American Century Theater's New Season

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Wednesday, September 3, 2008

The American Century Theater, which performs at Gunston Arts Center in Arlington, specializes in rarely performed American plays.

Ira Levin's mystery-thriller "Dr. Cook's Garden" (Sept. 9-Oct. 4), which played briefly on Broadway in 1967, will be staged by Ellen Dempsey.

"Life With Father," the beloved 1939 family comedy by Howard Lindsay and Russell Crouse, will be directed by Rip Claassen in a split run (Nov. 25-Dec. 7, 2008, and Jan. 8-Jan. 25, 2009).

"An American Century Christmas" (Dec. 10-Jan. 4) presents "memorable dramatic and comic moments from 100 years of Christmas on stage, screen, radio and TV," assembled and co-directed by Artistic Director Jack Marshall with Thomas D. Fuller.

The stage adaptation of Richard Wright's tragic novel "Native Son" (April 14-May 9 ) will be directed by Bob Bartlett. Wright and Paul Green adapted the book in 1941 for Orson Welles's Mercury Theater, where it was directed by John Houseman and starred Canada Lee.

Edward Albee's1975 play "Seascape" (July 30-Aug. 22 ), in which an older couple on the beach encounters a pair of talking, human-size lizards, will be directed by Steven Scott Mazzola.

-- Jane Horwitz