ANN ARBOR, Mich.–The Penny Seats Theatre Company is thrilled to announce that on January 1, 2020, Michigan-based playwright and educator Joseph Zettelmaier will join The Penny Seats’ administrative staff as the company’s first Artistic Director.  In this role, he will join Executive Director, Lauren London, in handling the daily affairs of the company, and will also place creative staff for productions, handle administrative aspects of casting, and work with the Penny Seats Board of Directors to set the company’s seasons (rather than soliciting work from prospective directors, as the company used to do).

As Zettelmaier begins this role, he will step away from his prior position as Executive Director of Roustabout Theatre Company. But the two companies remain close colleagues, and hope to continue and build on numerous partnerships and relationships they have shared over the past few years. “I feel that my particular skill set is better suited for an artistic leadership role than executive administration,” Zettelmaier said.  “But helping found Roustabout will always be something I’m incredibly proud of, and I’m thrilled with what the company has in store. I believe that our two organizations (Penny Seats and Roustabout) will find an even greater capacity for partnership and collaboration with this restructuring.”

London echoed Zettelmaier’s comments.  “We are forever grateful to Roustabout for its continued, fabulous, affiliations and rapport with The Penny Seats, and we believe this transition only strengthens those bonds.  We are over the moon to have Joe step into this new role with us.  In truth he has provided superb, albeit informal, leadership and guidance for us for many years. He has been a dear friend and supporter of the company, directed numerous Penny Seats shows, and allowed us to perform a wide variety of his extraordinary work.  Moreover, Joe’s fit within our organization is perfect:  his encyclopedic knowledge of theatre—Michigan theatre in particular—is unparalleled, and he is a joy to be around.  We couldn’t be more excited to formalize that relationship, and double the size of our administrative team.”

Roustabout, too, spoke in support of the transition, and thanked Zettelmaier for helping found the company five years ago.  Managing Director Anna Simmons said, “We Rousties wish the best for Joe in his new role with Penny Seats, and look forward to a continued relationship in the future.  Joe will always be a key figure in our founding, and as Roustabout enters our fifth year, we thank him for the role he played to help us grow to where we are now.”

Zettelmaier joins The Penny Seats as the group celebrates its 10^th Anniversary, and prepares to occupy a new indoor space for the majority of its work:  Stone Chalet Bed and Breakfast Inn and Event Center, on Washtenaw Avenue in Ann Arbor.  (For now, the group’s summer shows will still be in Ann Arbor’s West Park.)  Joe’s first project at Penny Seats will be to curate a two-night play-reading festival on February 29 and March 1 entitled, “One Day More.” The leap-day play festival features works by local Michigan playwrights, read by regional favorite actors. 

Next, the Penny Seats’ 10th Anniversary Gala is set for April 18, 2020. The Gala is a one-night-only event at Stone Chalet, featuring performances from many of the group’s best-loved artists and musicians. It will also feature a silent auction, fun activities, and delicious food and drink.  Guests will get a preview of many of the plans the group intends to implement at Stone Chalet.

Then, returning to its perennial summer home in West Park, The Penny Seats’ summer musical will be Roger Bean’s Summer of Love, directed by Penny Seats Executive Director Lauren London. When a runaway bride discovers the countercultural revolution of the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood in San Francisco, the hippies and dropouts of Golden Gate Park teach her to “Make Your Own Kind of Music!”  With such hits as “Crystal Blue Persuasion,” “War,” “One Tin Soldier,” “Piece Of My Heart,” “Spinning Wheel,” and, of course, “San Francisco,” this trip down memory lane explores the meaning of freedom and finding love in the most unexpected places. The show will play at West Park, July 9 – August 1.

October will see Zettelmaier return to directing The Penny Dreadfuls series he founded three years ago.  Ripper, by Jacob Marx Rice, tracks a bold young female reporter through the dark alleys of Whitechapel as she investigates a series of murders. When she accidentally finds herself face to face with the killer, they begin an elaborate and deadly game of cat and mouse. Can she stop him and become famous in the process, or will he rip the city, and her, apart? Wickedly playful and deliciously terrifying, Ripper asks how far you’re willing to go for the story of the century. A Michigan premiere!

Finally, the season will end with The Penny Seats’ first ever holiday show.  In December 2020, the group will present Zettelmaier’s fairytale play The Winter Wolf, another Michigan premiere, directed by Roustabout Artistic Director Joey Albright. On Christmas night in Cora’s house she is visited by her beloved grandfather, a man of high spirits and failing health. They sit around the fireplace and she listens to the legend of the Winter Wolf, a strange creature who serves as Time’s hunter, stalking those who are in the winter of their lives. That night, the wolf comes for Cora’s grandfather, but the young girl manages to trap it. What follows is a magical journey through the mysteries of time, as Cora learns how we choose what to hold onto, and when to let go.

Tickets to the gala and all shows will be available at www.pennyseats.org.