The Studio at Long Beach Playhouse has announced a controversial, exciting and of course, entertaining upcoming 2015 season. According to The Studio, this season will be particularly issue-driven, focusing on current and relevant topics such as bi-gender love, war, intolerance and subjugation.

“This season is something I’m very proud of,” said Andrew Vonderschmitt, producing artistic director, in a statement. “It is a very well balanced, intelligent, and provocative lineup.”

Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo by Rajiv Joseph delves into the mind of the captured beast, living in a cage within war-torn Baghdad. Cock by Mike Bartlett unshyly explores sexual identity, commitment, self-awareness and family obligations through the character’s experience with his boyfriend and new love interest, a woman. Joe Calarco takes the audience on a passionate rollercoaster ride in his interpretation of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, through the eyes of four young Catholic schoolboys.

Psycho Beach Party’s main character, Chicklet Forrest, confronts split personalities and brutal murders as she attempts to find a surf crowd to hang with at Malibu Beach in 9062, while Bat Boy: The Musical will both delight and terrify the audience with a horror and comedy show about an escaped hybrid creature in Hope Falls, West Virginia.

Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo by Rajiv Joseph
May 2 – May 30, 2015

Cock by Mike Bartlett
June 13 – July 11, 2015

Shakespeare’s R&J by Joe Calarco
July 25 – August 22, 2015

Psycho Beach Party by Charles Busch
September 5 – October 3, 2015

Bat Boy: The Musical; story and book by Keythe Farley and Brian Flemming, music and lyrics by Laurence O’Keefe
October 17 – November 14, 2015

For more information about each of the plays, visit The Studio’s site here. The Playhouse is community-supported and creates theatre productions and programs that intersect and cross age, gender, ethnic and cultural boundaries.

Performances are at 8:00PM on Fridays and Saturdays and 2:00PM on Sundays. The box office is open Wednesday-Saturday from 3:00-8:00 pm and Sundays from 1:00-2:00 pm on scheduled matinees. Tickets are $24 for adults, $21 for seniors and $14 for students and can be purchased here or by calling (562) 494-1014.

Long Beach Playhouse is located at 5021 E. Anaheim St.

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