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SpeakEasy Stage Company of Boston

2015-2016 Season

By: - Mar 13, 2015

-Two powerhouse musicals DOGFIGHT and VIOLET; two explosive Off-Broadway plays APPROPRIATE and BOOTYCANDY; and the New England debut of Harvey Fierstein’s acclaimed comic-drama CASA VALENTINA are set for SpeakEasy Stage Company’s 2015-16 Season, the company’s Founder and Producing Artistic Director Paul Daigneault announced today.

Award-winning directors Scott Edmiston and Summer L. Williams are also scheduled to be a part of the company’s 25th Anniversary Season. Mr. Daigneault will helm both musicals. The director for Appropriate is still to be set. No casting has been announced.

The lineup and dates for SpeakEasy Stage Company’s 2015-2016 Season will be as follows:
APPROPRIATE – director TBA - Sept. 12-Oct. 10, 2015
CASA VALENTINA –directed by Scott Edmiston - Oct. 24-Nov. 21, 2015
VIOLET – directed by Paul Daigneault - Jan. 9-Feb. 6, 2016
BOOTYCANDY – directed by Summer L. Williams - Mar. 12-Apr. 9, 2016
DOGFIGHT – directed by Paul Daigneault - May 7 – June 4, 2016

“I am thrilled to mark our twenty-fifth year with such a bold and entertaining line-up,” said Daigneault, “and invite everyone to come celebrate this milestone season with us.”
SpeakEasy Stage Company is proud to be the Calderwood Pavilion Resident Theatre Company at the Boston Center for the Arts. Since its founding in 1992, the company has made a name for itself by teaming up with the finest local artists to present the Boston premieres of bold contemporary plays and musicals that might not otherwise play the city.

All 2015-2016 shows will be performed in SpeakEasy’s home in the Stanford Calderwood Pavilion at the Boston Center for the Arts, 527 Tremont Street in Boston’s South End.
For more information on SpeakEasy’s 25th Season or to subscribe, the public can call the SpeakEasy Administrative Office at 617-933-8600 or go online to www.SpeakEasyStage

2014 Obie Award-Winner - Best New American Play

1) APPROPRIATE
by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins
Directed by - TBA

New England Premiere - September 12 – October 10, 2015
Press Performance - Tuesday, Sept. 15 - 7:30PM
Roberts Studio Theatre


After the death of their patriarch, the estranged members of the Lafayette clan gather at their crumbling Arkansas plantation home to mourn his loss and settle his estate. While sifting through a lifetime of memories and junk, they make a gruesome discovery that forces them to confront their family’s dark past. Winner of the 2013 Tennessee Williams Award for his work on such plays as Neighbors and An Octoroon, playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins offers his own subversive spin on a classic American genre for a bold new look at race and identity

2014 Tony Award Nominee - Best Play

2) CASA VALENTINA
by Harvey Fierstein
Directed by Scott Edmiston

New England Premiere! October 24 – November 21, 2015
Press Performance - Tuesday, Oct. 27 - 7:30PM
Roberts Studio Theatre


Based on actual events, Casa Valentina takes place in 1962 at a Catskills resort where a group of heterosexual men secretly gather to dress and behave like women. Away from their families, in their beehives and brassieres, these men enjoy a carefree camaraderie of cocktails and McGuire Sisters. But when challenged to publicly reveal their female alter-egos in the pursuit of political acceptance, “the sorority” must decide whether freedom is worth the risk of ruin. Written by Harvey Fierstein (Kinky Boots, Hairspray), Casa Valentina is a provocative, hilarious, and touching new play about gender identity, self-acceptance, and the struggle to find the right pumps.

2014 Tony Nominee – Best Musical Revival

3) VIOLET
Book by Brian Crawley
Music & Lyrics by Jeanine Tesori
Directed by Paul Daigneault

New England Premiere/Return! January 9 – February 6, 2016
Press Performance - Tuesday, Jan. 12 - 7:30PM
Virginia Wimberly Theatre


In celebration of our 25th Anniversary, we are pleased to present the new Broadway version of one of the most popular shows in SpeakEasy history, the musical Violet. Featuring a powerful folk, rock, and gospel score, this soul-stirring musical, set in 1964, tells the story of a young North Carolina woman who travels by bus to Tulsa to see a faith-healer she thinks can transform her life. Along the way, she forms unlikely friendships with her fellow riders, and learns that it’s the journeys you take in life that help you discover who you

One of the Top Ten Plays of 2014 --The New York Times

4) BOOTYCANDY
by Robert O’Hara
Directed by Summer L. Williams

New England Premiere! March 12 – April 9, 2016
Press Performance - Tuesday, Mar. 15 - 7:30PM
Roberts Studio Theatre

Bootycandy is a shockingly funny and saucy spin on race, sex, and sexuality. Based on the author’s own experiences growing up black and gay, the play unfolds in a series of loosely linked vignettes that take no prisoners when confronting racial, sexual, and cultural stereotypes. With outrageous humor and real heart, O’Hara tests how we talk about our bodies at home, in church, and in the theatr

Winner! 2013 Lucille Lortel Award - Best Off-Broadway Musical

5) DOGFIGHT
Music and Lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul
Book by Peter Duchan
Based on the Warner Bros. film and screenplay by Bob Comfort
Directed by Paul Daigneault

Boston Professional Premiere! May 7 – June 4, 2016
Press Performance - Tuesday, May 10 - 7:30PM
Roberts Studio Theatre

It's November 21, 1963, and on the eve of their deployment to a small but growing conflict in Southeast Asia, three young Marines set out for one final boys' night of debauchery, partying, and maybe a little trouble. But when Corporal Eddie Birdlace meets Rose, an awkward and idealistic waitress he enlists to win a cruel bet with his fellow recruits, she rewrites the rules of the game and teaches him the power of love and compassion. Based on the acclaimed indie film of the same name, Dogfight features a hauntingly beautiful score by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, an exciting young songwriting team being hailed as “the heirs to Rodgers and Hammerstein.”

Subscription Information
Subscriptions for SpeakEasy Stage Company’s 2015-2016 Season are now on sale by calling 617-482-3279 or online at www.SpeakEasyStage.com .
Information on all of SpeakEasy’s 2015-2016 shows and subscription options can be found by visiting www.SpeakEasyStage.com.
Patrons with subscription questions may also call Jim Torres at 617-482-3279 or write Jim at JimTorres@SpeakEasyStage.com.
Tickets to individual shows in SpeakEasy’s 2015-2016 Season go on sale in August.