Circle Theatre announced a five-show lineup for its 2009 season on Wednesday. On the bill are ART, Hail Mary!, Picasso at the Lapin Agile, Incorruptible and Lone Star Christmas Carol. Circle’s emerging theater company, FireStarter Productions, will stage Tapas. Continue reading for more on each show from Circle:

ART
(March 19-April 11)

A witty, thought-provoking comedy about friendship, art and how we define ourselves, the play explores a long-term friendship. Can three friends come to terms with the purchase of an expensive piece of modern art? ART was written by Yasmina Reza and translated by Christopher Hampton. It was the winner of the 1998 Tony Award for Best Play and will be directed by Jaime Castañeda.

Tapas
(April 16-19)

Tapas is a series of dark comedies by local and national writers, including Kristoffer Diaz, Kathleen Anderson Culebro, Dan Dietz and Jaime Castañeda. Tapas will make you laugh while exploring topics such as bad dreams, the true identity of Superman, woeful love and hip hop.

Hail Mary!
(May 14-June 13)

Tom Dudzick (the “Catholic Neil Simon”) created this new comedy about a clash of wills between a young parochial school novice and her Mother Superior. The unexpected appearance of a childhood sweetheart and an eccentric priest add hilarious complications to the mix.

Incorruptible
(July 16-Aug. 15)

Written by Michael Hollinger, the play takes place in France, circa 1250 A.D. The bones of the patron saint at a local monastery haven’t worked a miracle in 13 years. The river flooded again last week, the chandler’s shop just burned to the ground, and nobody’s invented the wheelbarrow yet. All seems lost, but in this zany farce about the dark ages, anything can – and does – happen.

Picasso at the Lapin Agile
(Sept. 24-Oct. 24)

This play written by comedian/actor Steve Martin won the 1996 Outer Critics Award for Best Off-Broadway Play. Presented in association with TCU, Picasso at the Lapin Agile explores what would happen if Albert Einstein and Pablo Picasso met in a Paris café shortly before they both became world-famous. It’s a unique comedy where the ridiculous and sublime intersect. This production will include TCU student and faculty actors, as well as professional cast members.

Lone Star Christmas Carol
(Nov. 19-Dec. 19)

This is an all-new, toe-tappin’ Christmas musical, with words and music by Gary Moody and Gary Taylor. Don’t look for any figgie pudding or “Wassail, Wassail!” here. This all-American (make that all-Texan) version of the classic Christmas tale will tickle the Dickens out of you and show you what “gettin’ rich” really means.