the week of march 8-14, 2024
queens of ithaca and kings of cleveland
You’re reading Nothing for the Group, a newsletter where one dramaturg rounds up one week in theatre news, reviews, and takes. If you like this sort of thing:
The Friday weekly round-up is always free, but if you’d like to sustain this project (and get access to occasional bonus content), you can upgrade to a paid tier.
If you want to say hi (or send me a press release), you can email me or follow Nothing for the Group on Instagram.
Graphic Design: Elizabeth Haley Morton | Editorial Support: Ryan Adelsheim
We’re starting this week with a very important digital listing: Kimberly Belflower’s John Proctor is the Villain is now available to stream on demand from The Huntington through March 24th. (Pro-tip for that link if you’re on your phone: the ticket prices are in descending order, so scroll down.)
John Proctor closes this weekend in Boston. I wrote more about my experience working on it here and I can’t say anything else because I saw Rachel Bonds’ Jonah at Roundabout last Saturday so I’ve reached my crying threshold for the week. The now award-winning (!) Jonah also closes this Sunday and I can’t recommend it highly enough; that production is going to linger in my bones for years.
icymi: bills, bills, bills
This month’s anonymous money diary is from a young freelance director in NYC with an inheritance:
I’ve mentioned this before, but we’ve received criticism in the past that Bills, Bills, Bills highlights too many theatre workers with family money. We prioritize geographic diversity and theatrical disciplines in the selection process — but it's been telling how many columnists end up revealing some form of financial privilege. Jenna and I anonymize these diaries because there is rampant inequity in the theatre industry and so many people are unwilling to talk openly about the constellation of advantages underwriting their careers.
Privilege exists on a spectrum — there's trust fund beneficiaries, sure, but there's also middle to upper-middle-class theatre workers who may not consider themselves wealthy, but do have various safety nets, ranging from student loan assistance to parents subsidizing phone plans. More than once during the editorial process, Jenna has sought clarification on a diarist’s math, only to discover a previously undisclosed financial benefit.
Being a theatre worker with external support is not a character flaw. The real issue is how these hidden advantages can be exploited by employers. If a privileged theatre worker creates the false impression that they are subsisting on their income alone, employers can (and do!) claim ignorance when they pay sub-living wages. ("A previous hire made a $43,000 salary work, why can't you?") Obscuring wealth can have long-term deleterious effects for your peers and the next generation. I’m thankful for every Bills, Bills, Bills contributor’s transparency.
world premieres
Jonathan Norton’s I Am Delivered’t runs March 13-24 at Actors Theatre of Louisville in association with Dallas Theater Center. The comedy about “the world of Church Usher Board culture and celebrating same-gender-loving church folks” is directed by Robert Barry Fleming.
Brian Quijada and Nygel D. Robinson’s Mexodus starts previews March 14th at Baltimore Center Stage in a co-production with DC’s Mosaic Theatre. David Mendizábal directs the “live-looped musical, composed in real time, exploring the often-untold stories of enslaved people in the United States who sought freedom in Mexico.”
Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ Purpose runs March 14 - April 21 at Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago. The epic drama about “a politically influential Black American family forced into a reckoning with itself, its faith and the legacies of Black radicalism” is directed by Phylicia Rashad.
Gloria Calderón Kellett’s One of the Good Ones starts performances March 13th at Pasadena Playhouse. Kimberly Senior directs the comic family showdown about “the ‘perfect’ Latina daughter bringing her boyfriend home to meet the parents, as they all navigate the ins and outs of family dynamics and the boundaries of acceptance while tackling the age-old question: what does it truly mean to be an American?”
Laurence Fishburne’s Like They Do In The Movies runs March 10-31 at The Pearlman Performing Arts Center in NYC. Leonard Foglia directs the one-man tour de force described by Fishburne as “the stories and lies people have told me. And that I have told myself.”
Nandita Shenoy’s Esspy is now playing through March 17th at New Jersey Repertory Theatre in Long Branch, NJ. Peter J. Kuo directs “the comic-drama about a young medical student embarking on an unexpected journey.”
Michel Hausmann’s The Museum Plays is now playing through March 17th at the Rubell Museum from Miami New Drama. The program of six 10-minute plays inspired by visual art works includes Rogelio Martinez’s Bedfellows, inspired by Kaari Upson’s “Rubells;" Aurin Squire’s Maybe It’s About Love, inspired by Kehinde Whiley's "The Portrait of Charles I;" Carmen Pelaez’s America, inspired by Glenn Ligon’s “America;” Hannah Benitez’s Muse, inspired by Jenna Gribbon’s “Scenicscape;” Harley Elias’s Not a Scam, inspired by Alfonso Gonzalez Jr.’s “Your Ad Here;” and Marco Ramirez’s Body of Work.
productions
Margaret Atwood’s The Penelopiad is now playing at The Goodman in Chicago. Susan V. Booth directs the unexpected remix of Homer’s The Odyssey that shifts “authorial control to Penelope, Odysseus’ long-suffering wife—and the 12 faithful maids who have long tended to her—revealing a new perspective on her two-decades-long domestic vigil.”
