Shows & Tickets

Boulevard of Bold Dreams

By LaDarrion Willams

A dynamic story about the night Hattie McDaniel made Hollywood history by becoming the first Black artist to win an Oscar for her performance in Gone With Wind.

When Hattie stops at the Ambassador Hotel to debate if she should attend the biggest night in show business, knowing she will not be allowed to sit with her cast but rather in a room at the back of the theater, the bartender, Arthur, and the maid, Dottie, do everything in their power to convince her to go and claim her historic win. A story of dreamers striving to overcome considerable obstacles and fighting for recognition amidst the racism and inequity of the ever-changing landscape of Hollywood.

Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical

Book & Lyrics Gerome Ragni, Book & Lyrics James Rado, Music Galt MacDermot, Directed by Buffie Main & John Wicks, Music director Darian Reneé, Musician Rhiannon Terry, Musician Justin Tam, Musician Andrew Pearson

With a reputation that hasn’t faded, and an iconic score that changed pop culture forever, Hair is as relevant today as when it radicalized a generation in 1968. This revolutionary rock musical celebrates the sixties counterculture in all its barefoot, long-haired, bell-bottomed, beaded and fringed glory. To an infectiously energetic rock beat, the show wows audiences with songs like “Aquarius,” “Good Morning, Starshine,” “Hair,” “I Got Life” and “Let The Sunshine In.”

Hair follows Claude, his best friend Berger, and their friends as they navigate their young lives, loves, and the sexual revolution, all while rebelling against the war, their parents, and society at large. Hair explores themes of identity, free love, community, global responsibility, and peace and reminds us that history is never far away

The Normal Heart

By Larry Kramer, Directed by Buffie Main & Ben Clegg

Exploring the early days of an epidemic, and homophobia and prejudice around infectious disease, The Normal Heart pangs with poignant parallels and eerie echoes.

Pulitzer-nominated, The Normal Heart is set in 1980s New York and explores the impact of the AIDS endemic in the early years. A searing drama about public and private indifference to the AIDS plague and one man’s lonely fight to awaken the world to the crisis. Based on Kramer’s real-life experience, writer and activist Ned Weeks attempts to channel his anger at the systems in place while he fights to unite the gay community to talk about their rights to survive.

Bent Compass

By Neil Brookshire and Colin Sesek

Following the journey of an Army Medic from fresh recruit to seasoned combat veteran, the text of BENT COMPASS is taken from transcribed interviews detailing the effects of war on a personal level. The stories begin with Colin, years after his deployment, as a student teacher who witnesses an event during one of his teaching assignments. Because of his combat experience, he sees the situation differently than the other teachers. At once personal, reflective, humorous, raw, and candid, these stories honor a man whose unique perspective speaks to both veterans and non-combat civilians alike.

In the Next Room (or The Vibrator Play)

By Sarah Ruhl, Directed by Buffie Main

In the waning years of the 19th century, a ground-breaking physician treats the “hysteric” needs of his female patients while overlooking domestic discontentment of his bored, and lonely wife. An examination of female sexuality and autonomy, this historically accurate comedy navigates love and marriage, and the remarkable origins of electrifying medical treatments for women.

Hot Asian Doctor Husband

By Leah Nanako Winkler, Directed by Daniella Wheelock

In the dead of winter, at the Cherry Blossom Garden, we meet Emi a multiracial Japanese woman lost and confused in grief and cultural expectations. Just a few months ago, Emi knew exactly what she wanted and got it: A Hot Asian Doctor Husband.

On paper, he was the perfect candidate for Emi, but she pays the cost when he turns out not exactly as she imagined. Suddenly her ancestors, her legacy, and culture are all at stake. This hilariously contemporary and honest play explores the multi-racial experience. Lost in between her personal responsibility to carry on the culture passed down from her Japanese mother and her inability to control the cultural identity of the one she loves; this wry, award-winning play by Leah Nanako Winkler is a coming-of-age story beautifully woven with humor, emotion, and memories.

Cabaret

Based on the play by John Van Druten, Stories by Christopher Isherwood, Music by John Kander, Lyrics by Fred Ebb , Book by Joe Masteroff, Directed by Buffie Main & Jodi Eichelberger, Musical director Dr. John Hamilton

In a world where inexplicable ways can get you down, the Cabaret is one place where everyone can be free. This December, you’re invited to The Kit Kat Club, where it transforms VAC as it’s never been seen before.

