A new year of theater

The holidays are over … finally. No more presents to wrap, nor trees to trim. But though you may be enjoying a much-needed post-holiday break, theater companies in Reno and Carson City are already gearing up for the 2002 season, which promises a diverse collection of old favorites and cutting-edge new productions.

Reno Little Theater gets the jump on the competition with a production of The Lion in Winter at 8 p.m. Jan. 4-5, 11-12 and 18-19, and at 2 p.m. Jan. 6, 13 and 20. Crossing Delancey will be performed in February, and All My Sons will follow in April. Tickets are $12 for general admission and $10 for students and seniors. Performances are held at the Wooster High School Little Theater, 1331 E. Plumb Lane. Call 329-0661.

Brüka Theatre will start 2002 with Marat/Sade, which depicts the Marquis de Sade directing a play while in an insane asylum. Performances are at 8 p.m. Jan. 18-19, 24-26 and 31 and Feb. 1-2, 7-9 and 14-16. A children’s play titled The Three Wishes: Three Classic Fairytales Revisited will debut in April, followed by Long Day’s Journey Into Night and an as yet unwritten Brüka original in May. Season tickets are $30-$125. Advance individual tickets are $12 for general admission and $10 for students; all tickets are $15 at the door. Call 323-3221.

Riverfront Theatre will tackle an ambitious 2002 season with five musicals, four comedies and a drama. It all starts with the musical The Fantasticks, which is slated to open Jan. 11, running Thursdays through Sundays until Feb. 3. It Had to Be You will open on Valentine’s Day, followed by Moon Over Buffalo in late March and A Few Good Men in May. Season tickets are $150-$165 if purchased by Jan. 10, and all shows are performed at the new Riverfront location, 133 N. Virginia St. Call 323-7469.

Nevada Repertory Company will continue its trend of controversial and thought-provoking theater with The Laramie Project. The play portrays the emotions felt by the citizens of Laramie, Wyo., after the beating death of Matthew Shepard, a young gay man. Performances will be held at 7:30 p.m. March 8-9 and 13-16 and at 1:30 p.m. March 17. In April, Nevada Rep will close its spring season with The School for Scandal. Evening tickets are $15 for general admission and $14 for students and seniors; matinee tickets are $12. The plays will be staged in the Redfield Studio Theatre, inside the Church Fine Arts Complex at the University of Nevada, Reno. Call 784-6847.

Nevada Shakespeare Festival will present The Taming of the Shrew, The Tempest, The Three Musketeers and The Trojan Women this season, although specific show dates have not yet been confirmed. Season tickets are available, however, for $80-$100. Call 324-4198 or visit www.nevada-shakespeare.org for details.

BAC Stage Kids, the children’s theater company at the Brewery Arts Center, has been hard at work on Once on This Island, an adaptation of the classic tale The Little Mermaid. Performances are at 7 p.m. Jan. 18 and 25 and at 2 p.m. Jan. 19-20 and 26-27. Tickets are $8 for general admission and $5 for students, seniors and BAC members. The BAC is at 449 W. King St. in Carson City. Call 883-1976.