In 2018, A.D. Players launched the Metzler New Works Festival as an initiative to discover, commission and develop new works that align with the company's mission. The festival has now produced multiple mainstage offerings for the storied Houston Theatre Company, including their latest world premiere, Apollo 8. The idea for Apollo 8 was sparked when Executive Director Jake Speck took a tour of NASA with his family not long after moving to Houston in 2017. Speck was immediately struck by the courage it took to plan and execute such an audacious mission, as well as the iconic "earthrise" photo and the famed Christmas Eve television broadcast. It was a compelling idea and space is often the subject of movies and television, but not often explored on the stage. Where better to attempt a play about space exploration than Space City? Speck and Artistic Director, Kevin Dean, reached out to friend and playwright, Jayme McGhan to tackle the monumental task of adapting the epic tale. A tale one could argue is even more epic than those of Apollo 11 or Apollo 13, but somehow not as well remembered. Three years, one in-person workshop, one virtual reading presentation and one global pandemic later, Apollo 8 is finally seeing the light of full production at The George Theater.

A 30-foot tall, curved wall inspired by the interior of the famed Saturn 5 rocket serves as the centerpiece of the scenic design. It houses entrance and exit doors as well projections to identify locations and evoke, in stunning high definition, the vastness of space. A team of nine actors play a total 38 characters, many of them recognizable historical figures. Although Apollo 8 tells the stories of the brave Americans who planned and flew the mission, it also tells the fictional stories of people moved and inspired by our first journey to the moon, all culminating in a triumphant and divine glimpse of who we are and who we were made to be.

The backdrop of Apollo 8 is of course, 1968, a tumultuous time in our history. In his program notes, playwright Jayme McGhan says, “The world was relatively peaceful when I began writing this play. Yet we find ourselves, once again, in a similar epoch in American history—a nation filled with vitriol and division, nations at war, and a world on the precipice. It seems that we desperately need another reminder of who we are and why we are here. I hope Apollo 8 can be one of those reminders.”

Apollo 8 runs Wednesdays through Sundays, May 4 through June 5 at The George Theater and is recommended for ages 12 and up. For more information about the show and other A.D. Players programming, please visit adplayers.org