Encore Michigan

Tipping Point Theatre announces 17th season; many Michigan premieres

Season Announcement August 14, 2024

Season Passes now available for purchase at up to 15% off the single ticket price

Tipping Point Theatre (TPT) announces its 17th theatrical season, launching on September 25, 2024, with the Michigan premiere production of Bess Wohl’s hilariously honest play Grand Horizons, followed by a newly reimagined adaptation of the literary classic Little Women, the Michigan premiere production of the funny and unpredictable play Halftime with Don, the Michigan premiere of English, and concludes with Duncan MacMillan’s thought-provoking work, Lungs.

“This season we ask ‘what makes a family?’ Is it nature, circumstance, or something we create? How do we move forward when faced with exciting new choices, obstacles, happenstance, grief and inevitability?” states TPT Artistic Director, Julia Glander. “In Season 17, we hope to shine a light on these questions and more with entertaining and all-around exceptional productions.”

The season starts on September 25th with the Michigan premiere production of Bess Wohl’s Tony® Award nominated Grand Horizons. Bill and Nancy have recently marked fifty years of marriage and settled comfortably in their new home at Grand Horizons, a senior living community. Their lives are structured in marital unison until one evening, Nancy announces she wants a divorce. Bill says okay. Their two adult sons are shocked as they question everything they thought was true in their lives and struggle to make sense of this unexpected news. Bess Wohl’s play is a hilarious and honest take on love and the wisdom that may or may not come with age.

The season continues on November 20th with the new adaptation of Little Women by Heather Chrisler. This familiar, beloved classic novel by Louisa May Alcott is presented in an entirely new way; a whimsical and adventurous play that’s perfect holiday fare for the whole family. Imagination abounds as four actors in an attic play several roles, yet the voices of Jo, Meg, Beth and Amy remain true and clear. The story unfolds as the sisters experience the Christmas holiday, family hardships, artistry, love and loss.

Beginning January 22, 2025 is the Michigan premiere production of Ken Weitzman’s Halftime with Don. Retired NFL player Don Devers experiences both jocular and violent outbursts as a result of his struggles with traumatic brain injury. While relying on Post-it notes to get him through the day, Ed Ryan, a desperate longtime fan, shows up on his doorstep. Thus begins a new-found game with Don’s pregnant daughter Stephanie, and Ed’s pregnant wife Sarah, plotting from the sidelines. The hero, the fan, and the expectant mothers discover new ways to help each other and create a new family of sorts. An emotional rollercoaster, the play is as moody, funny and unpredictable as its football star. Halftime with Don was an audience favorite during TPT’s In The Works reading series.

Next, opening on March 12th, another Michigan premiere with Sanaz Toossi’s English; In an Iranian classroom for adult English learners, the teacher, Marjan, leads four students through a linguistic playground as they prepare for the TOEFL exam (Test of English as a Foreign Language). Their dreams, frustrations and secrets come to the forefront. Will “English only” expand or limit what they truly want to say? This play about language and identity won the 2023 Pulitzer Prize.

TPT’s 17th season closes with Duncan MacMillan’s Lungs, with performances beginning on May 7th. Amidst the changes in our environment and the unrest amongst humanity, a couple grapples with starting a family in a world that is telling them not to. This smart, funny, thought-provoking play explores the lifecycle of a relationship with all the hope, betrayal, pain, and humor that exemplifies our modern-day love.

TPT offers several options for subscription at a discount of up to 15% off the single ticket price. All subscription packages are available for purchase online at www.tippingpointtheatre.com or by calling the box office at 248.347.0003.

Single tickets for each production in this season will be available for purchase by visiting www.tippingpointtheatre.com, or by calling the Ticket Office at 248.347.0003, beginning at 12 a.m. on September 4, 2024. Discounts for seniors (62 and over), military and students are also available at the Box Office window located inside Tipping Point Theatre at 361 East Cady Street, Northville, MI 48167. Discounts for groups of 10+ are available for purchase by calling the Box Office at 248.347.0003 or at the Ticket Office window.