What's happening at the Abbey Theater of Dublin? Several groups announce 2024 schedules
An increasingly prominent suburban performing arts center, The Abbey Theater of Dublin and its resident companies will focus in 2024 on new works, classics and family-oriented fare.
“We’re trying to raise up everyone’s voices,” said Joe Bishara, theater supervisor at the City of Dublin’s Abbey Theater, 5600 Post Road.
“There’s a sense of pride growing here, as well as audiences,” Bishara said.
Dublin City Manager Megan O’Callaghan hailed the Abbey as “one of our community’s greatest assets.”
“Joe’s work has brought many new and different audiences to the Abbey ... It’s a beautiful mix,” O’Callaghan said by email.
What troupes perform there?
Evolution Theatre Company (ETC), Original Productions Theatre (OPT) and Stage Right Theatrics (SRT) present their seasons in the 200-seat space, along with the Abbey’s shows.
All reported audience growth in 2023.
“Being a resident company gives us a home and sense of stability, plus a strong foundation of growth. People always know where they can find us,” said Alyssa Ryan, OPT executive director.
“The Abbey isn’t just a venue, but a partner,” said Robert Cooperman, SRT president.
Mark Phillips Schwamberger, ETC artistic/executive director, agreed.
“Joe, who showed courage inviting our LGBTQ+ company into a suburban performing arts center, has made the Abbey a diverse and inclusive space reflecting Dublin’s growth,” Schwamberger said.
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How diverse is the programming?
Spotlight Ohio, producer of the Abbey’s annual South Asian Theatre Festival, will present two festivals there for the first time this year. Each festival (July 13-14 and Nov. 9-10) will offer fresh bills of Asian works.
“These companies aren’t just renting space ... We’re truly in alignment, finding ways to help each other,” Bishara said.
A major 2024 focus, he said, is expanding youth programs.
With the Abbey approaching capacity, more summer shows will be presented outdoors at the Coffman Amphitheater, 5200 Post Road.
“Dublin is big on families, so we’re trying to leverage that ... If suburban parents need a night out, they can see a show right here, without having to go Downtown for substantive theater experiences,” Bishara said.
Abbey Theater 2024 schedule
Except where noted, all shows will be at the Abbey.
• “The Drums of War” (Jan. 19-28): Herb Brown’s new play revolves around President Franklin Roosevelt, British leader Winston Churchill and Roosevelt’s adviser Harry Hopkins as they forge alliances against Hitler.
• “Imagine a Dragon” (March 9-10): The one-act, for ages 6 and older, is a musical comedy-fantasy about a band of innkeepers who concoct a false story to attract questing heroes.
• “A Walk in the Woods” (May 16-19): Lee Blessing’s Broadway play, in its area premiere, revolves around Russian and American arms negotiators meeting in 1980s Geneva and revealing frustrations within their systems of government.
“What these individuals forged, at a time when we wouldn’t expect either nation to have civil conversations, shines light in this poignant play on what we have in common despite differences,” said Bishara, who will return to the stage as the U.S. diplomat.
• “An Umbrella on a Rainy, Rainy Day” (June 7-9): Dublin playwright Robert Cooperman’s new comedy-drama revolves around a family with a new child but increasingly divided over health concerns.
“This interesting comedy has a serious theme: What’s normal?,” Bishara said.
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• Otterbein Playwrights Collective (June 14-16): The fourth annual showcase, a collaboration with Otterbein University, will present three new works by Otterbein creative writing students, performed by area teens.
• “Jungle Jim KIDZ” (June 28-30, Coffman Amphitheater): The interactive one-act (for ages 3 and older) follows a young man traveling with animal friends on magical adventures.
• “James and the Giant Peach JR.” (July 18-21): The one-act musical (for ages 6 and older), created by the award-winning composer-lyricist team of Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (“La La Land”), adapts Roald Dahl’s adventure about a boy and insect friends journeying across the ocean.
• “American Idiot” (Aug 8-17, in repertory): The 90-minute rock musical, based on Green Day’s album, revolves around disillusioned young men fleeing their small town to find meaning in a post-9/11 world.
• “Alice by Heart” (Aug. 9-17, in repertory): The 100-minute rock opera, created by the team behind Broadway’s “Spring Awakening” and inspired by “Alice in Wonderland,” offers a teen coming-of-age fantasia set in London during World War II’s Blitz.
• “Disney’s Descendants: The Musical” (Nov. 15-17): The revived musical comedy (for ages 5 and older), offers characters and songs from Disney Channel movies.
