Two River Theater announces new season

Two River Theater Company in Red Bank has announced the lineup for the 2007-08 season, which artistic director Aaron Posner describes as "both a continuation and a new beginning."

"We will continue to bring great authors to our stages, telling stories full of humanity and complexity - stories that engage the mind, heart and spirit. But I also think we are being a bit more daring, a bit more exploratory in our work. Whether it is incorporating puppetry into the elegant simplicity of 'Our Town,' or reimagining 'Macbeth' as an all-out horror show, or bringing together magic, mystery and old-fashioned chicanery in 'The Charlatan's Séance,' we are doing things in new ways, pushing boundaries and taking some exciting risks," Posner said.

The main stage series in the Joan and Robert Rechnitz Theater kicks off with a unique "Our Town." The Pulitzer Prize-winning play by Thornton Wilder will come to life with the aid of bunraku-style puppets. "Our Town" will run Sept. 11-30.

The riotously funny "Mere Mortals" by David Ives, six one-act comic absurdities, will follow from Oct. 30 through Nov. 18.

In a first foray into the world of Shakespeare and in a co-production with the Folger Theatre in Washington, D.C., TRTC will present "Macbeth." This "bloody horror show" with magic designed by Teller (of Penn & Teller) will run from Jan. 15 through Feb. 3.

In the spring, TRTC founder and Executive Producer Robert M. Rechnitz will direct "The Glass Menagerie" by Tennessee Williams. This American classic will run from March 25 through April 13.

Rounding out the season is Mark Twain's "A Murder, a Mystery and a Marriage," a new musical comedy featuring original bluegrass music by James Sugg, that will run May 13 through June 1.

In addition to the five-show main-stage series, TRTC will offer two world premiere theatrical events in the Marion Huber Theater. From Oct. 2 through 31, TRTC will present "The Charlatan's Séance," written and performed by Todd Robbins. "The Ghost's Bargain," TRTC's first commissioned adaptation, is playwright and adapter Laura Eason's take on a little-known Christmas story by Charles Dickens. The family holiday show will run from Nov. 27 through Dec. 30.

Bucking the national trend, subscriptions at Two River Theater Company enjoyed a 15 percent increase in the 2006-07 season.

Individual tickets will go on sale Thursday, July 5. For more information about TRTC's 2007-08 season, call (732) 345-1400, or visit www.trtc.org or the box office located at 21 Bridge Ave. in Red Bank. Box office hours are Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday from noon to 5 p.m.