the week of february 23-29, 2024
kings, nerds, rock bands & time travel
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Graphic Design: Elizabeth Haley Morton | Editorial Support: Ryan Adelsheim
world premieres
Keiko Green’s Hells Canyon starts performances February 24th at Theater Mu in Minneapolis. The horror comedy set in “a cabin in the woods where five friends try to survive a mysterious force outside and unearthed betrayals inside” is directed by Katie Bradley.
Andy Boyd’s Three Scenes in the Life of a Trotskyist is now running through March 17th at the The Tank in NYC. Jake Beckhard directs the new play “about politics, literature, and the corrosive power of success in America, tracing the forty-year story of Lev Trachtenberg from idealistic youth to hard-core reactionary.”
Chris Bohjalian’s The Club starts previews February 27th at George Street Playhouse in New Brunswick, NJ. Set in 1968 New Jersey, David Saint directs the collision of three married suburban couples “seeking refuge from the rock ‘n roll turbulence outside their neighborhood—only to discover there’s no escape from the era’s cultural upheaval.”
productions
Rajiv Joseph’s King James starts performances February 22nd at Rec Room Arts in Houston. The “poignant story of friendship and the profound meanings inherent in a time-honored American pastime” is directed by Philip Kershaw.
Larry Shue’s The Nerd starts performances February 23rd at The Alley Theatre in Houston. Brandon Weinbrenner directs the 1981 odd-couple comedy.
Lauren Yee’s Cambodian Rock Band runs February 28 - March 24 at TheatreSquared in Fayetteville, AR. Nelson T. Eusebio III directs the “rock epic meets thrilling mystery as a father and daughter are forced to face the music of the past.”
Katori Hall’s The Hot Wing King starts previews February 29th at Hartford Stage. The Pulitzer-winning comedy about an extended clan’s quest to take the crown at a Memphis hot wing festival is directed by Christopher D. Betts.
Holly Bass’ The Trans-Atlantic Time Traveling Company runs February 29 - March 17 at Theater Alliance in DC. Ezinne Elele directs and Jasmin Hearn choreographs the devised work of dance theater “combines vaudeville, sampling culture and time travel to engage the audience in a conversation about what it means to be free and ways we can move towards an equitable and just society.”
Qui Nguyen’s Vietgone runs February 29 - March 9 at Oklahoma City Rep. The “part cross-country road trip, part romantic comedy, all-American love story about two very new Americans” is directed by Nikki DiLoreto.
workshops/readings
Marco Antonio Rodriguez’s Walk-In will have a reading February 23rd from The Movement Theatre Company at Playwright Horizons’ Sharp Theatre. Ryan Dobrin directs the “unhinged, irreverent, unapologetically Queer-Caribbean dramatic comedy about generational trauma, the collateral damage that arises when we run from our truth and the quest to learn from and forgive the past through the arduous yet necessary journey of self-forgiveness.” (The reading is currently at capacity.)
The Colorado New Play Summit runs February 24-25 at The Denver Center. The weekend will include staged readings of Terence Anthony’s Godspeed, Nina McConigley and Matthew Spangler’s Cowboys and East Indians, Andrew Rosendorf’s One-Shot, and Vauhini Vara’s Ghost Variations.
D.A. Mindell’s On the Evolutionary Function of Shame will have a reading on February 26th as part of Second Stage’s Next Stage Festival. Jess McLeod directs the new work following a pregnant trans man and his neonatal geneticist twin sister, exploring how “their relationships and their beliefs are thrown into turmoil after he discovers the insidious nature of her research.”
The 2023-24 Starr Reading Series continues February 27-29 at The Bushwick Starr. The next three readings are:
Deneen Reynolds-Knott’s WHILE WE’RE HERE (directed by Dina Vovsi): “an exploration of suburban paranoia, the privatization of good deeds and the uniting properties of negativity” (February 27)
Aeon Andreas’ GODSPUNK: “a maximalist, experimental, transgender, transexual, gay, gothic farce” (February 28)
Utkarsh Rajawat’s lil nagins: a photorealist rendering of the Tutor Time near Yardley, PA circa 1999: It’s best to quote the blurb in its entirety — “welcome to daycare!!! don't fckng kill anyone!!!!!”
the regional theatre game of thrones
Brandon Carter is stepping down as artistic director of the American Shakespeare Center. Carter, a resident actor at ASC since 2018, led the Staunton, VA company for four years.
2024-25 season updates
The Warehouse Theatre announced its upcoming season. The Greenville, SC company will produce Kate Hamill’s Ms. Holmes and Ms. Watson, Apt 2B (directed by Jay Briggs); William Goldman’s adaptation of Stephen King’s Misery (directed by Jess Chayes); Talene Monahon’s Jane Anger (directed by Anne Kelly Tromsness); Rajiv Joseph’s King James (directed by Ahsha Daniels); and Ibsen’s Enemy of the People (directed by Matthew Earnest).
American Players Theatre announced its upcoming summer season. The Spring Green, WI outdoor classical theater will produce Christopher Fry’s adaptation of Anouilh’s Ring Round the Moon (directed by Laura Gordon), Much Ado About Nothing (directed by Robert Ramirez), King Lear (directed by Tim Ocel), August Wilson’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (directed by Gavin Dillon Lawrence), Brian Friel’s Dancing at Lughnasa (directed by Brenda DeVita), Marisela Treviño Orta’s Wolf at the Door (directed by Melisa Pereyra), Nick Payne’s Constellations (directed by Vanessa Stalling), Nathan Alan Davis’ Nat Turner in Jerusalem (directed by Tyrone Phillips), and the world premiere of Michael Hollinger’s The Virgin Queen Entertains Her Fool (directed by Aaron Posner).
