A plot-twisting murder mystery, a witch-hunting American classic and an award-winning new play by company member Michael Gotch are a few of the treats that hit the stage at the University of Delaware in the Resident Ensemble Players (REP) 2019-20 theatre season.  

“We invite our audience members to join us in celebrating the power, joy and wonder of live theatre,” said Sanford (Sandy) Robbins, producing artistic director of the REP, the professional acting company in residence at the University.  

“Modern classics and world and regional premieres combine to create a deeply moving, laugh-out-loud funny, and thought-provoking season that explores the depth, playfulness and mutability of being human. We look forward to the season-long conversation these plays will inspire.”

A complete schedule and information on subscription and single tickets can be found on the REP’s website, by calling the REP box office at 302-831-2204, or by visiting the box office in the Roselle Center for the Arts.

General public single tickets range from $20 to $37; discounts are available for students, seniors and UD faculty and staff.  

REP season at a glance

August: Osage County by Tracy Letts, Sept. 26-Oct. 13

This funny, furious family reunion from hell begins when patriarch Beverly Weston disappears into the hot summer night. His three daughters rush to the family homestead with their families to care for their mother, the pill-popping and fiercely manipulative Violet. Trapped in the house together for the first time in years, dishes and insults fly in this Pulitzer Prize- and Tony Award-winning story about the complex humor, wit and sorrow of our most intimate connections.

Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express, adapted by Ken Ludwig, Nov. 7-24

Hercule Poirot is a world-class detective and an unflinching agent of justice. When a train ride home on the luxurious Orient Express turns deadly, Poirot is thrust into a dangerous game that pushes him to his limits. He must untangle a web of mystery, murder and a train full of potential suspects before the killer escapes in this off-the-rails thriller of suspense and fun.

Starter Pistol by Michael Gotch, Jan. 16-Feb. 2

In a withering Midwest town, Karen James—wife, mother and breadwinner— has enough venison chili to survive the approaching winter but is being pushed to the edge by her husband’s work injury and her son’s misbehavior. A visit from a stranger promises relief but only if Karen and her family can survive secrets from the past. Winner of the Ashland New Play Festival's 2019 competition, Starter Pistol is a roller coaster ride of tension and laughter, a story of a family holding itself together in the toughest of times.

The Crucible by Arthur Miller, March 5-22

When a group of teenage girls is caught dancing naked in the woods outside of a tiny Puritan town, an investigation into their mischief-making derails into madness and hysteria when accusations of witchcraft fly. As the Salem witch trials proceed, Miller’s classic drama winds fear, paranoia, lust and greed into a real American tragedy. Written in 1953 under the shadow of McCarthyism, Miller’s masterpiece remains a gripping historical play and a timely parable.

The Whipping Man by Matthew Lopez, April 16-May 10

The Civil War is over and the Confederacy has fallen. On the eve of Passover, Caleb, a young Jewish Confederate soldier with a bullet lodged in his leg, returns to the remains of his Virginia house and his family’s former slaves, Simon and John. Stuck together by circumstance but separated by secrets, the three men must work together first to just survive and then to prepare a simple Passover Seder, a Jewish celebration of freedom from slavery that holds unique meaning in a new American era. The Whipping Man is a powerful play that grapples with taking accountability for one’s past and building a foundation on which to grow something new.

Round and Round the Garden by Alan Ayckbourn, April 25-May 10

A hilarious tale of three couples looking for love and satisfaction anywhere but their own bedrooms. Annie has grown weary of caring for her ailing mother and has decided to take a break with an amorous weekend in the country. Delightful trouble ensues when her intended companion—her sister’s husband—arrives early, forcing Annie, her two sisters, and all their love interests into their mother’s house for a weekend of missed connections, misread signals and madcap humor.

REP productions are made possible, in part, by a grant from the Delaware Division of the Arts, a state agency dedicated to nurturing and supporting the arts in Delaware, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts.

About the REP

The Resident Ensemble Players (REP) is a professional theatre company located at the University of Delaware. The REP’s mission is to engage audiences throughout the tristate region with frequent productions of outstanding classic, modern and contemporary plays performed in a wide variety of styles that celebrate and demonstrate the range and breadth of each resident actor in this ensemble of nationally respected stage actors who have been trained in the same way. The REP is committed to create future audiences for live theatre by offering its productions at low prices that enable and encourage the attendance of everyone in the region, regardless of income.