Press Release Announcing the 2023-2024 season of Theater Up Close! Featuring two world premieres and two regional premieres in collaboration with Zoetic Stage and City Theatre

The Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County announces

the 2023-2024 THEATER UP CLOSE season
in collaboration with Zoetic Stage and City Theatre

Co-presentations with Zoetic Stage include:

CLYDE’S
by Lynn Nottage – South Florida Premiere!
November 2-19, 2023
A truck stop sandwich shop offers its formerly incarcerated 
kitchen staff a shot at redemption

WICKED CHILD
by David Rosenberg – World Premiere!
January 11-28, 2024
A play about whether political belief can destroy familial bonds, 
and how much we owe to our community

CABARET
Book by Joe Masteroff
Based on the play by John Van Druten and
stories By Christopher Isherwood
Music by John Kander, Lyrics by Fred Ebb
March 14-April 7, 2024
The Tony Award-winning Broadway classic returns to South Florida!

CUBAN CHICKEN SOUP WHEN THERE’S NO MORE CAFE
by Elena Maria Garcia and Stuart Meltzer – World Premiere!
May 2-19, 2024
From the creators of ¡FUACATA! A Latina's Guide to Surviving the Universe, comes the next chapter in Elena's life as her world takes unexpected twists and turns

 

And a co-presentation with City Theatre featuring the Miami premiere of…

LA GRINGA by Carmen Rivera
November 30 - December 17, 2023
A poignant comedy about a young woman’s search for identity

 

Five-show subscription packages are available now
starting at the early bird rate of $195* until May 15

Miami, FL – April 11, 2023 – The Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County (@arshtcenter) is proud to announce its lineup for the 2023-2024 THEATER UP CLOSE season, created in collaboration with Zoetic Stage (@ZoeticStageMIA) and City Theatre (@CityTheatreMIA). This season’s Theater Up Close series returns to the Carnival Studio Theater with five extraordinary productions that put audiences in the middle of the action, including two world premieres and two regional premieres that reflect some of Miami’s diverse cultures.  

“The 2023-2024 season of Theater Up Close promises to engage audiences with thought-provoking pieces of theater that are sure to resonate with the South Florida community by telling nuanced, thoughtful stories that are poignant and relevant,” said Liz Wallace, vice president of programming for the Arsht Center. “We’re proud to continue our partnership with Zoetic Stage and City Theatre as they bring these important stories to the forefront.”

“Zoetic Stage celebrates its 14th season with a curated collection of programming filled with thoughtfully crafted storytelling, laughter, provocative themes, two world-premiere plays and a timely reimagined classic musical. This season, I hope to celebrate friendship and family (in all of its forms) with a reminder that at the end of the day, it's our shared experiences that make life worth living,” said Zoetic Stage Artistic Director Stuart Meltzer. “As always, we are thrilled to continue our arts partnership with the Arsht Center and anchor the Theatre Up-Close series.” 

City Theatre’s Artistic Director Margaret M. Ledford said, “As Artistic Director, I am honored to present the Miami premiere of ‘La Gringa,’ an enduring and resonant classic from distinguished playwright Carmen Rivera. Through the lens of a New York born woman with Puerto Rican roots, we experience the universal journey of identity and belonging. It is a funny, affirming story with family at its heart."

PNC Bank is the presenting sponsor of the 2023-2024 THEATER UP CLOSE series. WLRN is the media sponsor. The THEATER UP CLOSE series gratefully acknowledges the founding support of Adrianne and Jerry L. Cohen.

TICKETS
Five-show subscription packages are available now starting at the early bird rate of $195* until May 15. Starting May 16, packages start at $220. Subscriptions can be purchased now through the Adrienne Arsht Center box office by calling (305) 949-6722, or online at arshtcenter.org. Tickets for individual performances will be announced at a later date.

The lineup for the 2023-2024 THEATER UP CLOSE series includes the following:

Zoetic Stage and Adrienne Arsht Center present
CLYDE’S – Regional Premiere!
By Lynn Nottage
Directed by Stuart Meltzer
November 2-19, 2023

“Fast-paced and uproariously funny, ‘Clyde’s’ is a spicy feast for the senses,” – Chicago Sun-Times

In CLYDE’S, a truck-stop sandwich shop offers its formerly incarcerated kitchen staff a shot at redemption. Even as the shop’s callous owner tries to keep them down, the staff members learn to reclaim their lives, find purpose and become inspired to dream by their shared quest to create the perfect sandwich.

