Arizona Onstage Productions is a non-profit theater company in

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Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

. The company was founded by former touring actor Kevin Johnson and is mainly known for producing unusual, thought-provoking and often controversial musicals. Although the small company lacks the resources or theater space of comparatively gigantic companies such as

Arizona Theatre Company Arizona Theatre Company is a non-profit, professional regional theatre company operating in both Tucson and Phoenix, Arizona. It performs a season of six productions at two theatres—the only League of Resident Theatres member to do so—at the Te ...

and the

University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it was the first university in the Arizona Territory. T ...

theater department, it has drawn great amounts of praise from local theater critics for its intelligent and irreverent productions. In 2004, the company won three

MAC Awards The MAC Awards, established in 1986, are presented annually to honor achievements in cabaret, comedy and jazz. They are administered by the non-profit Manhattan Association of Cabarets & Clubs (MAC), founded in 1983, and voted on by the MAC member ...

(the local awards for theater in Tucson) for its production of Stephen Sondheim's musical ''

Assassins An assassin is a person who commits targeted murder. Assassin may also refer to: Origin of term * Someone belonging to the medieval Persian Ismaili order of Assassins Animals and insects * Assassin bugs, a genus in the family ''Reduviida ...

'', specifically best musical, best actor, and best director. In 2005, the company received two nominations for best musical (one for Joel Payley's ''

Ruthless! The Musical ''Ruthless! The Musical'' is an all-female musical with music by Marvin Laird and book and lyrics by Joel Paley that spoofs Broadway musicals, like ''Gypsy'' and ''Mame'', and movies such as ''The Bad Seed'' and ''All About Eve''. The musical p ...

'', and one for

William Finn William Alan Finn (born February 28, 1952) is an American composer and lyricist. He is best known for his musicals, which include ''Falsettos'', for which he won the 1992 Tony Awards for Best Original Score and Best Book of a Musical, ''A New Br ...

and

James Lapine James Elliot Lapine (born January 10, 1949) is an American stage director, playwright, screenwriter, and librettist. He has won the Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical three times, for ''Into the Woods'', ''Falsettos'', and '' Passion''. He ha ...

's ''

A New Brain ''A New Brain'' is a musical with music and lyrics by William Finn and book by Finn and James Lapine. Though many of Finn's previous musicals were to some extent autobiographical, ''A New Brain'' dealt directly with his own harrowing experience ...

''), two nominations for Best Actress and one for Best Actor. In 2006, Arizona Onstage Productions collaborated with the BASIS Charter School (where Johnson teaches theatre arts) to produce the first original work for the company, the children's opera '' Brundibar: Hear My Voice'', a new version of Hans Krasa's classic children's opera '' Brundibar.'' This new version kept Krasa's original text and music, but added new material (written by one of Johnson's students) which tells the story of the piece's production in the

Theresienstadt concentration camp Theresienstadt Ghetto was established by the Schutzstaffel, SS during World War II in the fortress town of Terezín, in the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia (German occupation of Czechoslovakia, German-occupied Czechoslovakia). Theresienstad ...

. ''Brundibar: Hear My Voice'' played April first and second at the Temple of Music and Art in Tucson. New material was scored for performances in late 2006-early 2007. William Finn's '' Elegies—Looking Up'' in mid-November 2006 won the MAC award for best musical. Later shows for the company include Paul Bonin-Rodriguez's one man show '' Talk of the Town'' in January 2007 and its follow-up '' The Bible Belt... and Other Accessories'' in January 2008. The musicals ''

The Full Monty ''The Full Monty'' is a 1997 British comedy film directed by Peter Cattaneo, starring Robert Carlyle, Mark Addy, William Snape, Steve Huison, Tom Wilkinson, Paul Barber and Hugo Speer. The screenplay was written by Simon Beaufoy. The film is s ...

'' (February 2007), '' Bark: The Musical'' (July 2007) and

Stephen Sondheim Stephen Joshua Sondheim (; March 22, 1930November 26, 2021) was an American composer and lyricist. One of the most important figures in twentieth-century musical theater, Sondheim is credited for having "reinvented the American musical" with sho ...

's ''

Sunday in the Park with George ''Sunday in the Park with George'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine. It was inspired by the French pointillist painter Georges Seurat's painting ''A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatt ...

'' (June 2008) are among their recent successes. In January 2010, they will present a production of

The Great American Trailer Park Musical ''The Great American Trailer Park Musical'' is a two-act musical, written by David Nehls and Betsy Kelso. It explores the relationships between the tenants at the Armadillo Acres Trailer Park in Starke, Florida, particularly between Pippi, "the s ...

, featuring what is believed to be the first-ever use of

scratch and sniff Scratch and sniff technology generally refers to stickers or paperboard items that have been treated with a fragrant coating. When scratched, the coating releases an odor that is normally related to the image displayed under the coating. The tec ...

cards in a theatrical production.

External links

Official Website
{{authority control Theatre companies in Arizona Theatres in Arizona Buildings and structures in Tucson, Arizona