CURTAIN TIME

What may make a standout of the new theater season -- which officially opened Aug. 30 with Good Medicine's current production of "The Compleat Works of Willm Shkspr (abridged)" -- is the surprising balance between the traditional and the avant-garde; or if not the avant-garde, at least the rarely-seen-in-Vegas. The upcoming calendar is, as expected, brimming with old-fashioned big-style musicals and fluffy comedies. But intense-drama lovers will, for a change, find plenty titles of interest.

For example, one of our newest groups, the Insurgo Theater Movement, will be offering in November Stanislaw Ignacy Witkiewicz's "The Water Hen." The playwright practically is unknown among the general public, yet, among theater nerds, he's a giant. He was a painter who tried to break down the predictability of domestic drama with the same freedom he felt was allowed the palette. There are those who would have sworn they would grow old and die without ever having seen Witkiewicz in Vegas, but here we are. (Of course, unfortunately, we won't be physically seeing him. He committed suicide in 1939.)

Seldom performed but highly respected works abound this season. The College of Southern Nevada will offer, among other things, Eugene O'Neill's "The Hairy Ape," about a misfit's attempts to find someone to understand him; August Strindberg's "Miss Julie," which tackles a forbidden love between a rich girl and her father's chauffeur; and Karen Hartman's "Gum," about a woman in an unnamed Arab country who dares to break the social rules.

The Nevada Conservatory Theatre, the performing arm of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, in addition to its scattering of original one-act and full-length plays, will be hitting the boards with the likes of Peter Shaffer's "Amadeus"; William Inge's "Come Back Little Sheba"; Aristophanes' "Lysistrata"; John Patrick Shanley's "Doubt"; Jay Presson Allen's adaptation of the Muriel Spark's novel "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie"; and "The Heiress," an adaptation of the Henry James novel "Washington Square."

Las Vegas Little Theatre is filling its main stage with major titles, among them, Lanford Wilson's "The Hot L Baltimore"; David Lindsay-Abaire's Pulitzer Prize-winning drama about child loss, "Rabbit Hole"; Tennessee Williams' controversial drama "Orpheus Descending"; and Richard Greenberg's "Three Days of Rain" (perhaps better known as "The Julia Roberts Show"). LVLT's Fischer Black Box has a lineup of small, curious works: James McLure's "Laundry & Bourbon," which creates a character study out of small-town nasty gossip; McLure's "Lone Star," about a man trying to get his life back together after a stint in Vietnam; and Bert V. Royal's "Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead," which feels like a very adult "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown."

The big question this season seems to be, will the Onyx Theatre become a major local player? The attractive, 96-seat structure, located inside a fetish shop, opened last year with a smattering of productions, most of which were the result of four-wall rentals. They soon will be going almost nonstop. The Insurgo Movement is performing a slew of plays there, mostly experimental works, and the Onyx has formed its own company -- the Off-Strip Theatre -- which will be specializing in scripts with gay themes. The planned activity there will make it one of the busiest and most adventurous community playhouses in town. But will all that activity make it one of the town's best?

If traditional musicals are your passion, rest assured that all this "avant-garde" stuff won't squeeze out what has been for decades the backbone of local entertainment. Signature Productions will be doing the Jule Styne version of "Peter Pan," along with the Rodgers and Hammerstein revue "It's a Grand Night For Singing," and Elton John's "Aida." Stage Door Entertainment will go on hiatus after their Spring Mountain Ranch production this month of "Johnny Guitar" (a musical spoof of the enjoyably awful Joan Crawford movie), but will be back next summer with "1776." Sullivan, Freyd, Sperling Entertainment will be mounting "Gypsy" at the Starbright Theatre. Nevada Conservatory and the Utah Shakespearean Festival each will be offering a version of "Fiddler on the Roof." And the Las Vegas Academy of International Studies, Performing and Visual Arts will unveil the school editions of "Cats" and "Sweeney Todd."

The UNLV Performing Arts Center's New York Stage & Beyond series will give us evenings with Anthony Rapp, Brian Stokes Mitchell and Christine Ebersole, names which are revered on the streets of the Great White Way.