In a decadent Berlin nightclub, as the 1920’s draw to a close, a garish Master of Ceremonies welcomes the audience to forget all their troubles at the Cabaret. With the Emcee’s bawdy songs as wry commentary, Cabaret explores the dark, heady, and tumultuous life of Berlin’s natives and expatriates as Germany slowly yields to a second World War. While the world unravels outside, in the Cabaret, life is beautiful.

Intimate and electrify, Cabaret is a fierce, meaty musical that pushes the boundaries of the form and literally holds “the mirror up to nature”, with musical numbers that include the classics “Willkommen,” “Cabaret,” “Don’t Tell Mama”, “Maybe This Time”, and “Two Ladies.” Cabaret is a 12-time Tony Award-winning musical, taking home eight in its original run in 1967 and four more in the 1998 revival.

Priscilla Queen of the Desert The Musical

By Stephan Elliott, By Allan Scott, Directed by Buffie Main, Music director Dr. John Hamilton

Based on the smash-hit movie, The Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert is the heartwarming, uplifting story of three friends, Tick, Bernadette, and Adam. A glamorous Sydney-based performing trio, they agree to take their show to the middle of the Australian outback. Hopping aboard an old, battered bus (nicknamed Priscilla), these friends search for love and friendship and end up finding more than they ever imagined. This Olivier and Tony award-winning musical features a hit parade of dance floor favorites including “It’s Raining Men,” “I Will Survive,” “Hot Stuff,” “Boogie Wonderland,” “Go West,” “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun,” and “I Love The Nightlife”. Wildly fresh and funny, this extravaganza features an array of colorful characters and is a journey to the heart of FABULOUS!

The Royale

By Marco Ramirez, Directed by John Wicks & Buffie Main

Inspired by the life and story of Jay Johnson, The Royale by Marco Ramirez is the story of a Black prizefighter navigating life in the United States in the early 20th century.

Jay “The Sport” Jackson is handsome, tough, headstrong, cocky, and undeniably the best Black heavyweight boxer during the end of the first decade of the 20th century. Jay grapples with the repercussions of crossing the color barrier after procuring a fight with Bixby, a white boxer, and the heavyweight champion of the world. As he prepares for his historic fight, he endeavors to conquer the label of merely a “Black boxer” and wrestles with the stigmas of living as a Black man during a racially volatile early 20th-century social ecosystem. He confronts violent, fiscal, political, and personal limitations as the reality and weight of racial tension in America becomes more transparent.

Bernhardt/Hamlet

By Theresa Rebeck, Directed by Buffie Main

In 1899, the legendary international stage celebrity Sarah Bernhardt sets out to tackle her most ambitious role yet: Hamlet. Ms. Bernhardt’s decision to assume the title role of Shakespeare’s Hamlet left critics and patriarchs aghast and indignant. Laced with forbidden romance and backstage gossip, Theresa Rebeck’s new play is a behind-the-scenes look at Bernhardt’s most daring role, set against the lavish Shakespearean production that could make or break Bernhardt’s career.

La Cage aux Folles

By Harvey Fierstein, Lyricists Jerry Herman, Based on the Play by Jean Poiret, Directed by Buffie Main & Joe Golden, Music Director Chad Spears

What happens when the son of a middle-aged gay couple brings home the daughter of an arch-conservative politician — and her parents — for dinner? Musical comedy ensues!

In this beloved, award-winning musical, Georges and Albin enjoy a charmed life on the French Riviera as proprietor and star of a glitzy drag club. When their son gets engaged to the daughter of a politician, the limits of love, family, and mascara are put to the test. In the spirit of joy, love, and a lot of laughter during the holiday season, Alley Rep. continues its Christmas Extravaganza tradition of bringing audiences a show you won’t forget!

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Gynecologic Oncology Unit at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center of New York City

By Halley Feiffer, Directed by Buffie Main

Sparks fly when struggling stand-up Karla meets super-nerd Don after their mothers are assigned to the same room in the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. A wickedly funny tale of finding love—and lust—in the strangest of places and how sometimes a stranger is our best hope for admitting to painful life experiences. Conversations full of defensiveness and despair reveal vulnerability neither thought to be possible. Together, this unlikely duo must negotiate some of life’s biggest challenges and the raw exposed nerves of when the role of parent and child is switched.

The Cake

By Bekah Brunstetter, Directed by Buffie Main

Jen lives in New York but has always dreamed of getting married in her small North Carolina hometown, so she heads down south with her partner to ask Della, her late mother’s best friend, to do the honors of making the wedding cake at her bakery. ​Della’s cakes are legendary, even earning her a spot as a contestant on the “Great American Baking Show.” She is overjoyed at Jen’s request, until she realizes there’s not just one bride, but two, forcing her to re-examine some of her deeply-held beliefs, as well as her own marriage.

