the week of july 19-25, 2024
moorhens, derechos, murder throuples
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what paid subscribers got this week
I wrote a new edition of Season Planning Futures, where I analyzed themes and patterns in 2024-25 line-ups from eight large regional theatres: Actors Theatre of Louisville, Center Theatre Group, The Alliance, Seattle Repertory Theatre, Portland Center Stage, Berkeley Rep, Dallas Theater Center, and Baltimore Center Stage.
There's a wide range of budgets here — CTG's varies between $55 million and $70 million; BCS' last publicly available operating budget was $7.4 million (it’s smaller now) — but I wanted to analyze so-called "flagship" theatres to see how common post-shutdown recovery issues (layoffs, restructures, inflation, audience retention, funding shortfalls) impact season programming.
Apologies for all of the tiny typos and errors in the original version! I’m enduring triple-digit swampiness in DC and it’s scientifically proven that extreme heat makes you dumb, which also explains everything I did in my mid-20s when I lived in Houston.
As always, if you want to read these ramblings but can’t afford a paid subscription, let me know and I’ll forward it to you. (And if you recently made a Venmo/Paypal donation, email me so I can comp you one.)
world premieres
Noelle Viñas’ Derecho runs July 23 - August 18 at La Jolla Playhouse. The “propulsive, whip-smart, and engrossing drama confronting how traditional Latino values conflict with an ever-changing American definition of success” is directed by Delicia Turner Sonnenberg.
productions
Dorothy James & Andy Manjuck’s Bill’s 44th is now running through July 28th at HERE Arts Center in NYC. The wordless, comic collision of “puppetry, raucous balloons, and a cheeky piece of crudité examines the pitfalls of impatience, the wonder of loneliness, and the universal passage of time.”
Samuel D. Hunter’s A Case for the Existence of God is now running through August 25th at Steep Theatre in Chicago. Robin Witt directs the drama about “two single fathers searching for hope and human connection as they confront crises of parenting and financial insecurity.”
Faction of Fools’ production of Jen Silverman’s The Moors is now running through August 10th at DC’s Capitol Hill Arts Workshop. The “Brontë-inspired dark comedy about love, desperation, and visibility” is directed by Francesca Chilcote.
Darko Tresnjak and Oran Eldor’s Ask for the Moon starts performances July 19th at The Goodspeed’s Terris Theatre in Chester, CT. Tresnjak also directs the new musical comedy set on an “ocean liner with a scheming widow, a vengeful lawyer, and a volatile nurse."
Benjamin Benne’s In His Hands runs July 25 - August 24 at First Floor Theater in Chicago. The intimate queer relationship drama exploring faith and desire is directed by Micah Figueroa.
workshops & readings
The second week of IAMA Theatre’s Emerging Playwright Lab Reading Series runs July 19-21 in Los Angeles. The weekend’s readings are Frank Paiva’s The Bottomless Pit (directed by Hannah Wolf), Emman Sadorra’s Phoebe & Jesus 4Ever (directed by Giovanni Ortega), and Rachel Borders’ All Girls (directed by Olivia Songer). Last week’s readings, which I neglected to list because again, I am afflicted with heat-induced idiocy, were t. tara turk-haynes’ Chromatic Black Square (directed by Velani Dibba), Sarah Cho’s slanted feelings (directed by Katherine Chou), and India Kotis’ I Will Be You (directed by Reena Dutt).
summer festivals
The Logan Festival of Solo Performance is now playing through July 28th at 1st Stage in Tysons, VA. This year’s line-up includes Manuel Oliver's Guac (co-written by James Clements and directed by Michael Cotey), Brian Quijada's Fly Me to the Sun (directed by Raymond O. Caldwell), and Phoebe Potts' Too Fat for China.
abs wilson and Veronica Mansour’s Lighthouse will have readings July 20, 24 & 26 as part of the O’Neill Music Theatre Conference in Waterford, CT. Lily Kanter Riopelle directs the sweeping pop-country musical that “celebrates the idea that maybe, just maybe, every version of yourself is worth being.” (The music director is Remy Kurs and the dramaturg is Zeina Salame.)
The Cape Cod Theatre Project in Falmouth, MA runs through July 27th. This summer’s readings include Erin Breznitsky’s Satellites (directed by Adrienne Campbell-Holt), Mathilde Dratwa’s Dirty Laundry (directed by Hal Brooks), Alex Lin’s barren (directed by Iris McCloughan), and Dipika Guha’s Asilomar.
The Williamstown Theatre Festival continues through August 10th. This week’s offerings include the world premiere of David Ives’ existential noir-romance Pamela Palmer (directed by Walter Bobbie), a workshop presentation of Joel Waggoner’s Alone & Alive (directed by Brandon Ivie), a stand-up set from Alex Edelman, and a reading of Beth Hyland’s SYLVIA SYLVIA SYLVIA (directed by Caitlin Sullivan).
Drew Droege’s Messy White Gays will have a workshop presentation July 19-21 at Powerhouse Theater at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, NY. Mike Donahue directs the new play about “Brecken and Caden, who have just murdered their throuple-mate and stuffed him into a Jonathan Adler credenza. Unfortunately, they’ve invited friends over for brunch. Feel bad for them!”
New York Stage & Film’s summer season continues through August 4th. This week’s schedule includes Margaret Cho’s solo performance Mommy, A One Woman Cho (with additional material by Leah Nanako Winkler, directed by Leigh Silverman & Seonjae Kim); a musical concert of Delta Rae’s The Ninth Woman (directed by Logan Vaughn); a musical workshop of Amber Ruffin, Kevin Sciretta, and David Schmoll’s Bigfoot (directed by Ruffin); and readings of Brant Russell’s Well Well Well (directed by Jaki Bradley) and Kate Walbert’s Genius (directed by Sheryl Kaller).
the nyc theatre game of thrones
Jesse Cameron Alick, Annalisa Dias, Lanxing Fu, and Lauren Miller are the new co-directors of HERE Arts Center in NYC. The quartet will “collaboratively take on the artistic and executive leadership” of the multidisciplinary performance space. (The new shared leadership structure echoes the company’s inception: outgoing artistic director Kristin Marting founded HERE with fellow artists Tim Maner, Barbara Busackino, and Randy Rollison in 1993.)
end of an era
Cutting Ball Theater in San Francisco is closing at the end of 2024. Despite a successful emergency fundraising campaign earlier this year, the experimental theater company specifically cited dwindling foundation and government support as the reason for its demise. Curation Director Chris Steele also grimly summarized the consequences for the Bay Area arts landscape (which is applicable to every struggling regional theatre scene):
“[Cutting Ball] gave opportunity to established artists to step outside of the box and try something radical. If all of the small and midsize organizations that used to be the places where people would take risks, learn their methodologies, hone their skill sets, disappear, we have no ladder to the bigger stages anymore.”