Rainbow Company is keeping things light with a season of monster stories -- from "The Wizard of Oz" to "The Ghost of River House" to Brian Kral's original "My Neighbor, the Monster."

In addition, we still have on the Strip productions of "Phantom -- The Vegas Spectacular," "The Producers," "Mamma Mia!," "Spamalot," "Tony 'n' Tina's Wedding," "Menopause," with "Jersey Boys" on the way -- all of which, of course, have their roots on the legitimate stage.

There is some bad news. A few local troupes have either stopped producing or have cut back so drastically they seem to barely exist (The Asylum, Jade Productions, Notice Me! Productions, Stage Door Entertainment, Theatre in the Valley). Theatre in the Valley had planned a full season but lost its playing space at the Laura J. Peterson Recreation Center in Henderson and are trying to find another. Stay tuned.

Of course, some of these absent groups will be back, and others are being replaced by new ones. But it's a tough road. Few new groups ever make it to a second season.

What follows is a tentative schedule of upcoming productions. Dates and titles have a habit of changing. And a good helping of local playhouses have yet to announce a season. (They do a play when the spirit moves them.) So look for a few major surprises. You never know when quality might be just around the corner.

SEPTEMBER

Now-Saturday -- Jess Borgeson, Adam Long and Daniel Singer's "The Compleat Works of Willm Shkspr (abridged)," which features all of the Bard's plays, sort of, in one short evening; Good Medicine Theatre Company, at Winchester Theatre, 3130 S. McLeod Drive.

Today-16 -- Jayme McGhan's original dark comedy "The Methuselah Tree," about a metaphysical scientist obsessed with spiritual death; Cockroach Theatre, at the Threshold Dance Theatre, 4780 W. Harmon Ave., Suite 10.

Saturday -- "24 Hour Theatre," described as "10 actors, five writers, two musicians locked in a theater for 24 hours to put together an original work based on audience suggestions"; Insurgo Theater, at the Onyx, 953 E. Sahara Ave.

Sept. 13-22 -- Joel Higgins and Martin Silvestri's "Johnny Guitar," a musical spoof of the infamous Joan Crawford Western; Super Summer Theatre/Stage Door Entertainment, at the Spring Mountain Ranch.

Sept. 14 -- Broadway musical star Brian Stokes Mitchell in concert; University of Nevada, Las Vegas' New York Stage & Beyond series, at UNLV's Artemus Ham Hall, 4505 S. Maryland Parkway.

Sept. 14-30 -- Lanford Wilson's "The Hot L Baltimore," about the goings on in the lobby of a seedy hotel; Las Vegas Little Theatre, on the main stage at 3920 Schiff Drive.

Sept. 16 -- "Let's Dance: A Romantic Musical Comedy," about a dancin' man from the streets of New York who discovers the girl of his dreams; City of Las Vegas Department of Leisure Services, at Charleston Heights Arts Center, 800 S. Brush St.

Sept. 21-30 -- August Strindberg's "Miss Julie," about a love affair doomed by social status; College of Southern Nevada, at BackStage Theatre, 3200 E. Cheyenne Ave.

Sept. 21-27 -- Utah Shakespearean Festival presents, in repertory, Shakespeare's "The Tempest," about shipwrecked characters and magical creatures on an isolated island; Agatha Christie's who-dun-it "The Mousetrap"; and Yasmina Reza's "Art," about the repercussions of a man buying an expensive painting, at the Southern Utah University Campus in Cedar City.

Sept. 21-30 -- Peter Shaffer's revised version of "Amadeus," about a man's jealousy toward Mozart; Nevada Conservatory Theatre, at Judy Bayley Theatre on the UNLV campus, 4505 S. Maryland Parkway.

Sept. 30 -- Barbara C. Willingham's "The Songs of Broadway Company," featuring six performers celebrating show tunes; Leisure Services, at Charleston Heights Arts Center.

OCTOBER

Oct. 5-14 -- James McLure's "Laundry and Bourbon," about gossip on a hot summer afternoon porch, and McLure's "Lone Star," about a Vietnam vet who's just returned home; Las Vegas Little Theatre, at the Fischer Black Box.

