Falcon Theater offers a mix from comedy to modern classic

It began with a list. A biiiig list.

“We started with 50 scripts or more,” says Tracy Schoster, managing director of Newport’s Falcon Theater and, equally important, head of the theater’s seven-person Play Reading Committee.

That was in September. By December, the committee had whittled that list down to 10. And now, with the assistance of artistic director Ted Weil, they have finalized a list of five productions to appear on the Falcon’s small stage next season.

The Falcon occupies that gray area between professional and community theater. Productions are populated with some of the area’s best acting and directing talent. They’re paid, but it’s not enough to quit day jobs.

The selection of plays occupies a middle ground, too. There’s comedy, mystery, a modern classic. What’s not there is a holiday show. Now that The Falcon has purchased the storefront space it rented for so long, they are doing a step-by-step rehab of the place. Taking a holiday break will give them a little more time to get things done.

Besides, according to Schoster, sometimes the holiday specials feel crammed into the schedule and aren’t afforded the amount of rehearsal and prep they deserve.

Holiday shows may return in a year or so. But for the moment, here’s the 2015-2016 season. Specific dates will be announced “soon.”

“The Mystery Plays,” by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa.

A hint of H.P. Lovecraft with a little “Twilight Zone” tossed in for good measure. Two one-act plays connected by death, mystery and some old-fashioned horror. The first – “The Filmmaker’s Mystery” – deals with moviemaker who unexpectedly steps off a train moments before it crashes and kills everyone aboard. “Ghost Children” is about a woman bent on making peace with the guy who murdered her parents and younger sister years earlier.

“Next Fall,” by Geoffrey Nauffts

Witty, clever and wonderfully probing, the 2009 play revolves around the unlikely romance of two men whose takes on religion couldn’t be more different. One is a committed Christian, the other an equally committed atheist. A 2009 off-Broadway hit that moved to Broadway the following year.

“Prelude to a Kiss,” by Craig Lucas

The plot couldn’t be more unlikely. In the receiving line after their wedding, an elderly man kisses the bride and their souls exchange bodies. Sounds like weird sci-fi. But in the end, Lucas’ play, which was considered a parable about AIDS when it debuted in 1990, is sweet, filled with grief and is a memorable paean to love.

“The Beauty Queen of Leenane,” by Martin McDonagh

Winner of many high-profile theater awards, the play is set in a grim Irish village of 100 or so people where a 40-ish woman is trapped in a destructively dysfunctional relationship with her psychologically abusive mother. McDonagh is known for his dark, dark sense of humor, so “Leenane” is not without humorous moments. But tragedy is the watchword here.

“Gutenberg! The Musical!,” by Anthony King and Scott Brown

A musical within a musical. Two minimally talented playwrights perform their musical about the inventor of the print press for a group of would-be investors. But because their research is as minimal as their talents, the show includes everything from kicklines to a dim-witted assistant named Helvetica. A witty spoof.