Riverland Community College Theatre Director Lindsey Duoos Williams announced the Riverland’s 2019-2020 lineup today. The new season will present a variety of plays and musicals, including a world premiere of a new play by a local playwright to be performed at both the Austin and Albert Lea campuses.

‘Wilson’s Girl: Unpacking the Beef  in a Minnesota Town’

Adapted for the stage by Eva Barr from the memoir Packinghouse Daughter by Cheri Register

Directed by Susan V. Hansen

7 p.m. Oct. 4 and 5, 2 p.m. Oct. 6 at Austin West Cafeteria

7 p.m. Oct. 11 and 12, 2 p.m. Oct. 13 at Albert Lea Commons

In this world premiere, local Minnesota playwright Eva Barr adapts Cheri Register’s 2001 memoir about coming of age in Albert Lea during the 1959 Wilson’s meatpacking plant strike. The play spans the inciting moments of the strike to the violence and divisiveness that resulted, but it is Register’s personal awakening to the meaning of class in her life as the daughter of a blue-collar worker that provides the universal hook. As Register’s grandfather might have put it, class is one of those disquieting subjects that applies to everyone.  In a first for Riverland Theatre, this play will be performed in nontraditional spaces on both the Austin and Albert Lea campuses.

Parental advisory: Parents should be advised that some material in “Wilson’s Girl” may not be appropriate for children.

‘Once Upon a Mattress’

Music by Mary Rodgers, lyrics by Marshall Barer, and book by Jay Thompson, Dean Fuller and Marshall Barer

Directed by Lindsey Duoos Williams

7 p.m. Nov. 20, 21, 22 and 23; 2 p.m. Nov. 24

If you thought you knew the story of “The Princess and The Pea,” you may be in for a walloping surprise. This modern interpretation not only puts a twist on the well-known fairy tale but also brings a new perspective to the classic musical comedy. Prince Dauntless hasn’t had any luck finding a bride, until along comes the unconventional Princess Winnifred — but can she pass the test? Carried on a wave of wonderful songs, by turns hilarious and raucous, romantic and melodic, this rollicking story of royal courtship and comeuppance provides for some side-splitting shenanigans. Chances are you’ll never look at fairy tales quite the same way again.

Parental advisory:  Some material may not be appropriate for children.

‘The Importance
of Being Earnest’

By Oscar Wilde

Directed by Susan V. Hansen

7 p.m. Feb. 26, 27, 28 and 29; 2 p.m. March 1

“The Importance of Being Earnest” has proven to be Oscar Wilde’s most enduring — and endearing — play. Jack Worthing and Algernon Moncrieff create alter egos named Ernest to escape their tiresome lives. They attempt to win the hearts of two women who, conveniently, claim to only love men called Ernest. The pair struggle to keep up with their own stories and become tangled in a tale of deception, disguise and misadventure. Filled with witty Victorian aphorisms and Wilde’s own brand of wisdom, “The Importance of Being Earnest” remains one of theater’s most popular comedies.

Parental advisory: Some material many not be appropriate for children.

‘As You Like It’

Music and lyrics by Shaina Taub, adapted by Shaina Taub and Laurie Woolery

Directed by Lindsey Duoos Williams

7 p.m. April 23, 24, 25, 30 and May 1; 2 p.m. May 2

Named one of The New York Times’ best shows of 2017, “As You Like It” is an immersive, dream-like tale of faithful friends, feuding families and lovers in disguise. Forced from their homes, Orlando, Duke Senior, his daughter, Rosalind, and niece, Celia, escape to the Forest of Arden, a fantastical place of transformation where the refugees find community and acceptance under the stars. Featuring an original folk-pop score by Taub and adapted from William Shakespeare’s original text, “As You Like It” celebrates the power of community and love.

Parental advisory: Some material many not be appropriate for children.