Jodi Sings Judy

Directed by Jason Haskins & Nick Garcia, Music director Kati Sheldon

Jodi Eichelberger and Tod Dunnigan lead Boise’s most talented singers and dancers as they reimagine Judy Garland’s one and only televised Christmas Special. Judy invites the TV cameras into her home for this 1963 Christmas TV special, to share the holiday with her family and her good friends as they all informally drop by. Young Joe and Lorna adorably sing off-key songs, a 17-year old Liza Minnelli is at her best singing and dancing to that classic dance jazz number “Steam Heat”, and Judy belts out her classic songs all under the guise of a warm, family affair. Combining mainstream Christmas rituals and the awkward banter between family on the holidays, this Alley Repertory Theater Christmas Extravaganza will pull on your nostalgic heartstrings and push your funny bone in a way that ONLY Alley Rep. can: by making this Christmas classic irreverent and bittersweet.

Special Thanks to the Off Center Dancers (performing as The Dancing Santas): Lisa Whitwell, Teresa Vaugh, Carly Giacinto, April Hill, Linnaea Christiansen, Arianna Christiansen, Rachel Lyons, Lesley Thompson, Katie Ponozzo, Sam Buckmeir, and Hannah Matsen

Indecent

By Paula Vogel, Directed by Buffie Main & Traven Rice, Live music by Fleet Street Klezmer Band, Music director Chad Spears

Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Paula Vogel (How I Learned to Drive) tells the deeply moving story of the controversial 1923 Broadway debut of Jewish playwright Sholem Asch’s God of Vengeance – a play about a forbidden romance that enchanted and outraged audiences. Inspired by true events of censorship and persecution, Indecent is the ultimate love-letter to theater, as the play uses joyous song and dance to revel in one of the most fascinating scandals in theater history. Spanning continents and decades, Indecent charts the journey of a drama upheld as a groundbreaking piece of Jewish literature by some, and an act of obscenity by others.

Bull in a China Shop

By Bryna Turner, Directed by Jason Haskins & Liberty Leeds Klautsch

Bull in a China Shop by Bryna Turner is a vibrant comedy about two fierce women who blazed a new trail for women’s education at the height of the suffrage movement. Inspired by the real letters of Mary Woolley and Jeanette Marks, Bull in a China Shop gallops through forty years at Mount Holyoke College, following the women as they navigate their ambitions, idealism, and feminine power with equal parts comedic punch and dramatic heft. The triumphant debut of playwright Bryna Turner, this utterly un-stuffy history lesson reminds us that when we work to change the world, it changes us right back. Bull in a China Shop premiered at LCT3 in New York City in February 2017 and was chosen as a critic’s pick by The New York Times.

Golden Girls Christmas Extravaganza

Directed by Joe Golden & Justin Ness, Piano Anthony Mulparry

The Golden Girls Christmas Extravaganza returns to Visual Arts Collective November 24 through December 16. Starring Minerva Jayne as Blanche and Jodi Eichelberger as Dorothy, the show features parodies of two classic episodes bookended by commercials written by the Fool Squad and live musicians. For those who want a picture with their favorite ‘80s TV heroine, Brunch with the Golden Girls will be on December 10.

At each show, an Idaho musician will play a Christmas song from “Ida Ho Ho: A Celebration of the Holidays with Idaho Artists” benefitting The Woman’s and Children’s Alliance. The CD has become a yearly top seller at The Record Exchange, with some of Idaho’s best artists contributing their time and talent.

Women of a Certain Age

By Richard Nelson, Directed by Buffie Main

Women of a Certain Age invites you to spend an evening around the kitchen table with one extraordinary, imperfect American family as they celebrate connection and creativity, struggle to move forward together, and wait for the world to change.

While the rest of the world awaits the results of the presidential election on November 8, 2016, the Gabriel family sits with Patricia, the family matriarch, preparing a meal from the past and considering the future of their country, town, and home. This family of women, ages 55 to 85, pay tribute to the difficult year behind them, and compare notes on the search for empathy and authenticity at a time when the game seems rigged and the rules are forever changing.

Women of a Certain Age is the last play in the trilogy The Gabriels: Election Year in the Life of One Family from Tony winning writer and director Richard Nelson (The Apple Family Plays, James Joyce’s The Dead.)

