Our 12th Season (2009-2010)
Our 12th Season
Paper Dolls, by Timothy Braatz, Directed by G.J. Clayburn - September 18-October 3, 2009
Johnny, a papier-mâché artist, lives with his girlfriend, Millie, who supports him financially but doesn't appreciate his artistic vision. Millie and two friends are arrested at a death penalty protest, sparking an argument, among these four comfortable white Americans, about racial stereotypes and the sincerity and effectiveness of liberal protest, and inspiring Johnny to begin a sculpture about John Brown, the nineteenth-century abolitionist who chose dramatic action over polite protest. When Millie insists that Johnny tear down the sculpture (which is in her living room) Johnny walks out, then returns with a better idea. To raise awareness about injustice in the judicial system, he begins building sculptures of real people unfairly sentenced, including Harlan Russell, an African American death row inmate who may be innocent. This is a play about art, race, and how far well-meaning people will or will not go to uphold their ideals and challenge injustice. - A WORLD PREMIERE!
Reefer Madness, by Kevin Murphy and Dan Studney, Directed by Phil Gonzales - October 30-November 22, 2009Reefer Madness is a social satire disguised as a morality tale disguised as a PTA meeting. Set against the backdrop of pre-WWII America, Reefer Madness tells the tale of young Jimmy Harper: an upstanding lad who is drawn into a world of dangerous gangsters, loose women, murder, cannibalism and jazz music all because of a single puff on a marijuana cigarette reefer joint. Will Jimmy choose the deadly spliff-stick over the lovely and virginal Mary Lane? Is that Jesus Christ himself pleading with Jimmy to give up the doobies? Can a gangster dance? Why are there zombies? FDR? Answers to all these questions and more await you: The Concerned American Citizen. Tell your children! Save the Country! Beat the Devil! See Reefer Madness! (Not actually recommended for children.)
Sylvia, by A.R. Gurney, Directed by Mishia Burns Edwards - December 4-20, 2009Greg and Kate have moved to Manhattan after twenty-two years of child-raising in the suburbs. Greg brings home a dog he found bearing only the name "Sylvia" on her name tag. A street-smart mixture of Lab and Poodle, Sylvia becomes a major bone of contention between husband and wife. To Kate, Sylvia becomes a rival for affection, and Sylvia thinks Kate just doesn’t understand the relationship between man and dog. The marriage is put in serious jeopardy until, after a series of hilarious and touching complications, Greg and Kate learn to compromise, and Sylvia becomes a valued part of their lives.
Eurydice, by Sarah Ruhl, Directed by Barbe Marshall - January 22-February 7, 2010On her wedding day, Eurydice is seduced down the rabbit hole into a quirky underworld. There she meets a man who claims to be her father, and encounters three very naughty children along with a string of nutty characters. Meanwhile, her new husband Orpheus journeys to the underworld, determined to bring her back. But he must not look back or she will be trapped in the underworld forever. Eurydice is left with a choice: Will she choose her husband or her father?
The Underpants, by Steve Martin, Directed by Franklin Blomgren - February 26-March 14, 2010Join us for Steve Martin's hilarious comedy, The Underpants! Louise, wife to ruthless pragmatic government clerk Theo, accidentally managed to drop her drawers at the Kaiser’s parade, thus becoming the talk of a thrillingly scandalized town. It seems that every man in Germany, except Theo, now wants to bunk up with her.
Suburb, by David Javerbaum and Robert Cohen, Directed by Garrick Dietze - April 9-May 2, 2010For all the books, movies and sitcoms that have either eulogized or vilified them, the suburbs have been largely ignored by musical theater — until now. Suburb is a musical that takes an insightful, witty, and nuanced view of the world of the lawnmower, the barbecue, and the mall, exploring Suburb's rites and rituals with a story about choosing that path "more" traveled.