The Bonstelle Theatre has announced its 2006-2007 season. The theatre is on the National Register of Historic Theatres and is home to Wayne State University’s undergraduate Bonstelle Theatre Company. Subscribe to the entire Bonstelle season for as low as $45 beginning March 1.

Opening the 2006-2007 season is Inherit the Wind by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee. This explosive legal drama is based on the Scopes trial of 1925, in which a science teacher was tried for teaching the theory of evolution in the classroom. Two great lawyers debate creationism versus evolution in this compelling narrative about a nation and the continual struggle for control of its sanctioned values. The current debate about “intelligent design” theory makes Inherit the Wind not only riveting, but topical. Can this play help us to learn from our past? Inherit the Wind plays October 27 – November 5.

Next is the annual holiday production A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. The ghosts of Christmas past, present and future will materialize on the Bonstelle stage in this classic tale of the lessons taught to penny-pinching miser Ebenezer Scrooge. It takes only the kindness and humility of a courageous young boy named Tiny Tim to warm anyone’s heart just in time for the holidays. This spectacular story is sure to be a gift that the whole family will enjoy. A Christmas Carol plays December 8 – 17.

Up next is The Women by Clare Boothe Luce. No social status escapes the biting humor observed in this brilliant comedy of manners. From the servants to those in matriarchal standing, decadence and corruption are everywhere in this keenly observed satire about issues strictly between women. The Women plays January 26 – February 4.

The Black Theatre Program celebrates its 36th year with Joe Turner’s Come and Gone by August Wilson. Set in 1911 Pittsburgh, in a world still reverberating with echoes of slavery, a mysterious stranger shows up at a boarding house with his child in tow. Curiosity and uneasiness disturb the peace as the stranger approaches the end of a tormented journey. Presented to honor the recent passing of August Wilson, Joe Turner\'s Come and Gone is a brilliant installment in the Pulitzer Prize- winning playwright\'s ten-play cycle exploring the 20th-century African-American experience, dramatizing the search for self and community in a world of ongoing upheaval. Joe Turner’s Come and Gone plays March 2 – 11.

Into the Woods is the annual spring musical presentation with book by James Lapine and music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. Classic fairytale characters set out to achieve their goal of living "Happily Ever After" through familiar routes in this award-winning musical. Deep into the woods Jack and the Beanstalk, Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella and Rapunzel discover the very real consequences that traditional fairy tales conveniently ignore. When fiction meets reality, find out the price greed and gluttony can exact while learning what it takes to become a united community against those out for revenge. Into the Woods plays April 20 – 29.

The Bonstelle Theatre is a Broadway-style stage with a 1,143-seat auditorium featuring a balcony. Here, future stars of theatre, film and television follow in the footsteps of such famous alumni as Emmy- and Golden Globe-Award-winning S. Epatha Merkerson (Law and Order, Lackawanna Blues), David Ramsey (Pay it Forward) and Jeffrey Tambor (Arrested Development). The Bonstelle season features five great productions including a heart-warming family favorite, a fresh take on a classic and a show-stopping musical.

Season tickets are on sale beginning March 1, ranging from $45.00 to $60.00 for the entire season. Don’t miss your opportunity to see the stars of tomorrow in five great productions at an unbelievably low price. The Bonstelle Theatre is located at 3424 Woodward Avenue, one block south of Mack Avenue at Eliot. The box office at the Bonstelle Theatre is open only one hour prior to each performance. Tickets may be purchased in advance at the Hilberry Theatre box office at 4743 Cass Avenue. For more information or to order a season subscription call the Bonstelle Theatre box office at (313) 577-2960 or visit the website at www.bonstelle.com. Play titles subject to change.