The New York Stories Trilogy at Alchemist Theatre comes to a close this July. The final installment, The Scene You Need by Neil Monk and Adian Zix, takes place during a single day in New York City about a year after the events of the first play, Another Tale of Eddie by Adian Zix. We follow six people—some strangers, some with long histories—who are questioning who they are and how they define themselves, and wondering if they’re being true to themselves.
“The Scene You Need sort of reflects the amount of change that was going on in history during the ’60s and ’70s and six different microcosms of that upheaval,” says Charles Sommers, director of The Scene You Need. “I think the ’50s and early ’60s were very homogenous. You knew what you were supposed to do with your life. And then along came the ’60s and all of a sudden the options were open. This play is specifically about the characters rethinking and realizing that they can actually go out and find the ‘scene that they need.’ They’re looking for the scene they belong to and each of them finds they maybe don’t need the scene as much as they need themselves.”
Though the three plays are considered a trilogy, they are not sequels of one another. “Working with Aaron and bringing the trilogy to a close is really exciting,” says Sommers. “Aaron has had ideas from the very beginning on how the trilogy should wrap up, so I’ve used those guide points to really make it a standalone play, but for people who have seen the first two plays, there definitely will be some closure for the trilogy.”
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The Scene You Need runs June 18-July 11 at 2569 S. Kinnickinnic Ave. For tickets, email the.alchemist.theatre@gmail.com or visit thealchemisttheatre.com.
Theatre Happenings:
■ Northern Sky Theater (formerly named American Folklore Theatre) kicks off its summer season June 11 with the world premiere of When Butter Churns to Gold by Ron Barnett, Peter Welkin and Randi Wolfe, a modern musical romp about mortgage meltdowns complete with villain, hero and heroine. This is followed by the world premiere of No Bones About It by Paul Libman and Dave Hudson on June 15 and a reprise of last year’s favorite, Strings Attached by Hudson and Colin Welford on June 16. All three shows run through Aug. 29 at Northern Sky Amphitheater in Peninsula State Park, 10169 Shore Road, Fish Creek. For specific days, times and tickets, call 920-854-6117 or visit northernskytheater.com.
■ For its Second Annual Summer Repertory Series, Carroll University’s theater department features the popular productions Rent by Jonathan Larson (June 18, 20, 26 and 27) and Women of Manhattan by John Patrick Shanley (June 19, 20, 25 and 27). General admission to Rent is $10 and free to CU students, and Women of Manhattan is free to all. Reserve tickets at carrollplayers.weebly.com/summer-rep-series.html.
■ Broccoli Theatricals and Encore Theater Company present the Milwaukee premiere of Sondheim on Sondheim at Tenth Street Theater (628 N. 10th S.), June 18-28. This part-video-documentary-part-musical takes an intimate look into the life and artistic process of Stephen Sondheim and will feature more than two dozen musical numbers. For tickets, email broccolitheatricals@gmail.com or visit sondheimonsondheim.brownpapertickets.com.
■ Third Avenue Playhouse and Riverway Studio of East Haddam, Conn., co-present Todd Alan Little and Ira Sakolsky’s Methuselah’s Guide to Online Dating, a witty musical about four singles as they navigate dating and finding love in the digital age. The show runs June 18-July 3 at 239 N. Third Ave. in Sturgeon Bay. For tickets, call 920-743-1760 or visit thirdavenueplayhouse.com.