CLYDE’S was written by two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Lynn Nottage (Mlima’s Tale, MJ The Musical). She is the first, and remains the only, woman to have won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama twice.

City Theatre and Adrienne Arsht Center present
LA GRINGA – Miami Premiere!
By Carmen Rivera
November 30-December 17, 2023

"90 minutes of laughter” - The New York Times

Winner of the Obie Award, off-Broadway’s highest honor, Carmen Rivera's LA GRINGA is a poignant comedy about a young woman’s search for identity. Maria Elena Garcia visits her family in Puerto Rico during the Christmas holidays and plans to connect with her homeland. Although this is her first trip to Puerto Rico, she has an intense love for the island. She even majored in Puerto Rican studies in college. Once Maria is in Puerto Rico, she realizes that Puerto Rico does not welcome her with open arms. The majority of Puerto Ricans on the island consider her an American — a gringa — and Maria considers this a betrayal. If she’s a Puerto Rican in the United States and an American in Puerto Rico, Maria concludes that she is nobody everywhere. Her uncle, Manolo, teaches her that identity isn’t based on superficial and external definitions, but is an essence she has had all along in her heart.

City Theatre's production of LA GRINGA, currently the longest-running Spanish-language production off-Broadway, is presented in English with Spanish supertitles.

LA GRINGA is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French Inc.

Zoetic Stage and Adrienne Arsht Center present
WICKED CHILD – World Premiere!
By David Rosenberg
Directed by Stuart Meltzer
January 11-28, 2024

When Ben leaves his lucrative associate’s job at a New York law firm to join the Israeli Defense Force, his secular Jewish family must reexamine its positions toward the state of Israel and their Jewish identity. Originally workshopped at Zoetic Stage’s Finstrom Festival of New Work in 2022, WICKED CHILD is a play about whether political belief can destroy familial bonds and how much we owe to our community.

Zoetic Stage and Adrienne Arsht Center present
CABARET
Book by Joe Masteroff
Based on the play by John Van Druten and stories by Christopher Isherwood
Music by John Kander, Lyrics by Fred Ebb
Directed by Stuart Meltzer
March 14-April 7, 2024

The Tony Award-winner for Best Musical (1967) and Best Musical Revival (1998) returns to Miami with South Florida-based actress Lindsey Corey starring as Sally Bowles. An audience favorite, Corey won a Carbonell Award for her role in Zoetic Stage’s Stripped, which was part of the Theater Up Close series. 

As the 1920s draw to a close in Berlin, a garish master of ceremonies assures his audience that they will forget all their troubles at the Cabaret. With the emcee's bawdy songs as wry commentary, CABARET explores the dark, heady and tumultuous life of Berlin's natives and expatriates as Germany yields to the emerging Third Reich.

Cliff, a young American writer newly arrived in Berlin, is immediately taken with English singer Sally Bowles. Meanwhile, Fräulein Schneider, proprietor of Cliff and Sally’s boarding house, tentatively begins a romance with Herr Schultz, a mild-mannered fruit seller who happens to be Jewish. Musical numbers include "Willkommen," "Cabaret," "Don't Tell Mama" and "Two Ladies."

CABARET is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Tams-Witmark LLC.

Zoetic Stage and Adrienne Arsht Center present
CUBAN CHICKEN SOUP WHEN THERE’S NO MORE CAFÉ – World Premiere!
By Elena Maria Garcia and Stuart Meltzer
Directed by Stuart Meltzer
May 2-19, 2024

From the creators of megahit ¡FUÁCATA! A Latina's Guide to Surviving the Universe – which sold out twice at the Arsht Center when it premiered in 2017 and returned in 2018 - comes the next chapter in Elena's life as her world takes unexpected twists and turns. With everything upside down, Elena has the strength and wisdom of her mother, daughters and a slew of strong, vibrant and unapologetic Miami women to nurture her soul with Cuban chicken soup, sisterhood and lots of laughter.

@ArshtCenter               #ArshtCenter

*All programs, artists, ticket prices, availability, dates and times are subject to change without notice. Additional fees may apply. Visit arshtcenter.org for up-to-date information.

The Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County is made possible by the public support of the Miami-Dade County Mayor and the Board of County Commissioners, the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Tourist Development Council and the City of Miami Omni Community Redevelopment Agency, as well as the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Arts and Culture and the Florida Council on Arts and Culture. The Adrienne Arsht Center also receives generous support from individuals, corporations and local, state and national foundations.

 

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AboutUs

Set in the heart of downtown Miami, the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County is committed to welcoming and connecting ALL people to the arts, to the Arsht Center and to each other. Our stages are alive year-round with artists from around the world, innovative programming from our resident companies and local arts partners, free community events that reflect Miami’s unique identity and arts education experiences for thousands of Miami children each year.

 Since opening in 2006, the Arsht Center, a 501C3 non-profit organization, has been recognized as a catalyst for billions of dollars in new development in the downtown area, a leader in programming that mirrors South Florida’s diversity, a host venue for historic events and Miami’s hub for arts education.

Each year, we serve more than 60,000 young learners and offer more than 100 culturally diverse and inclusive education programs — many enhanced by the Arsht Center’s relationship with Miami-Dade County Public Schools, local teaching artists and Miami-based arts organizations.

The Arsht Center is also a home stage for three resident companies — Florida Grand Opera, Miami City Ballet and New World Symphony — and a launch pad for local artists to make their mark on the international stage. Our 300+ events each year include the Center’s Signature Series of classical, jazz, Broadway, local theater and much more. We present a robust series of touring Broadway musicals direct from New York, the largest jazz series in South Florida, a major annual Flamenco Festival and an award-winning Miami-based theater program. In addition, our Family Fest, Free Gospel Sundays, CommuniTEA LGBTQ+ celebration and Heritage Fest are among dozens of free events that bring together people from all corners of our community. For more information, visit arshtcenter.org.

About Zoetic Stage

Zoetic Stage was founded in 2010 to create fresh, bold interpretations of contemporary plays and musicals, and is dedicated to enhancing South Florida’s national artistic profile by producing regional premieres and developing new works to become part of the American stage repertoire.

In 2020, Zoetic Stage was named the Best Theater Company by the Miami New Times. The theater has been nominated for over 120 Carbonell Awards and won 42, including Best New Work, Best Musical, and Best Play. Zoetic Stage productions have received 31 Silver Palm Awards for Outstanding Achievement. 

Zoetic Stage is an Associate Member of the National New Play Network, a member of the Theatre Communications Group and the South Florida Theater League. 

Visit www.zoeticstage.org for more information.

 

About City Theatre
City Theatre is a Miami-based, award-winning professional theater company founded in 1996. Now in its 28th season, City Theatre's mission is to develop and produce works that engage, reflect, and impact its community. City Theatre is nationally recognized for developing and producing short plays by well-known and emerging writers discovered through the Susan J. Westfall National Short Playwriting Contest. City Theatre's various "shorts" programming began in 1996 with its flagship program, Summer Shorts, an annual program of eight short plays presented during June. The Short Cuts Middle School Tour is a live, in-school performance of four short plays presented for free to students of Miami-Dade County Public Schools. City Reads, presented in partnership with independent bookstore Books & Books, invites the community to listen and react to a reading of short plays by professional actors at the bookstore for free. The Jorge M. Pérez Family Foundation at the Miami Foundation recently funded the launch of Homegrown, a program created to nurture, elevate, and promote Miami’s BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) writers. This dedicated playwright initiative aims to develop new plays authentic to Miami’s multicultural voices to add to the nation’s theatrical canon.

City Theatre has made its main stage home at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts Carnival Studio Theatre since 2007. Summer Shorts enjoyed its milestone 25th Anniversary here in 2022. City Theatre produces full-length plays as part of the Arsht Center’s Theater Up Close Series, including What the Constitution Means to Me by Heidi Schreck in 2022, Jacob Marley's Christmas Carol by Tom Mula in 2021, and Bekah Brunstetter’s The Cake in 2019. In 2016, City Theatre was honored by the Carbonell Committee with the prestigious Bill Von Maurer Award, in recognition of significant contributions to South Florida theater development for its dedication to the short form play format and fostering new play development. The company was recognized by Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine-Cava in honor of “City Theatre 25th Anniversary Day” on June 9, 2021.