Queens Theatre Announces Its 31st Season

The Queens Theatre kicks off its 31st season with a bang with a trio of performances by Parsons Dance company in September. Called "one of the great movers of modern dance," by The New York Times, Parsons Dance is everything that is right about American modern dance. Innovative, exuberant and gifted, this company always delivers. Sept. 21 at 2pm & 8pm, and Sept. 22 at 3pm.

In October, it will present L.A. Theatre Works production of SEVEN, a riveting documentary play about seven remarkable women from around the world who faced life-threatening obstacles before bringing heroic changes to their home countries of Russia, protecting women from domestic violence; Cambodia, rescuing girls from human trafficking; Guatemala, giving voice to the poor; Afghanistan, empowering rural women, Northern Ireland, promoting peace and equality; and in Nigeria and Pakistan, fighting for women's education rights. Each woman's story is written by an award-winning female playwright. Oct. 26 at 8pm, and Oct. 27 at 3pm.

Later this fall, Queens Theatre will produce Neil Simon's classic comedy, Barefoot in the Park. Simon's passing last year brought a tremendous outpouring of respect and affection for his outstanding legacy. The theater remembers its audiences' enjoyment of the many Simon plays Queens Theatre has produced and presented over the years and looks forward to the laughter that will fill the theater when Barefoot opens in November. Dates are Nov. 15 - Nov. 24, including a 2pm matinee performance on Wednesday, Nov. 20.

No season at Queens Theatre would be complete without the electrifying Calpulli Mexican Dance Company, who will bring their holiday show, Navidad: A Mexican-American Christmas, to Queens Theatre for the first time. Navidad celebrates the holiday traditions of Mexico and the United States by focusing on a young person caught between worlds-their family's past in Mexico and their present life in New York City. Through a dream, the youngster attempts to bring both sides together with Aztec-inspired dances set to Christmas carols, and Mariachi music fused with "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy." Dec. 14 at 2pm & 8pm, and Dec. 15 at 1pm & 5pm.

There will be plenty for families to enjoy together including performances by Washington, D.C.-based SOLE Defined, who turn the Main Stage into a hip-hop, tap dancing and high energy stepping party set to the sounds of the mid-1990s. Sunday, Oct. 20 at 1pm & 3pm. Then join brother-and-sister duo, Jack and Annie, as they travel to Elizabethan England to help Shakespeare stage his new play. Showtime With Shakespeare is a hip-hop musical adaptation of Mary Pope Osborne's "Magic Tree House: Stage Fright on a Summer Night." Saturday, Nov. 2 at 1pm & 3pm. Chickenshed NYC makes an encore visit with its interactive and inclusive show, Tales From the Shed. Children, ages 0-6, of all abilities, and their families can spend time with Lion Down, Preston and Blurgh with stories, songs and dancing. Sunday, Nov. 10 at 1pm & 3pm.

Something new this year will be a series of free programs through Queens Theatre's new Community Engagement department. These events include: Queens Storytellers (Sept.28) , an evening of multi-cultural stories about Queens told by borough residents hosted by David Lawson, who has appeared on Kevin Allison's "RISK!", "Mortified" and Mara Wilson's "What Are You Afraid Of?"; a Shakespeare-themed obstacle course for kids in conjunction with Showtime With Shakespeare (Nov. 2); and, during the run of SEVEN, a pop-up photo exhibition by Jody Christopherson, who examined the images and words of 50 female-identified playwrights from diverse backgrounds (Oct. 18-27).

"For more than 30 years, Queens Theatre has introduced audiences to innovative and exhilarating theatre, dance and family programming," Executive Director Taryn Sacramone said. "We're inspired by the diversity of our home borough, and the adventurousness of our audience members."

More information about the Fall 2019 season is available at www.queenstheatre.org. The second half of the 31st Season will be announced later this fall.