Theater News

Old Hats Returns to Signature Theatre for 2015-16 Season

Pulitzer Prize winners Annie Baker and Quiara Alegría Hudes will also contribute world-premiere plays.

Bill Irwin and David Shiner will revive their slapstick show Old Hats for Signature Theatre's 25th anniversary season.
Bill Irwin and David Shiner will revive their slapstick show Old Hats for Signature Theatre's 25th anniversary season.
(© David Gordon)

Off-Broadway's Signature Theatre has announced eight productions joining the lineup for its 2015-16 season.

The season will include two world premieres through the company's Residency One program. The first premiere will be Love and Money, written by A.R. Gurney and directed by Mark Lamos — a coproduction with Westport Country Playhouse. Performances begin August 15 in the Alice Griffin Jewel Box Theatre. Naomi Wallace will also present her world premiere play Night Is a Room, directed by Bill Rauch, beginning its run in the Alice Griffin Jewel Box Theatre November 3.

Signature's Legacy Program, which includes veteran Signature playwrights in residence, will feature Arthur Miller's Incident at Vichy, directed by Michael Wilson. Performances will begin October 27 on the Irene Diamond Stage. The program will also include a return engagement of the Drama Desk Award-winning Old Hats, created and performed Bill Irwin and David Shiner with music and lyrics by (and featuring) Shaina Taub and directed by Tina Landau. Performances are set to begin January 26, 2016, on the Irene Diamond Stage. Three one-act plays will conclude the series, with performances beginning May 3, 2016, in the Alice Griffin Jewel Box Theatre. The plays will be Edward Albee's The Sandbox, María Irene Fornés’ Drowning, and Adrienne Kennedy’s Funnyhouse of a Negro, all directed by Lila Neugebauer.

Signature's Residency Five program will also offer a number of premieres. Pulitzer Prize winner Annie Baker will present the world premiere of John (the first play of her residency), featuring Georgia Engel and Lois Smith and directed by Sam Gold. Performances will begin July 22 on the Irene Diamond Stage. Martha Clarke and Alfred Uhry's Angel Reapers, directed and choreographed by Martha Clarke, will follow in the Romulus Linney Courtyard Theatre beginning February 2, 2016. The world premiere of Daphne’s Dive by Pulitzer Prize winner Quiara Alegría Hudes, directed by Thomas Kail, will then run in the Romulus Linney Courtyard Theatre beginning April 26, 2016.

"As we look forward to our 25th Anniversary Season, we celebrate Signature’s family of artists and the extraordinary journey we’ve all shared together," says founding artistic director James Houghton. "We’re thrilled to commemorate this threshold moment in Signature’s history by filling the Center with as many of our remarkable writers as possible. Our 25th year is a testament to Signature’s past, present and future, and we cannot wait to share it with all of you."

For more information about the current and upcoming seasons, click here.