Outcry Theatre is excited to announce it’s 2019-2020 season, featuring one professional production and six Outcry Youth Theatre productions.

Outcry Theatre will present a world premiere play, Dreams of Icarus, directed by Becca Johnson-Spinos and starring Logan Beutel and Dylan Weand. The play is a devised work, created by the actors and director based on the Greek myths of Icarus and Daedalus. Dreams of Icarus will perform December 20-29, 2019 at the Addison Theatre Centre Stone Cottage.

Outcry Youth Theatre’s season includes two musicals and four plays. Get ready for Halloween with The Madness of Edgar Allan Poe, a show combining several of Poe’s most famous stories and poems. Directed by Jason Johnson-Spinos and written by Becca and Jason Johnson-Spinos, the show will cast young actors ages 7-14 and runs October 18-27, 2019. Following that will be Martin McDonagh’s The Cripple of Inishmaan, playing from November 8-17, 2019. From the author of The Pillowman and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri comes this hilarious and moving dark comedy for actors ages 13-18. The musical adaptation of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s beloved victorian classic, The Secret Garden, will perform January 17-26, 2020 with actors ages 11-18. This compelling tale of forgiveness and renewal features a book and lyrics by Marsha Norman and music by Lucy Simon. Next up, from March 20-29, Cummins and Scoullar’s The Little Prince tells the story of a world-weary aviator who is forever changed by an unusual little boy from another planet. Based on the book by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, this drama by Rick Cummins and John Scoullar will cast actors ages 7-14. Outcry Youth Theatre is excited to present Shakespeare in Love, which reimagines William Shakespeare’s writing of Romeo and Juliet as the result of a passionate love affair with a woman who longs to be an actor. Based on the screenplay by Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard and adapted for the stage by Lee Hall, with music by Paddy Cunneen, the show will cast actors ages 13-18 and perform April 17-25, 2020. Finally, Outcry Youth Theatre will perform a musical for ages 12-18 from June 11-14, 2020. Due to the licensing agreement, the title cannot be announced yet, but it will be revealed December 1, 2019.

All Outcry Youth Theatre shows will perform at the Addison Theatre Centre Studio Theatre, besides the June musical, which will perform at the MCL Grand Theater Black Box in Lewisville.

For the first time ever, Outcry Youth Theatre will also be offering fall and spring classes. Beginning Acting will be offered for two age groups, 5-10 and 8-12. The ten-week classes will teach basic acting skills and techniques, including characterization, voice and diction, improvisation, physicality, audition skills, and more. Jason Johnson-Spinos will teach ages 5-10, and Becca Johnson-Spinos will teach ages 8-12.

More info about performances, auditions, and classes can be found at: outcrytheatre.com

Outcry Youth Theatre
2019-2020 Season Overview

The Madness of Edgar Allan Poe

October 18-27, 2019
Written by Becca and Jason Johnson-Spinos
Based on the works of Edgar Allan Poe
Directed by Jason Johnson-Spinos

Synopsis: Edgar Allan Poe is haunted - by his characters, by his past, and by the dead. His most famous stories and poems come to life before him: The Black Cat, The Masque of the Red Death, The Fall of the House of Usher, The Raven, and The Tell-Tale Heart. A dark, imaginative dive into some of the greatest tales of all time.

Performance Dates:
Friday, October 18, 7:30 pm
Saturday, October 19, 2pm & 7:30pm
Sunday, October 20, 2pm
Friday, October 25, 7:30pm
Saturday, October 26, 2pm & 7:30pm
Sunday, October 27, 2pm

Performance Location:
Addison Theatre Centre, Studio Theatre
15650 Addison Rd.
Addison, TX 75001

Website Link: https://www.outcrytheatre.com/the-madness-of-edgar-allan-poe.html

The Cripple of Inishmaan

November 8-17, 2019
Written by Martin McDonagh
Directed by Becca Johnson-Spinos

Synopsis: In 1934, the people of Inishmaan learn that the Hollywood director Robert Flaherty is coming nearby to film a documentary. No one is more excited than Cripple Billy, an unloved boy whose chief occupation has been gazing at cows and yearning for a girl who wants no part of him. For Billy is determined to cross the sea and audition for the Yank. And as news of his audacity ripples through his rumor-starved community, The Cripple of Inishmaan becomes a merciless portrayal of a world so comically cramped and mean-spirited that hope is an affront to its order. This play contains explicit language and mature themes.

Performance Dates:
Friday, November 8, 7:30 pm
Saturday, November 9, 2pm & 7:30pm
Sunday, November 10, 2pm
Friday, August 16, 7:30pm
Saturday, August 17, 2pm & 7:30pm
Sunday, August 18, 2pm

Performance Location:
Addison Theatre Centre, Studio Theatre
15650 Addison Rd.
Addison, TX 75001

Website Link: https://www.outcrytheatre.com/the-cripple-of-inishmaan.html

Dreams of Icarus

December 20-29, 2019
Created by Becca Johnson-Spinos, Logan Beutel, and Dylan Weand
Directed by Becca Johnson-Spinos

Synopsis: A new interpretation of the classic Greek myth. Bickering brothers Icarus, a storyteller who dreams of soaring amongst the stars, and Daedalus, the most famous inventor of all time, find themselves locked away in the top of a high tower by King Minos of Crete. As they bemoan their fate, they remember the events that led them there - an unforgivable crime, a treacherous maze with a fearsome minotaur, and haunting dreams of falling and betrayal. Tensions rise between the brothers as their imprisonment wears on, and it seems their very lives are at stake. To escape certain death, Daedalus must create the one invention he thought he never could - a pair of working wings. But what will happen when Icarus is finally given a chance to live out his dreams, spread his wings, and fly?

