Today (March 3), the Arkansas Repertory Theatre announced its strong 2014-2015 season with several award-winning productions in the lineup.

The public can look forward to "Memphis," "Wait Until Dark" and the family holiday production "Elf," along with "The Whipping Man," long-running musical "Mary Poppins" and the dark comedy "August: Osage County."

Kicking off the season is "Memphis," a new musical with music and lyrics by David Bryan and lyrics and book by Joe DiPietro loosely based on Memphis disc jockey Dewey Phillips, one of the first white DJs to play black music in the 1950s. Appearing on Broadway from October 19, 2009 to August 5, 2012, "Memphis" garnered eight 2010 Tony Award nominations, and won four 2010 Tony Awards, including Best Book of a Musical, Best Original Score, Best Orchestrations and Best Musical. Set in the 1950s in the musically-rich Tennessee city, "Memphis"-- on stage from Sept. 5-28-- tells the story of a local DJ with a passion for R&B music and an up-and-coming singer that he meets one fateful night on Beale Street. As their careers rise, their relationship is challenged by personal ambition and the pressures and prejudice of the outside world.

Just in time for Halloween, a masterfully constructed thriller will take Rep audiences from one moment of suspense to another toward an electrifying, breath-stopping finale in the Broadway hit, "Wait Until Dark" by Frederick Knott. Knott’s play inspired the 1967 Hollywood film of the same name, with both the play and film garnering multiple Tony, Golden Globe and Academy Award nominations for many of the actors involved – including the film’s star, Audrey Hepburn. A sinister con man and two ex-convicts are about to meet their match. They have traced the location of a mysterious doll to the Greenwich Village apartment of Sam Hendrix and his wife, Susy. With murder afoot, a deadly game of cat and mouse ensues, as Susy discovers the only way to play fair is to play by her rules.

The holiday season will bring "Elf," a play adapted by Thomas Meehan ("The Producers") and Bob Martin ("The Drowsy Chaperone") from the popular 2003 film starring Will Ferrell, with a score by Tony-nominated songwriting team of Matthew Sklar and Chad Beguelin ("The Wedding Singer"). The play, on stage from Dec.5-28, tells the story of a young orphan who mistakenly crawls into Santa’s bag of gifts and is raised in the North Pole, unaware that he is actually a human. As he embarks on a journey to New York City to find his birth father and discover his true identity, Buddy strives to win over his new family and help New York remember the true meaning of Christmas.

At the start of the year, "The Whipping Man" by Matthew Lopez will take the stage from Jan. 23-Feb. 8. The play, which opened off-Broadway in 2011 to critical acclaim, has won the 2011 John Gassner New Play Award from the NY Outer Critics Circle and became one of the most produced plays in the country. On Passover, 1865, the Civil War has just ended and the annual celebration of freedom from bondage is being observed in Jewish homes across the country. One of these homes sits in ruins. As Jewish confederate officer Caleb DeLeon returns from the war, badly wounded, to find his family missing and only two former slaves remaining, Simon and John, the two men are forced to care for him. As Caleb, Simon and John wait for the family's return, they wrestle with their shared past as master and slave, digging up long-buried family secrets as well as new ones. 

Next up is the beloved classic "Mary Poppins," based on the similarly titled series of children's books by P. L. Travers and the 1964 Disney film. Including a score filled with timeless classics such as “Feed the Birds,” “Jolly Holiday,” “Step in Time,” “A Spoonful of Sugar,” “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” and the Academy Award-winning “Chim-Chim Cher-ee,” the Broadway production opened in November 2006 and received nominations for seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical, six Drama Desk Awards, including Outstanding Musical and nine Olivier Award nominations. The show will take the stage March 6-April 5.

The dark comedy "August: Osage County" will close out the season from June 5-21. Written by Tracy Letts, "August: Osage County" was the recipient of the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, in addition to winning five 2008 Tony Awards. When the patriarch of the Weston clan disappears one hot summer night, the family reunites at the Oklahoma homestead, where long-held secrets are unflinchingly and uproariously revealed, dramatizing three generations of unfulfilled dreams and leaving each family member changed forever. 

Get more information about the upcoming season on its Facebook page.

Season Subscriptions are on sale now and will range from $198 - $276, making subscribing to The Rep the best way to get the best seats at the best price. Early Bird Discounts will be available through May 31. Single ticket sales open to the public in August 2015.

Call The Rep’s Box Office at (501) 378-0405 for more information on season subscriptions or click here. 

Get a look at the new season lineup straight from The Rep artistic director Bob Hupp below!