• “City Jail” (Nov. 22-23, $20): Columbus attorney Catherine Adams’ drama is based on her professional experiences with false claims of sexual harassment.
• 2024 Holiday Production (Dec. 13-22, $15): The family-oriented show, to be announced, is suggested for ages 5 and older.
Evolution Theatre Company
Dublin’s professional troupe, in its fourth year at the Abbey, will present area premieres and its first family-oriented musical.
“Our common theme is acceptance,” Schwamberger said.
* “Starmaker” (May 24 to June 1): Michael Leeds’ drama (for ages 18 and older) explores the repercussions of living a lie in the relationship of closeted star Rock Hudson and his agent.
“When society makes people hide, it destroys your soul. We’re only the second company to do this thought-provoking, sobering play after its 2022 Dallas premiere,” Schwamberger said.
• “Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” (June 20-29): An Abbey co-production, composer Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyricist Tim Rice’s musical (for ages 12 and older) retells the Biblical tale of Joseph, sold into slavery by brothers, who becomes prophetic adviser to Egypt’s ruler.
• “Silver Foxes” (Sept. 5-14): James Berg and Stan Zimmerman (an early “Golden Girls” writer) co-wrote the comedy-drama (for ages 18 and older) about two older gay men rescuing a friend from a homophobic senior-living facility to live with them in Palm Springs.
“It’s like a gay version of ‘The Golden Girls,’ funny and endearing, about how older people, especially gay and lesbian, become invisible,” Schwamberger said.
• “The Canterville Ghost (Oct. 10-19): Tim Kelly’s Halloween-season supernatural comedy (for ages 18 and older) is updated from Oscar Wilde’s story about a ghost haunting a family’s historic home.
Original Productions Theatre
OPT, Abbey troupe since 2018, will present three new plays during its fifth season, all for ages 13 and older.
• “The Facebook Effect” (Feb. 8-18): Dublin playwright Lauren Wilkens’ drama revolves around a middle-aged couple whose fledgling social media efforts backfire when their failing marriage is exposed.
“We want to nurture local talent, and Lauren is wonderfully witty and hilarious. Her play speaks to the two-faced culture we have now with the realities we present on social media,” Ryan said.
• “Van Gogh’s in the Attic” (April 4-14): An Abbey co-production, Irish playwright Sean Cooney’s new comedy (for ages 12 and older) revolves around a dissociative Irishman who believes he’s the famous painter, two forgers who use his self-portraits and the house matron who claims she’s found a lost masterpiece in the attic.
The collaboration follows OPT and Abbey’s co-production this past fall of another Cooney premiere, “Moby Dick’s Gone Missing.”
“Cooney’s writing is fun, quirky and different,” Ryan said.
• “See No Evil” (Oct. 24 to Nov. 3): Cory Skurdal’s psychological thriller follows an enigmatic woman who joins a secretive family as companion to their blind, mentally fragile daughter.
OPT previously premiered two Skurdal plays, including “Abundant Life” last March.
“Cory’s dark thrillers keep the audience on the edge of their seat,” Ryan said.
Stage Right Theatrics
During its eighth season — its fourth at the Abbey — the troupe will present live and streaming performances of its annual shorts festival and a classic drama.
• 8th Annual Theatre Festival (7:30 p.m. Feb. 2-4): The festival (for ages 18 and older) will present four new one-act comedy-dramas with post-show talkbacks.
Each performance will showcase “Agnes’ Little War,” Maryland writer Rosemary Frisino Toohey’s play about a woman’s steady attack on a shady politician; “A White Russian,” New York writer Joshua Danese’s battle of wits between a bartender and customer confronting bigotry in mixed drinks; “Our Holy Leader on Trial,” Georgia writer Hank Kimmel’s monologue by a transformed King David pleading for understanding; and “Garage Invasion,” New Zealand writer Rex McGregor’s play about a confused man confronted by an overbearing official.
“These plays, by writers with more ‘conservative’ or traditional points of view, offer alternative takes on today’s issues,” Cooperman said.
• “Our Town” (March 15-24): An Abbey co-production (for ages 10 and older), Thornton Wilder’s enduring 1938 drama chronicles the everyday life and afterlife of a mythical village.
“Every high school does it,” Cooperman said. “But Wilder’s classic American masterpiece is the quintessential play for my company, reflecting a belief in the way life works with all its flaws and joys.”
@mgrossberg1
Information: 614-410-4550, dublinohiousa.gov/abbey-theater
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Here's the complete Abbey Theater of Dublin 2024 schedule