Performance Dates:
Friday, December 20, 7:30 pm
Saturday, December 21, 2pm & 7:30pm
Sunday, December 22, 2pm
Friday, December 27, 7:30pm
Saturday, December 28, 2pm & 7:30pm
Sunday, December 29, 2pm

Performance Location:
Addison Theatre Centre, Stone Cottage
15650 Addison Rd.
Addison, TX 75001

Website Link: https://www.outcrytheatre.com/dreams-of-icarus.html

The Secret Garden

January 17–26, 2020
Book and Lyrics by Marsha Norman
Music by Lucy Simon
Based on the novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Directed by Becca Johnson-Spinos

Synopsis: When young Mary Lennox loses her parents to a cholera outbreak in India, she is sent to live with her uncle, hermit Archibald Craven, who lives in an imposing, secluded manor on the British heath. Since her aunt Lily’s death, Mary’s uncle has pushed away his surviving loved ones, leaving his bedridden son, Colin, alone. Sickly Colin, hidden away in the depths of the manner, bears the guilt of his mother’s death on his crippled shoulders. When Mary discovers her Aunt Lily’s hidden garden, overgrown with vines, she is determined to revive the beauty that once was. Surrounded by spirits from the past, who both warn and welcome her, determined Mary begins to peel away the layers of sadness that cover the house and the garden, showing us the power that “one small girl” can have when she “wants things to grow.”

Performance Dates:
Friday, January 17, 7:30 pm
Saturday, January 18, 2pm & 7:30pm
Sunday, January 19, 2pm
Friday, January 24, 7:30pm
Saturday, January 25, 2pm & 7:30pm
Sunday, January 26, 2pm

Performance Location:
Addison Theatre Centre, Studio Theatre
15650 Addison Rd.
Addison, TX 75001

Website Link: https://www.outcrytheatre.com/the-secret-garden.html

Cummins and Scoullar’s The Little Prince

March 20–29, 2020
Drama by Rick Cummins and John Scoullar
Based on the book by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Directed by Jason Johnson-Spinos

Synopsis: Adapted from the beloved classic children’s book, The Little Prince tells the story of a world-weary aviator whose plane crashes, stranding him in the middle of the Sahara Desert. When a mysterious, regal little boy appears and asks him to draw a sheep, the aviator is annoyed and distracted from his crisis–unaware that he is about to have a transforming experience. By learning that “what is essential is invisible to the eye,” the aviator comes to a new understanding of how to laugh, cry, and love again.

Performance Dates:
Friday, March 20, 7:30 pm
Saturday, March 21, 2pm & 7:30pm
Sunday, March 22, 2pm
Friday, March 27, 7:30pm
Saturday March 28, 2pm & 7:30pm
Sunday, March 29, 2pm

Performance Location:
Addison Theatre Centre, Studio Theatre
15650 Addison Rd.
Addison, TX 75001

Website Link: https://www.outcrytheatre.com/the-little-prince.html

Shakespeare in Love

April 17–25, 2020
Based on the screenplay by Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard
and adapted for the stage by Lee Hall, with music by Paddy Cunneen
Directed by Becca Johnson-Spinos

Synopsis: Penniless and indebted to two demanding producers, struggling young playwright William Shakespeare is tormented by writer’s block until he meets the beautiful Viola de Lesseps, daughter of a wealthy merchant, whose fiery passion for poetry and drama leaves her secretly longing to be an actor. Both are despondent when they learn that Viola’s father has promised her to the stuffy Lord Wessex in order to gain a title for their family. Under the veil of secrecy, Will and Viola’s passionate love affair becomes the basis of the very play he is writing – Romeo and Juliet. With opening night – and the wedding day – fast approaching, the plots race toward a parallel conclusion. Will it all work out in the end or are the two star-crossed lovers destined for tragedy?

Performance Dates:
Friday, April 17, 7:30 pm
Saturday, April 18, 2pm & 7:30pm
Sunday, April 19, 2pm
Thursday, April 23, 7:30pm
Friday, April 24, 7:30pm
Saturday, April 25, 2pm & 7:30pm

Performance Location:
Addison Theatre Centre, Studio Theatre
15650 Addison Rd.
Addison, TX 75001

Website Link: https://www.outcrytheatre.com/shakespeare-in-love.html

(musical to be announced)

June 11–14, 2020
Due to our licensing agreement, the title of this musical cannot be announced yet.
It will be revealed on December 1.
Directed by Becca Johnson-Spinos

Performance Dates:
Thursday, June 11, 7:30 pm
Friday, June 12, 7:30pm
Saturday, June 13, 2pm & 7:30pm
Sunday, June 14, 2pm & 6:30pm

Performance Location:
MCL Grand Theater, Black Box
100 North Charles St.
Lewisville, TX 75057

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More about Outcry Theatre: Outcry Theatre’s hallmarks are bold artistic vision, highly physical staging and an energetic and visceral performance style. In 2018, Outcry Theatre’s professional production, Spring’s Awakening, was named one of John Garcia’s Best Local Productions of 2018, and was nominated for 10 Column Awards.

More about Outcry Youth Theatre: “This is not children’s theatre. This is theatre.” Outcry Youth Theatre’s motto describes how they approach each of their productions. The goal is not for the plays to be good “for kids,” but for them to be as good as any adult production. Outcry Youth’s A Wrinkle in Time was recognized with the 2016 Broadway World Dallas Best Youth Play Award. In addition, in both 2016 and 2017, several actors won Broadway World Dallas Awards for their performances in Outcry Youth Theatre shows.