BEYOND THERAPY - May 23 - June 1, 2008 - Tickets Now On Sale

DIRTY SECRETS - September 5-14 2008

THE GAYEST CHRISTMAS PAGEANT EVER - December 12-21 2008

REAL WOMEN HAVE CURVES - February 2009 (exact dates TBD)

BEYOND THERAPY

Written by: Christopher Durang

Directed by Joe Marshall

Evenings at 8:00 PM
May 23-24, 30-31

Matinees at 3:00 PM
May 24-25, 31, June 1

Temple of Music and Art Cabaret Theatre
330 S. Scott Avenue, Downtown Tucson

General Admission: $13 in advance, $18 at the door.

Opening Night Silent Auction information

ALTERNATIVE THEATRE COMPANY BOX OFFICE
(520) 883-8246 - Online Ticket Sales
Tickets also at Antigone Books, 411 N. 4th Avenue

BEYOND THERAPY addresses the thin line between being gay, straight and bisexual. Set in Manhattan during the early 1980s, two singles seek love and find sanity (sort of) as they navigate the neuroses of their not-so-stable psychoanalysts. Prudence's macho therapist swears a lot and calls her nasty names; Bruce's wacky female shrink recommends barking as a form of self-expression. Prudence is urged to be more assertive, while Bruce is encouraged to meet women by placing a personal ad. His therapist does not fully comprehend that Bruce has a male lover who is not pleased by Bruce's desire to date a woman, so when Bruce's personal ad brings him and Prudence together, the hapless couple must come to their senses and overcome their zany therapists' "help" to find romance in a whacked-out world. They ultimately learn to live beyond therapy in this delightful Off Broadway hit that moved successfully to Broadway.

"Offers the best therapy of all: guaranteed laughter." - Time Magazine

DIRTY SECRETS

Written by: Joe Marshall

Directed by Joe Marshall

Evenings at 8:00 PM
September 5-6, 12-13

Matinees at 2:00 PM

September 7, 14

Temple of Music and Art Cabaret Theatre
330 S. Scott Avenue, Downtown Tucson

General Admission: $15 in advance, $20 at the door.

Reviews:

"Marshall’s script is bursting with red herrings: As soon as we’ve named our hero,

he reveals himself as a scoundrel, and we’re back to square one, waiting for one

of these tormented lovers to turn up a winner. Every one of these men is a sick

ticket.”  – Phoenix New Times

Synopsis:

DIRTY SECRETS is a smart, gender-bent thriller that pokes fun at brainless gay stereotypes. Right from the opening scene you know you're watching a play about homosexuals. Instead of boring us with platitudes about the evils of pigeonholing people, the characters skewer stereotypes by spouting spout earnest lines like, "You don't act gay — you're masculine!" It’s all about Tom, who shows up at the home of Nick and Shane, a gay couple who live in Manhattan. Tom is depressed because he’s just discovered that his lover of eight years has had sex with another man. He doesn’t tell Nick the the other man is Shane. It turns out that Tom has come to torture Shane, to seek retribution for his messed up romance. It’s the ways in which Tom carries out his revenge -- first demanding sex with Shane, later seducing Nick -- that move the play along. He has a worthy opponent in the snaky Shane, who trumps Tom’s attempts at blackmail, but can’t keep up with his nasty houseguest’s vile temper.

THE GAYEST CHRISTMAS PAGEANT

Written by: Joe Marshall

Directed by Joe Marshall

Evenings at 8:00 PM
December 12-13, 19-20

Matinees at 2:00 PM
December 13-14, 20-21

General Admission: $15 in advance, $20 at the door.

This will be the World Premier of the latest play by award-winning playwright Joe Marshall.

Synopsis:

It’s time for the annual holiday production for a struggling gay theatre company in West Hollywood. Jim, the pot-smoking straight tech guy, offends M&M, the eclectic playwright, causing him to walk out and take his script with him. Now the crazy and drama-addicted team has just a few weeks to produce the “gayest Christmas pageant ever”. This holiday camp-fest is a fast-paced comedy packed with hilarious dialog and over-the-top characters.

REAL WOMEN HAVE CURVES

Written by: Josephina Lopez

Directed by Joe Marshall

Dates/Times: February 2009 (exact dates TBD)

Synopsis:

Set in a tiny sewing factory in East L.A., this is the outrageously funny story of five full-figured Mexican-American women who are racing to meet nearly impossible production deadlines in order to keep their tiny factory from going under. And while they work, hiding from the INS (Immigration and Naturalization Service), they talk... about their husbands and lovers, their children, their dreams for the future. The story is told from the point of view of Ana, the youngest among them. Just graduated from high school, Ana dreams of getting out of the barrio and going off to college and becoming a famous writer. Although she needs the money, Ana doesn't like working at the factory and has little respect for the coworkers, who make fun of her ambitions and what they consider her idealistic feminist philosophies. However, Ana keeps coming to her job and chronicling her experiences in a journal. As the summer unfolds, she slowly gains an understanding and appreciation of the work and the women, eventually writing an essay that wins her a journalism fellowship which will take her to New York City. This play, a microcosm of the Latina immigrant experience, celebrates real women's bodies, the power of women, and the incredible bond that happens when women work together.

All dates and locations are still being finalized. Email altrcompany@aol.com to join our mailing list and be notified when we have our schedule completed.