Our 18th Season (2015-2016)

Our 18th Season

The Chameleon Theatre Circle opened it's 18th Season with the dazzling, fantastical cult favorite The Rocky Horror Show by Richard O'Brien, Chameleon's landmark 100th production!

Later in the season, Chameleontreated audiences to Catch Me if You Can, the Tony Award-winning musical by the creators of the Broadway hit Hairspray and writer Terrence McNally! In between these two blockbuster musicals will be a one-woman show chronicling the life of President Obama's mother, an adaptation of a classic horror story by one of Minnesota's most respected playwrights, and an intimate musical about the risks and rewards of creating art. To close out the season, Chameleon turned to the classics to present Shakespeare's darkest tragedy, Macbeth!

The Rocky Horror Show
Book, Music, and Lyrics by Richard O'Brien
Directed by Bradley Donaldson
September 25 - October 18, 2015
The newest incarnation of the ultimate cult-favorite musical will arise in the Ames Center's Black Box as Chameleon's milestone 100th production! Company co-founder Bradley Donaldson will direct this out-of-this-world, identity-bending rock 'n' roll party for the stage. Join ordinary couple Brad and Janet on a dark and stormy night, as they embark on a journey that will redefine everything they think they know about themselves and the world they live in. Come help Chameleon celebrate with Dr. Frank-N-Furter and his whole bizarre entourage, and do the Time Warp again and again!

Stanley Ann: The Unlikely Story of Barack Obama's Mother
(Minnesota Premiere)
by Mike Kindle
Directed by Andrew Troth
November 6-22, 2015
The extraordinary journeys of Stanley Ann Dunham are illuminated via a series of monologues in this one-woman show that spans over 30 years in the life of a girl from Kansas who never realized she was raising a future President of the United States. As she roams from Hawaii to Indonesia and back and tries to figure out who she wants to be, Dunham experiences tides of idealism, disillusionment, elation, and despondency, but never loses her determination to improve the world around her.

The Turn of the Screw
Adapted by Jeffrey Hatcher from the story by Henry James
Directed by Benjamin Kutschied
December 4 - 20, 2015
A young woman journeys to a remote English manor to take up her new position as governess to the family's two young children. But what happened to the previous governess? Layers of secrets are peeled away and tension mounts as the governess starts to question what – and who – is (or is not) real. Struggling to be the person she aspires to be, she strives to protect the children from the threats she perceives. Henry James' famous tale of suspense, horror, and repressed sexuality is brought to the stage in a gripping adaptation by one of Minnesota's finest playwrights.

[title of show]
Music and Lyrics by Jeff Bowen; Book by Hunter Bell
Directed by Kimberly Miller
February 19 - March 6, 2016
Hunter and Jeff have decided to submit an entry to a new musical theatre festival – but the deadline is just three weeks away, and they have nothing written! With the help of some friends, they scramble to write a show that depicts the very dilemma in which they find themselves. An intimate musical that chronicles the story of its own creation and development, [title of show] is a joyful - and snarky - exploration of the creative process.

Catch Me If You Can
Music by Marc Shaiman; Lyrics by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman; Book by Terrence McNally
Directed by Avian Jangula
April 1 - 24, 2016
What's a boy to do when his parents are breaking up, he doesn't know where to turn, and he can't get comfortable in his own skin? Slip into someone else's! Teenage Frank Abagnale, Jr. impersonated a doctor, a lawyer, and an airline pilot, and passed $2.5 million worth of forged checks over the span of more than five years, all while being hunted by the FBI. Inspired by a true story, as depicted in the bestselling book and hit movie with the same title, this energetic musical gives Frank a chance to tell the audience his story, with all the flash and dazzle you'd expect from one of the world's most successful impostors.

Macbeth
by William Shakespeare
Directed by David Coral
June 3-12, 2016
Imagine you are offered a glance at your own future. Suppose you see a version of yourself you never dared imagine, achieving goals you never even knew you desired. Now return to the present: Are you still the same person you were before you saw this vision of your own potential? Macbeth. . . is not. Shakespeare's chilling portrait of the effects of temptation, ambition, and betrayal is one of the most compelling tragedies ever written. Something wicked is coming to the Black Box to close out The Chameleon Theatre Circle's 18th season!