Wishes for the season at the Garden Theatre

It’s a season of wishes at The Garden Theatre.

The theater announced the lineup of performances for the 2016-17 season, which runs from September 2016 through May 2017. The season features six full-length theatrical presentations, as well as weekend events such as music and dance concerts. The season will also include movies and holiday offerings.

The theme of wishes runs throughout the season. 

“I’m calling this a season of wishes because everything that we have selected has somebody, or a group of people, wishing for something,” said Robert Winn Anderson, consulting artistic director at The Garden Theatre. “We say, ‘Wishes can come true,’ but also, ‘Be careful what you wish for.’ We thought it was appropriate that we go that direction, because the last two words of the entire season next year in ‘Into the Woods’ will be, ‘I wish.’”

The season begins with the story of “Bonnie & Clyde,” two lovers whose wishes combined into something dangerous. It leads into “The Glass Menagerie,” where the mother of a dysfunctional family yearns for happiness, and those wishes lead her to try to find a man for her daughter, a situation that ends up poorly for the family.

During the holiday season, “A Charlie Brown Christmas” portrays the well-loved Charlie Brown, who wishes to find the true meaning of Christmas. 

Next is “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” where the students participating in the spelling bee wish to be recognized for who they are. 

“The Destiny of Desire” portrays characters wishing to know their destiny. The season concludes with “Into the Woods,” where the characters wish for a happy ending. 

“The Destiny of Desire” is not yet published, but Anderson contacted the playwright Karen Zacarías, who allowed the theater to be one of the first to produce it. 

Unlike previous seasons, no one play is larger than another. 

“I really think they all have their own weight this year,” said Anderson. “Even Charlie Brown, which has such a strong following to it, that I think that it’s as important as the rest of them. I can look back at other seasons and (say), ‘That’s the big show’… but I really feel it’s an evenly weighted season, and there’s something for everyone.”

Contact Jennifer Nesslar at [email protected].