Guthrie Announces 1st Season By Artistic Director Joseph Haj

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The renowned Guthrie Theater announced a mix of classics and new works Friday for the inaugural mainstage season programmed by new artistic director Jospeh Haj.

The nine productions include Kate Hamill's adaptation of Jane Austen's "Sense and Sensibility," Shakespeare's "King Lear," Toni Morrison's "The Bluest Eye," and Stephen Sondheim's "Sunday in the Park with George" on the Wurtele Thrust Stage.

They also include "The Parchman Hour: Songs and Stories of the '61 Freedom Riders" by Mike Wiley, "The Lion in Winter," ''The Royal Family," ''Refugia" and "Native Gardens" on the McGuire Proscenium Stage.

Haj said in a statement that the nine plays "at their core, tell dynamic, captivating and engaging stories worthy of our audience and the greater community."

Haj, who took over artistic leadership last summer following a two-decade tenure by the popular Joe Dowling, will direct "King Lear" and "Sunday in the Park with George." Haj came to Minnesota from the smaller PlayMakers Repertory Company at the University of North Carolina

In addition to the 2016-17 mainstage subscription season, the Guthrie will present its 42nd annual production of Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol."

New season subscriptions go on sale May 19. Single tickets go on sale between May and February, depending on the show.