The Purple Rose Theatre Company

In celebration of its 20th season, the Purple Rose Theatre Company’s 2010–11 season will have a whopping four world premiere plays — all by Michigan playwrights!

The Chelsea, Mich., playhouse is just 15 minutes from Ann Arbor and an hour from either Detroit or Battle Creek. The season begins Oct. 14 with Best of Friends, a world premiere by Jeff Daniels, a Tony Award-nominated actor as well as playwright and guiding light of the Purple Rose Theatre. The wicked comedy, which runs through Dec. 18, follows the uneasy friendship of two married couples in a small Michigan town. Tickets go on sale Sept. 6, although advance donor sales begin Aug. 23.

Next up is Corktown, scripted by Michael Brian Ogden, the author of Bleeding Red. This world premiere dark comedy, by turns heart rending and hopeful, explores a bittersweet single day in the dangerous life — and love — of a Detroit mobster. Corktown runs form Jan. 20 to March 5, 2011. Tickets for Corktown go on sale Dec. 13, and advance donor sales begin Nov. 29.

Running March 24 to May 28, 2011, Some Couples May... by Carey Crim, author of Growing Pretty and Wake. Crim’s newest play traces the ups and downs of one family’s dealing with infertility treatments. The comedy runs from March 24 to May 28, 2011. Tickets go on sale Feb. 14, 2011, and advance donor sales begin Jan. 31, 2011.

A world premiere by David MacGregor closes out Purple Rose’s new season. In Consider the Oyster, MacGregor takes two scientific facts — oysters are born male and become female later on, and modern medicine now uses oyster shells to repair human bone — to weave a comedic modern fairy tale on the nature of true love. Tickets go on sale May 9, 2011, and advance donor sales begin April 25, 2011.

You can check out the schedule for any performance at Purple Rose’s Google Calendar.

Regular tickets cost $25 for the Thursday, Wednesday and Sunday performances (both matinee and evening); $38 for Friday and Saturday evening performances and $33 for Saturday and Sunday matinees. Senior citizens 62 or older get $3 off per ticket. Preview prices range from $20 to $25. With a valid ID, students get 50 percent off on weekday evening performances. This 17 and younger get half-off any performance for each adult ticket bought. With advance reservations and payment at least three weeks in advance, groups of 12 or more can get $4 off per ticket.

HelloMetro Tip: Buy tickets online, by calling (734) 433-ROSE (7673) or by visiting the Box Office Monday through Friday, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (until 10 p.m. on show nights). On show nights, you can also buy tickets on Saturday, noon to 10 p.m., and Sunday, noon to 4 p.m. Once tickets are bought, there are no exchanges or refunds.

- by Ivonne Rovira, Ann Arbor Reporter for HelloMetro  (Click to leave a message)

Ivonne Rovira

A graduate of the prestigious Columbia University School of Journalism in New York City, Ivonne Rovira worked as a reporter for the Miami News, The Miami Herald and The Associated Press. She has written articles for The National Catholic Reporter and The Courier-Journal. For more than 15 years, Ivonne wrote and edited articles aimed at middle-school children.