Oct. 5-Nov. 3 -- John Beane's original "The Guignol Brothers: Theater of the Damned," about medical experiments gone wrong; Insurgo Theater, at the Onyx.

Oct. 5-14 -- Brian Kral's original "My Neighbor, the Monster," about a strange man who lives in a scary old house; Rainbow Company, at the Reed Whipple, 821 Las Vegas Blvd. North.

Oct. 5-14 -- Jay Presson Allen's "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie," about an outspoken teacher brought down by one of her students; Nevada Conservatory Theatre, at UNLV's Black Box Theatre.

Oct. 5-7 -- William Shakespeare's "As You Like It," about, what else?, mistaken identities; Henderson Arts Council's Shakespeare in the Park, at Lake Las Vegas Oct. 5 and Sonata Park (1550 Seven Hills Drive) on Oct. 6 and 7.

Oct. 11-20 -- David Bottrell's and Jessie Jones' "Dearly Departed," about familial shenanigans in the Baptist backwoods of the Bible Belt; Las Vegas Academy of International Studies, Performing and Visual Arts, at the LVA Black Box, 10th Street and Lewis Avenue.

Oct. 13-Nov. 10 -- The Jule Styne/Comden&Green musical "Peter Pan," about a boy who refuses to grow up; Signature Productions, at the Summerlin Performing Arts Center, 1771 Inner Circle Drive.

Oct. 13 -- The Paul Taylor Dance Company in concert; UNLV's New York Stage & Beyond, at UNLV's Artemus Ham Hall.

Oct. 20 -- Three as yet unnamed Broadway performers sing new arrangements of show tunes by Jason Robert Brown ("Parade") and Andrew Lippa ("The Wild Party"); UNLV New York Stage & Beyond, at UNLV's Artemus Ham Hall.

Oct. 20-Nov. 7 -- The Laurents/Sondheim/Styne musical "Gypsy," about a mama who wants her daughter to be on the stage; Sullivan, Freyd, Sperling Entertainment, at the Starbright Theatre, 2215 Thomas Ryan Blvd.

NOVEMBER

Nov. 1-10 -- Stephen Sondheim's "Sweeney Todd," about a murderous barber; Las Vegas Academy, at the Lowden Theater, Ninth Street and Clark Avenue.

Nov. 2-18 -- David Lindsay-Abaire's "Rabbit Hole," about a couple dealing with the loss of a child; Las Vegas Little Theatre, on the main stage.

Nov. 8 -- The Tango Buenos Aires dance troupe in concert; UNLV's New York Stage & Beyond, at UNLV's Artemus Ham Hall.

Nov. 9-18 -- Karen Hartman's "Gum," and "The Mother of Modern Invention," about the price a woman pays for being out of step with society; CSN, at the BackStage Theatre.

Nov. 9-18 -- Ruth and Augustus Goetz's adaptation of "The Heiress," based on Henry James' novel "Washington Square," about a controlling father and a man who may be after his daughter's fortune; Nevada Conservatory Theatre, at UNLV's Black Box Theatre.

Nov. 17 -- "24 Hour Theater II: Battle Royale," involving members from four local theater companies trying to put together an original work in one day; Insurgo Theatre, at the Onyx.

Nov. 21-Dec. 15 -- Samuel Beckett Festival, several plays done by several theater troupes in repertory: Beckett's "Act Without Words (I & II)," about people fighting unseen forces; Lion Heart Theatrics. Neil LaBute's "Autobahn," a series of one-acts set around lessons of the steering wheel; Las Vegas Little Theatre. Roland Schimmelpfenning's "Start Up," about a culture clash in a small town; The Asylum. John Patrick Shanley's "The Dreamer Examines His Pillow," about three love relationships; Found Door. Beckett's "Happy Days," about a woman who lives in the sand; Test Market. Jayme McGhan's "The Methuselah Tree," about a metaphysical scientist who murders his family; Cockroach Theatre. Ernest Hemmings' original "Sum," about a child convinced he can raise himself better than his father; Test Market. Rick Mitchell's "Ventriloquist Sex," about a Bible revival that may be run by a puppet; Test Market. Stanislaw Ignacy Witkiewicz's "The Water Hen," about generations facing emotional bankruptcy; Insurgo Theater. Call 736-4313 for exact dates of specific shows, all to be performed at the Arts Factory, 103 E. Charleston Blvd.

