WISCONSIN PREMIERE
Summer, 1976
Jan 30 - Feb 16, 2025
WRITTEN BY David Auburn
DIRECTED BY Laura Gordon & Laura Rook
“It’s sharply observant…subtly, insistently feminist.” — THE NEW YORK TIMES
Sometimes friendships are all the fireworks you need.
The summer of America’s Bicentennial finds Diana, an artist, and Alice, a professor’s wife, thrown together through a faculty babysitting co-op at Ohio State. As they navigate migraines and marriage crises, tantrums and road trips, they build an expansive and intimate friendship as full of possibility, and as fleeting, as summer.
Our actresses are switching roles to play both characters!
Version A (Wed/Thurs/Fri): Colleen Madden as Alice / Heidi Armbruster as Diana.
Version B (Sat/Sun): Heidi Armbruster as Alice / Colleen Madden as Diana.
Overture Center
for the Arts
201 State St,
Madison, WI 53703
The actresses are switching roles to play both characters!
Version A (Wed/Thurs/Fri):
Colleen Madden as Alice
Heidi Armbruster as Diana
Version B (Sat/Sun):
Heidi Armbruster as Alice
Colleen Madden as Diana
About the show
Runtime:
Estimated run time is 90 min.
No intermission.
Performance Dates:
Jan 30 – Feb 16, 2025
Age Recommendations:
Appropriate for ages 16+
Smoking:
Actors smoke a prop joint on stage.
It is tobacco, nicotine, and additive free.
Accessibility
We strive to make our performances available to the entire community. This guiding principle captures the theater we aim to be.
We’re proud to be a resident company at Overture Center, which provides practical accessibility for a variety of needs.
Cast
Heidi Armbruster
Diane/AliceColleen Madden
Alice/DianeShannon Coltrane
Understudy/DianaCarrie Sweet
Understudy/AliceCreative Team
Jason Fassl
Scenic DesignerJason Fassl
Lighting & Projection DesignerShelley Cornia
Costume DesignerJoe Cerqua
Sound Designer/ComposerKaya Sarajian
Props DesignerAdam Hastings
Technical DirectorShawn Galligan
Stage ManagerAbbi Hess
Assistant Stage Manager
Theater review:
Two unlikely friends make one unforgettable Summer, 1976
By Lindsay Christians | The Cap Times
Theater review:
Forward Theater’s Summer, 1976 is a serious look at female friendship
By Anya Van Wagtendonk | Isthmus
Theater review:
“Complete harmony” – Forward Theater’s Summer, 1976
By John Chatterton | Talkin’ Broadway
Preview:
At the Crossroads
By Advisory Company member Mike Fischer
Preshow lectures are also presented live in the Playhouse lobby before our Thursday (6:30pm) and Sunday (1:00pm) performances.
Show Sponsors
Production Photos
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