The Hilberry Theatre has announced its 2006-2007 season - one of the most commercially appealing seasons that the Hilberry has EVER produced and based largely in response to patron surveys. According to Wayne State University Department of Theatre Chair Blair Anderson, “The 2006-2007 Hilberry Theatre season is one with massive appeal to the Greater Detroit area and will help fulfill our mission of educating and entertaining in the heart of Detroit.” Maintaining a long tradition of award-winning theatre, the season features an astounding lineup of exceptional works. Season subscriptions go on sale beginning March 1.

Opening the highly anticipated 44th season is Noël Coward’s intimate comedy Private Lives. Elyot and Amanda have been divorced for five years, and their tempestuous marriage together is often a topic of discussion with their respective new spouses. A poignant comedy of desperation that explores what happens when you can\'t live with each other and you can\'t live without each other, Private Lives is a clever, witty rendezvous of unmistakable chemistry. It plays in rotating repertory October 6 – November 30.

One of his most popular works, William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet will continue the season. Journey with the Capulet and Montague families when the ultimate price of forbidden young love was measured by learned hatred, greed and jealousy. Feel the story as if it were your first romance in this timeless tale of passionate devotion. How far would you go for love? Romeo and Juliet plays in rotating repertory October 20 – December 16.

The third show in the season is Side Man by Warren Leight. This deeply personal memory play explores the effects of the day-to-day grind of a professional musician’s jazz world on family life, recounted through son Clifford’s perspective. Side Man provides a picturesque view of how music and society have changed, from the days of the traveling big bands to the advent of Elvis and rock \'n\' roll – an identifiable link to Detroit’s many musical roots. Side Man plays in rotating repertory November 17 – February 3.

2007 will begin with the very powerful drama Amadeus by Peter Shaffer, a production directly selected by audience demand. To what extent would you go to win immortal recognition, especially considering that admiration is in the eye of the beholder? Meet two brilliant composers, Mozart and Salieri - one of them humbly gifted, the other viciously envious. Witness the depth of jealous rage that true genius can provoke, even causing one to abandon his vow to God with the sole determination to destroy the other. Full of resentful pain over another’s advantages, Amadeus plays in rotating repertory January 12 – March 3. 

Next up is On the Verge by Eric Overmyer. Embark on a lighthearted excursion through a continuum of space, time, history, geography, feminism and fashion with three 19th-century female explorers as they discover distant lands, traversing time as well as space. As they move through the 20th century, the heroines confront a host of unlikely yet colorful characters in this comedic tale of displaced adventure. On the Verge will play in rotating repertory February 9 – April 7.

The Elephant Man, a drama by Bernard Pomerance, will be one of many highlights to the season. In a society that values beauty, John Merrick is an outcast: his appearance is so hideously deformed that people run from him in fear. When Dr. Treves saves him from the freak shows, is he really keeping Merrick from exploitation or is he capitalizing on his own agenda to propel studies in human malformation? The Elephant Man plays in rotating repertory March 9 – May 3.

The Hilberry season will close with Translations, by Brian Friel. Personal and political conflicts are intertwined at the deepest levels when a small community faces the brink of irrevocable transformation through changes that unravel the lines of communication between people, countries and speech. Translations is a gripping drama which both uses and explores the richness of language and history to weave its tale. It plays in rotating repertory April 13 – May 19.

Located in Detroit, Michigan and founded in 1963, the Hilberry Theatre is home to the nation’s first and only graduate repertory company. The rotating repertory style of presenting seven classic plays in an eight-month season has established the Hilberry as a cultural institution in the heart of Detroit. All Hilberry productions are designed, staffed, managed and performed by up-and-coming theatre professionals. Over the years, the Hilberry has been honored with numerous awards by Detroit newspapers, including “Theatre of the Year” (The Detroit News), “Best Professional Theatre” (Between the Lines), “Best Play” and “Best Director” (The Detroit Free Press), “Best Overall Season 2003-2004” (The Oakland Press), as well as many individual awards for company members. According to The Detroit News, the Hilberry Theatre is “arguably the longest running, large-scale success story in Detroit drama.”

The 2006-2007 season runs from October 2006 through May 2007, and subscription tickets are on sale beginning March 1. By choosing to become a subscriber, you have the opportunity to see all seven productions for as low as $84. Student season subscriptions are available for only $49. Student rush tickets are also available for $10 the day of the performance. Groups interested in seeing a production are eligible for special discount rates. Performances are Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings at 8 p.m., with 2 p.m. matinees on select Wednesdays and Saturdays. Morning matinees are available for school groups interested in attending a performance. The Hilberry Theatre is located at 4743 Cass Avenue on the corner of Cass Avenue and Hancock in Detroit. The box office is open October through May, Tuesday through Saturday from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. To purchase tickets or for more information call the Wayne State University box office at (313) 577-2972 or visit our website at www.hilberry.com.

Play titles subject to change.