Arden Theatre Company Announces 2024/25 Season
ARDEN THEATRE COMPANY ANNOUNCES NEW SEASON FEATURING A WORLD PREMIERE BY MICHAEL HOLLINGER, THE PHILADELPHIA PREMIERE OF POTUS, AND AUGUST WILSON’S KING HEDLEY II DIRECTED BY JAMES IJAMES
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PHILADELPHIA, PA | April 11, 2024 – Philadelphia-based Arden Theatre Company (40 N. 2nd Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106) announces its 2024/25 Mainstage Season of five productions that includes a world premiere comedy by Michael Hollinger, the Philadelphia premiere of Selina Fillinger’s POTUS, and features the work of some of Philadelphia’s leading directors.
“We are thrilled to announce our 2024/25 season and welcome back a brilliant group of Philadelphia artists to direct these productions – Jennifer Childs, James Ijames, Steve Pacek, and Amina Robinson,” says Arden Theatre Company’s Producing Artistic Director, Terrence J. Nolen.
“I’m beyond thrilled to be returning to the Arden with this vibrant and urgent production of August Wilson’s King Hedley II,” says Ijames. “Set against the backdrop of 1980’s Pittsburgh, PA, a family strives for a dimming American dream and are forced to confront the consequences of the past.”
“We are also honored to be producing the world premiere of a new play by Michael Hollinger, a playwright with whom we have a long and treasured relationship, and whose work always inspires me,” says Nolen. “This season represents the range of work we seek to share with our audiences: raucous satire, an intimate drama, a world premiere comedy, a continued commitment to August Wilson’s American Century Cycle, and an immersive production of a groundbreaking musical. How wonderful to be collaborating with these extraordinary storytellers who have shaped and continue to help lead the way for what Philly theatre can be!”
The Arden’s season kicks off with the highly anticipated Philadelphia premiere of POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive by Tony-nominated playwright Selina Fillinger. This acclaimed play made its Broadway debut in 2022, earning three Tony Award nominations and catapulting Fillinger, at the age of 28, into the spotlight as one of the youngest female playwrights ever produced on Broadway. POTUS will be directed by award-winning director and co-founder of 1812 Productions Jennifer Childs, who previously helmed the Philadelphia premiere of Heidi Schreck’s What the Constitution Means to Me.
Next up is the two-time Pulitzer Prize-winner Lynn Nottage’s Intimate Apparel. Last season, Lynn Nottage’s Clyde’s made its Philadelphia premiere at the Arden, a production that was embraced by critics and audiences and nominated for seven Barrymore Awards. Intimate Apparel will be directed by Philadelphia native Amina Robinson, the first Black woman to win a Barrymore Award for Outstanding Direction of a Musical for The Color Purple at Theatre Horizon. Robinson’s Arden directorial credits include 74 Seconds to Judgment, School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, and this spring’s Once on This Island.
At the start of 2025, the Arden brings to the stage the world premiere of Holy Grail of Memphis by acclaimed Philadelphia playwright Michael Hollinger and directed by Terrence J. Nolen. The Arden has a long-standing relationship with Hollinger, whose world premieres at the Arden include An Empty Plate in the Café du Grand Boeuf, Incorruptible, Tiny Island, Red Herring, Tooth & Claw, Opus, Ghost-Writer, Under the Skin, and TouchTones. Opus had an acclaimed production at NYC’s Primary Stages directed by Nolen. That production was dubbed “one of the surprise winners” of the 2007 season by The New York Times, receiving the Steinberg New Play Citation from the American Theatre Critics Association, the Barrymore Award for Outstanding New Play and nominations for the Lucille Lortel and John Gassner Awards for Best New Play. Holy Grail of Memphis marks the Arden’s 48th world premiere in its 37-year history.
Next up, Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright James Ijames returns to the Arden to direct August Wilson’s King Hedley II. The Arden has an ongoing commitment to staging August Wilson’s ten-play American Century Cycle, and King Hedley II is the sixth play the Arden has produced. James Ijames last directed the Arden’s production of Gem of the Ocean in 2019, which received two Barrymore Awards, including Outstanding Direction of a Play. Ijames also directed the world premiere of Lorene Cary’s My General Tubman in 2020. Ijames returns to the Arden having received international acclaim for Fat Ham, for which he received the 2022 Pulitzer Prize in Drama.
The 2024-25 season concludes with Jonathan Larson’s Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning musical, based on Puccini’s La bohème, RENT. The Arden has long wanted to bring Larson’s legendary musical to life in a way that uniquely immerses the audience into the vibrant energy and soaring music of RENT. This production joins past Arden shows such as Sweeney Todd, Once, and Ragtime in transforming the Haas Stage, enveloping audiences with a truly unique theatrical experience. Terrence J. Nolen and Steve Pacek will co-direct this production. Pacek recently co-directed Larson’s autobiographical musical Tick, Tick…Boom at Theatre Horizon.
