBER 10 • 7:30PM
SATURDAY NOVEMBER 11 • 2PM | 7:30PM
SUNDAY NOVEMBER 12 • 2PM
RAGTIME
FRIDAY MARCH 1 • 7:30PM
SATURDAY MARCH 2 • 7:30PM
SUNDAY MARCH 3 • 2PM
PRODUCTION TO BE ANNOUNCED JUNE 2023
FRIDAY MAY 3 • 7:30PM
SATURDAY, MAY 4 • 2PM | 7:30PM
The Count Basie Center for the Arts is New Jersey’s premier center for the cultural arts, dedicated to fostering powerful, inclusive artistic experiences and creative exchange of ideas. The Basie mission is to inspire, educate and entertain through its distinct and engaging cultural and artistic offerings that embrace and amplify the diversity of the region. As a nonprofit organization, the Basie is committed to enriching the community’s quality of life by generating opportunities for participation in the arts, partnering with schools, collaborating with other mission-based organizations and driving regional economic prosperity. The Basie Center has hosted an array of world-class artists, including Bruce Springsteen & the E-Street Band, Jon Bon Jovi, John Legend, Crosby Stills & Nash, Tony Bennett, Sophia Loren and Ringo Starr. Count Basie Center programming is made possible in part by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts.