Nov. 23-Dec. 9 -- The Stein/Harnick/Bock musical "Fiddler on the Roof," about a Jewish milkman whose daughter has the chutzpah to marry a gentile; Nevada Conservatory Theatre, at UNLV's Judy Bayley Theatre.

DECEMBER

Dec. 7-16 -- Brian Clark's "Purple Hearts," about three men trapped in a Pearl Harbor battleship; Las Vegas Little Theatre, at the Fischer Black Box.

Dec. 7-16 -- The St. Louis MUNY version of "The Wizard of Oz," which takes some drastic turns from the film version; Rainbow Company, at the Charleston Heights Arts Center.

Dec. 13-22 -- An annual Dance Drama, combining dance forms with the spoken word and different types of media; Las Vegas Academy, at the Lowden Theatre.

December (exact dates unknown) -- Jeff Dobbins and Alfredo Alvarez's "Bed, Boys and Beyond," a musical celebrating all things gay. Off-Strip Theater, at the Onyx.

JANUARY

Jan. 11-27 -- Tennessee Williams' "Orpheus Descending," about an illicit relationship in a hot-tempered town; Las Vegas Little Theatre, on the main stage.

Jan. 11-Feb. 2 -- An original drama by the playwright known as Rickshaw called "I am Butterfly," about East-Indian race issues; Off-Strip Theater, at the Onyx.

Jan. 20 -- The Monterey Jazz Festival in concert; UNLV New York Stage & Beyond, at UNLV's Artemus Ham Hall.

FEBRUARY

Feb. 2 -- Tony-winning actress Christine Ebersole ("Grey Gardens") in concert; UNLV New York Stage & Beyond, at UNLV's Artemus Ham Hall.

Feb. 2-28 -- Heather Chamberlain's original take on "The True Story of Snow White," an adult exploration of magic, innocence, sex and loss; Insurgo Theater, at the Onyx.

Feb. 8-17 -- William Inge's 1950 drama "Come Back, Little Sheba," about loss, alcoholism and a mean college student; Nevada Conservatory Theatre, at UNLV's Judy Bayley Theatre.

Feb. 8-17 -- Karen McKenney's original sketch "Kit Carson's Frontier Adventure," exploring the early days of the Silver State; Rainbow Company, at the Reed Whipple Cultural Center.

Feb. 14-March 1 -- Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Cats," about a bunch of felines who have a nasty habit of singing all night; Las Vegas Academy, at the LVA Performing Arts Center.

Feb. 15-March 2 -- Joe Mantegna's "Bleacher Bums," about the hapless lives of a group of Cubs fans; at Las Vegas Little Theatre, on the main stage.

Feb. 21-24 -- An evening of dramatic and dance skits called "The Australia Project," written and performed by UNLV's dance and theater departments, at UNLV's Black Box Theatre.

Feb. 23 -- "An Evening of Words and Music" featuring "Rent" star Anthony Rapp in concert; UNLV's New York Stage & Beyond, at UNLV's Artemus Ham Hall.

Feb. 28-March 2 -- Oscar F. Limon's Master of Fine Arts candidate comedy "The Ghost of You and I," about two gay ex-lovers whose straight siblings become romantically involved; Nevada Conservatory Theatre, at UNLV's Black Box Theatre.

Feb. 29-March 9 -- Eugene O'Neill's "The Hairy Ape," about a man who tries to make friends in the most unusual of places; CSN, at the BackStage.

MARCH

March 3-30 -- Robert Harling's "Steel Magnolias," about life in and around a beauty parlor; Sullivan, Freyd, Sperling Entertainment, at the Starbright Theatre.

March 6-9 -- Laura V. Turner's Master of Fine Arts candidate comedy "Take Me to Monaco," about a woman who sabotages her daughter's wedding by taking hostages and demanding a trip to the city of her dreams; Nevada Conservatory Theatre, at UNLV's Black Box.

March 14-April 12 -- Trey Parker's "Cannibal: The Musical," a comedic look at the only person ever convicted of cannibalism in America; Insurgo Theater, at the Onyx.