Audiences who subscribe to Arden’s 2024/25 season before April 30 will receive 40% off regular ticket prices and can save on handling fees by using (or mentioning) the code WAIVE. Subscribers will also have access to exclusive benefits, including priority seating, ticket exchange privileges, and parking and dining discounts. Subscriptions start at $117 and may be purchased HERE or by calling the Arden’s box office at 215-922-1122.
The Arden Theatre Company’s 2024-25 Mainstage Season Productions:
POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive **PHILADELPHIA PREMIERE**
By Selina Fillinger
Directed by Jennifer Childs
September 12 – October 6, 2024 | Opening Night: Wednesday, September 18 at 7 p.m.
One four-letter word is about to rock 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. When the President unwittingly spins a PR nightmare into a global crisis, the seven brilliant and beleaguered women he relies upon must risk life, liberty, and the pursuit of sanity to keep the commander-in-chief out of trouble. Comic dynamo Jennifer Childs directs the Philadelphia premiere of this all-female farce–a hilarious homage to the women who keep things running and get the job done.
Intimate Apparel
By Lynn Nottage
Directed by Amina Robinson
October 24 – December 1, 2024 | Opening Night: Wednesday, October 30 at 7 p.m.
The time is 1905. The place is the Lower East Side of New York City. Sewing beautiful lingerie gives Esther Mills, an African American seamstress, an intimate look at the love lives of her clientele, but she yearns for a story of her own. Last season, audiences embraced two-time Pulitzer Prize-winner Lynn Nottage’s Clyde’s–falling in love with her extraordinary characters and their pursuit of the perfect sandwich. Directed by Barrymore Award-winner Amina Robinson, the Arden returns to the work of Nottage with Intimate Apparel, a moving portrait of love, resilience, and the rich tapestry of life.
Holy Grail of Memphis **WORLD PREMIERE**
By Michael Hollinger
Directed by Terrence J. Nolen
January 16 – February 23, 2025 | Opening Night: Wednesday, January 22 at 7:00 p.m.
Newton Stover III’s got a legacy. When he discovers the long-lost recordings of a legendary bluesman in the basement of his granddaddy’s rundown music studio, Newt resolves to rebuild both the place and his life. But time and money are running out fast, and the ghosts of the past and an unexpected stranger keep showing up. A new comedy by beloved Philadelphia playwright Michael Hollinger about embracing the future, releasing what haunts us, and singing the blues.
August Wilson’s King Hedley II
Directed by Pulitzer Prize-winner James Ijames
February 27 – March 23, 2025 | Opening Night: Wednesday, March 5 at 7 p.m.
After seven years in prison, an ambitious and proud Hedley reenters society determined to take control of his life. But as he salvages relationships with his wife, mother, and community, Hedley’s aspirations come in conflict with the stories he’s been telling himself and insists on planting seeds where nothing can grow. Set against the backdrop of 1980s Pittsburgh, King Hedley II continues the Arden’s commitment to August Wilson’s monumental American Century Cycle and will be directed by James Ijames, the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright of Fat Ham who directed the Arden’s Gem of the Ocean.
RENT
Music, Lyrics, and Book by Jonathan Larson
Directed by Terrence J. Nolen & Steve Pacek
May 15 – June 8, 2025 | Opening Night: Wednesday, May 21 at 7 p.m.
At the end of the millennium, a group of bohemians in the East Village of New York City struggle with gentrification, love, loss, and legacies amidst the HIV/AIDS crisis. In this immersive, exciting new production, Jonathan Larson’s Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning musical, based on Puccini’s La bohème, will transform the Haas Stage and shake the rafters with the iconic chords of “Seasons of Love,” “I’ll Cover You,” and the thrilling, soaring score that is RENT!
The Arden will also be producing two Arden Children’s Theatre productions, which will be announced at a later date.
About Arden Theatre Company
Arden Theatre Company, founded in 1988, is a professional theatre company in Old City, dedicated to bringing to life great stories by great storytellers on the stage, in the classroom, and in the community. To date, the Arden has produced 47 World Premieres.
The Arden has developed four distinct educational programs: Arden for All, our in-school arts education program for elementary level students; Arden Drama School, our on-site, tuition-based theatre classes for pre-K through 12th-grade students; Teen Arden, our theatre enrichment program for high school students; and the Arden Professional Apprentice program, a rigorous training program for young theatre professionals.