The Totalitarians

By Peter Sinn Nachtrieb, Directed by Justin Ness

Charismatic former roller derby champion, Penny, has been gaffing her way through a half-baked campaign for state office when a nonsensically awe-inspiring speech catapults her into the spotlight. For Penny’s speechwriter and campaign mastermind, Francine, a victory would resurrect her stalled career. For Francine’s physician husband, Jeffrey, it would thwart his own campaign to have sex and start a family already. As whispers of murder, conspiracy, and revolution begin to swirl, this sometimes-farcical, sometimes-satirical dark comedy threatens to spin out of control. With savage hilarity and scathing timeliness, THE TOTALITARIANS is an arrow to America’s corrupt political heart that grazes the funny bone along the way.

Disenchanted!

Music & Lyrics by Dennis T. Giacino, Directed by Buffie Main & Weston Wells Olson, Music Director Thomas Newby

When women are still girls, we tell them about Beauty and her beast, Snow White and her poisoned apple, and the unlucky Princess who had to kiss an amphibian. Through these animated royal role models, The Princess Complex is born: propping up lovesick soprano songbirds with pencil-thin waists at the expense of representing the diversity and vibrancy of real women. Fortunately, Alley Repertory Theater prescribes the cure. This Holiday Season, the princesses themselves will gather at Visual Arts Collective to dismantle The Princess Complex once and for all. In DISENCHANTED!, ten charmingly flawed heroines from the tales of Grimm, Perrault, and history reclaim their identities from their ditzy Disney counterparts through comedy and song. Brassy, bawdy, and painfully funny, this hit off-Broadway musical invites us to poke fun at the foibles of fairy tales and celebrate ourselves for who we really are. After all, it is Christmas.

Buyer & Cellar

By Jonathan Tolins, Directed by Buffie Main

In the real-life book My Passion for Design, Barbra Streisand describes the recreations of early 19th Century shops that occupy a quaint indoor mall in her basement. That’s right, a cobblestoned street underlies the Funny Lady’s three-acre Malibu estate, filled with antiques, costumes, and china, but entirely devoid of People. This is where BUYER & CELLAR departs from reality. Ex-Disneyland Cast Member Alex More is hired work the shops in Babs’s basement. Alex, who considers all things Streisand to be part of his “gay birthright,” quickly finds himself spending more and more time with the persnickety prima donna. When Alex’s boyfriend accuses him of being deluded by a starlet who is equally out-of-touch and Nuts, Alex is forced to decide What Matters Most, being Partners or Simply Streisand. Bold, bright, and only a bit batty, BUYER & CELLAR has charmed audiences and critics since its off-Broadway premiere in 2013.

Rapture, Blister, Burn

By Gina Gionfriddo, Directed by Buffie Main

Catherine and Gwen were close friends all throughout grad school yet chose polar opposite paths upon graduation.  Catherine became a career-oriented academic with two published books and notoriety to match while Gwen followed the path of building a family and a home.  Years later, after limited communication over the years, both women are unfulfilled and covet the other’s life.  When Catherine returns home to be closer to her ailing mother, a dangerous game of musical chairs commences.  The prize? Gwen’s husband.  Both women will soon struggle to find that balance between a satisfied career and fulfilling personal life.

Nominated for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, Rapture, Blister, Burn is a witty comedy that takes an unflinching look at gender politics and how feminist ideals have changed between the 20th and 21st Century.

Golden Girls Christmas Extravaganza

Directed by Buffie Main & Justin Ness, Pianist Tess Worstell

Only one thing comes close to being as awesome as the original cast of “The Golden Girls”, and that is Dorothy, Blanche, Rose, and Sophia impersonated by Boise’s drag queens. The GOLDEN GIRLS CHRISTMAS EXTRAVAGANZA will treat you to live reenactments of classic scenes, holiday sing-alongs, dancing, and more (plus convenient access to the Visual Arts Collective’s full-service bar). Merry, bright, and white-haired, these die-hard dames will be the perfect antidote to holiday stress and generalized Grinch-iness. Hailed as “The Nutcracker” of drag shows by this press release, this San Francisco tradition is sure to become a Boise holiday favorite.

Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike

By Christopher Durang, Directed by Justin Ness

After spending most of their adult lives caring for their now deceased parents, middle-aged Vanya and Sonia have never had jobs and still live in their childhood home. When their movie star sister Masha breezes into town with her hot young boyfriend Spike, suspicions rise that she intends to sell the family home and pull the plug on financially supporting her brother and sister. Now the family must fight to reconcile their differences and find new optimism from over the hill. Winner of the 2013 Tony award for Best Play, VANYA and SONIA and MASHA and SPIKE is a tongue-in-cheek take on Chekhovian futility with a heart-warming finish. Though the character names and setting come from his work, no familiarity with Chekhov is needed to enjoy this expertly crafted comedy.

Sex with Strangers

By Laura Eason, Directed by Buffie Main

Approaching 40, Olivia is a brilliant university professor hiding away at a writer’s retreat in rural Michigan. After a crushing failure to launch many years prior, she has no intention of allowing her writing to see the light of day again, let alone a critic’s red pen. That is, until millennial bad-boy blogger Ethan blows in from a snowstorm with half a million Twitter followers and industry connections as temping as his 20-something sex drive. Their mutual attraction takes over as she longs for a second chance as a writer and he seeks to shed his cheap online persona for something real. What they find is a labyrinth of attraction, ambition, and alternate identities as the line between life offline and life online starts to blur. Premiered at Chicago’s acclaimed Steppenwolf Theatre Company in 2011.

The Rocky Horror Show

Book, music, and lyrics by Richard O'Brien, Directed by Sarah Gardner & Aaron M. Kiefer, Live music by The Green Zoo

Brad and Janet are a simple engaged couple whose lives get turned upside down by Frank ‘n Furter and his household of strange Transylvanians on a stormy night. Join this outstanding cast, featuring live music from The Green Zoo, as Alley Rep helps the Treasure Valley in doing 40 years of the time warp!

The Little Dog Laughed

By Douglas Carter Beane, Directed by Aaron M. Kiefer & Jason Haskins

Ripped from Idaho and national headlines, this Tony Award nominee for Best Play by Douglas Carter Beane is a fast-paced and hilarious ride on the roller coaster journey one celebrity goes on when he decides to explore his sexuality. A young, hot, almost famous stud is about to win the role of a lifetime and, if he keeps his sexuality under wraps, will elevate him to super stardom. Add to that equation a male escort looking for love, his “girlfriend” looking for a home, and a scheming talent agent out to make the deal of a lifetime and a funny, sexy, nontraditional love story emerges. Join Alley Repertory Theater as we celebrate our five year anniversary by revisiting a fantastic piece of theater and the first play ever produced by the company: The Little Dog Laughed.

Levi Middlebrooks: Back 2 Boyzee

Written by Jason Haskins & Evan Sesek, Original Music by Josh Belville, Original Music by Ryan Morthland & Steve Baldassarre, Original Music by Aaron M. Kiefer, Film by Trevor Campbell

Alley Underground presents a new, immersive experience of a comeback concert from former boy band member Levi Middlebrooks. Kinect4 was a popular boy band in the 90s, with such hits as “I Won’t Let You Go” and “Leave U”, which hit #17 on the Billboard Pop Charts in 1998. However, as their popularity waned, Levi took the predictable path down years of drug and alcohol abuse until his ultimate breakdown was immortalized on YouTube. Through years of rehab, Levi has found two sources of redemption — Christianity and his new girlfriend, Cassie. Now, after honing his craft, Levi is extremely excited to kick off his big comeback tour at the Visual Arts Collective in Garden City, Idaho where he promises to play some of his old Kinect4 hits before launching his career as a big name in Christian Rock.

Breadcrumbs

By Jennifer Haley, Directed by Buffie Main

A reclusive fiction writer diagnosed with dementia must depend upon a troubled young caretaker to complete her autobiography. In a symbiotic battle of wills, they delve into the dark woods of the past, unearthing a tragedy that shatters their notions of language, loneliness, and essential self.

Voice from the Boise Hole II

Written & Devised by Aaron M. Kiefer, Evan Sesek, & Jason Haskins, Directed by Aaron M. Kiefer

Local playwrights Jason Haskins and Evan Sesek tackle the City of Trees again with a talented group of local actors. In this funny and provocative monologue play based on the people of Boise, you will run into several characters including the mystic woman who has cursed “The Hole”, a politician with an all-too-honest off-camera persona, a man seeking to create a Citadel-like utopia in Northern Idaho opposite the last passionate Occupy Boise protestor, and an Iraq War vet turned parking garage security guard. Seven actors will play over fourteen characters in this brand new installment exploring, poking fun at, and honoring the City of Boise in the year of its 150th birthday. As a special birthday present, the show will be Pay-What-You-Want every night AND there will be a raffle every night of awesome, local stuff!