March 21-30 -- Jeff Goode's "Poona the (Expletive)dog," about a canine on an unusual quest for purpose; Las Vegas Little Theatre, at the Fischer Black Box.

March 27-April 5 -- Shirley Lauro's "A Piece of My Heart," about six women in Vietnam; Las Vegas Academy, at LVA Black Box.

March 28-April 13 -- Richard Greenberg's "Three Days of Rain," about a man trying to get to know his deceased father; Las Vegas Little Theatre, on the main stage.

March 29-April 26 -- The musical revue "It's a Grand Night for Singing," which celebrates the songs of Rodgers and Hammerstein; Signature Productions, at Summerlin Performing Arts Center.

APRIL

April 4-20 -- Aristophanes' "Lysistrata," about a group of women who refuse to have sex until their warrior husbands put down their arms; Nevada Conservatory Theatre, at UNLV's Judy Bayley Theatre.

April 4-13 -- Max Bush's "The Ghost of River House," about a young girl in search of the lost family fortune; Rainbow Company, at the Reed Whipple Cultural Center.

April 11-May 3 -- Doric Wilson's "Street Theater," about dealing with the Stonewall riots; Off-Strip Theatre, at the Onyx.

April 17-26 -- Emily Mann's "Execution of Justice," about the killing of San Francisco Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk; Las Vegas Academy, at the Lowden Theatre.

April 18-27 -- Lee Blessing's "A Body of Water," about a married couple who suddenly don't know each other; CSN, at the BackStage Theatre.

MAY

May 2-18 -- Wendy Wasserstein's "The Heidi Chronicles," about a young woman trying to find her place in a rapidly changing world; Las Vegas Little Theatre, on the main stage.

May 2-11 -- John Patrick Shanley's "Doubt," about a nun who has suspicions that a priest may be a child molester; Nevada Conservatory Theatre, at UNLV's Judy Bayley Theatre.

May 3 -- Hal Holbrook in "Mark Twain Tonight!", a one-man show about Samuel Clemens; UNLV Performing Arts Center, at UNLV's Artemus Ham Hall.

May 9-18 -- Bert V. Royal's "Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead," about Charlie Brown-like characters dealing with suicide and drugs and the meaning of it all; Las Vegas Little Theatre, at the Fischer Black Box.

May 16-June 14 -- Howard Crabtree's "When Pigs Fly," a "militantly gay" musical revue; Off-Strip Theater, at the Onyx.

JUNE

June 6-15 -- Alan Broadhurst's "The Great Cross-Country Race," about the wise, slow-moving tortoise and his foolish, fleet-footed competitor; Rainbow Company, at the Charleston Heights Arts Center.

June 11-28 -- Alan Menken/Howard Ashman/Tim Rice's "Beauty and the Beast," about why ugly men still maintain hope; Super Summer Theatre/ P.S. Productions, at Spring Mountain Ranch.

June 23-Aug. 30 -- Utah Shakespearean Festival: Shakespeare's "Two Gentlemen of Verona," about confused men and disguised maidens; Shakespeare's "Othello," about a great warrior consumed by jealousy; Shakespeare's "The Taming of the Shrew," about a woman who won't listen to her husband the way men think women should; Edmond Rostund's "Cyrano de Bergerac," about a man who woos a woman for his friend with letters; the Stein/Sheldon/Bock musical "Fiddler on the Roof," about singing and dancing in Czarist Russia; and Moliere's "School for Wives," a farce about, what else, love and marriage. In repertory on the Southern Utah University campus in Cedar City.

June 29-July 29 -- Stephen Jeffrey's "The Libertine," about the rise and fall of the decadent second Earl of Rochester; Insurgo Theater, at the Onyx.

JULY

July 9-26 -- Elton John and Tim Rice's "Aida," about Egyptian statues, ancient magic and rock 'n' roll; Super Summer Theatre/Signature Productions, at Spring Mountain Ranch.

AUGUST

Aug. 6-23 -- Sherman Edwards' "1776," a musical about the folksy rascals who founded our country; Super Summer Theatre/Stage Door Entertainment, at Spring Mountain Ranch.