Lloyd Suh’s The Far Country starts previews March 8th at Berkeley Rep. The “breathtaking account of immigration, identity, and memory spanning two countries and three generations” is directed by Jennifer Chang.
Selina Fillinger’s Something Clean runs March 8-30 at Dobama Theatre in Cleveland. Shannon Sindelar directs the “gripping drama following one woman's struggle to make sense of her own grief, love, and culpability.”
Martyna Majok’s Cost of Living starts previews March 8th at Speakeasy Stage in Boston. The Pulitzer-winning drama “weaving the stories of four lonely souls to comment on the complexity of caring and being cared for, the realities of navigating the world for people with and without disabilities” is directed by Alex Lonati.
Caryl Churchill’s Escaped Alone runs March 8-30 at Yale Repertory Theatre in New Haven. Liz Diamond directs the “convention-defying work that sets in comic and devastating counterpoint the consolations of a good chat and the looming weight of disasters both intimate and global.”
Rajiv Joseph’s King James starts performances March 9th at The Old Globe in San Diego. The comic two-hander “diving into the heart of basketball fandom and highlighting the profound connections that sports can cultivate” is directed by Justin Emeka.
Vanessa Severo’s Frida...A Self Portrait runs March 12 - April 7 at Indiana Rep in Indianapolis. Joanie Schultz directs the solo performance “unearthing powerful common ground between [Severo] and Frida, inviting us to experience the artist’s vibrant, tumultuous life and rare genius.”
Bryna Turner’s At the Wedding starts performances March 13th at DC’s Studio Theatre. The “very, very funny play about loneliness, estrangement, and a slow-burn romance with being alive” is directed by Tom Story.
Lynn Nottage’s Clyde's runs March 13 - April 7 at Theatrical Outfit in Atlanta. January LaVoy directs the “deeply-felt drama and side-splitting comedy about a group of formerly incarcerated cooks at a truck stop diner working together to get their shot at redemption.”
Leah Nanako Winkler’s The Brightest Thing in the World starts performances March 14th at About Face Theatre in Chicago. The queer rom-com about “what happens when giddy romance wears off and the work of building a lasting relationship out of honesty, compassion, and courage starts” is directed by Keira Fromm.
workshops & readings
Aurora Real De Asua’s Wipeout will have a reading March 11th as part of Manhattan Theatre Club’s Ted Snowdon Reading Series. Morgan Green directs the “poignant comedy, set on surfboards, about friendship, grief, and the unpredictable tides of life.”
Kaela Mei-Shing Garvin’s Tiger Beat will have a reading on March 11th as part of Second Stage’s Next Stage Festival. Annie Tippe directs the play following the 2003 rise of pop group Girls Next Door, as the band “juggles choreography, awards shows, and crushes on teen heartthrobs, while singer/songwriter Tess navigates her Asian American identity within the framework of the entertainment industry.”
2024-25 season updates
The Alley Theatre in Houston announced its upcoming season. The 11-play line-up includes Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None (directed by Elizabeth Williamson), Ken Ludwig's Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery (directed by Eleanor Holdridge), Michael Frayn’s Noises Off (directed by Brandon Weinbrenner), Eboni Booth's Primary Trust (directed by Niegel Smith), Theresa Rebeck's Seared (directed by Weinbrenner), Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie (directed by Rob Melrose), Noël Coward's Private Lives (directed by KJ Sanchez), and three world premieres: Isaac Gómez's The Night Shift Before Christmas (directed by Sanchez), Anna Ziegler's The Janeiad (directed by Melrose), and Marisela Treviño Orta's December: a love years in the making (directed by Marcela Lorca).
The Guthrie Theater announced its 2024-25 season. The Minneapolis company will produce Ben Power’s adaptation of The Lehman Trilogy (directed by Arin Arbus), Patrick Page’s All the Devils Are Here (directed by Simon Godwin), Lavina Jadhwani’s adaptation of A Christmas Carol (directed by Addie Gorlin-Han), Lloyd Suh’s The Heart Sellers (directed by May Adrales), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (directed by Joseph Haj), Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap (directed by Tracy Brigden), Peal Cleage’s The Nacirema Society (directed by Valerie Curtis-Newton), and Kander and Ebb’s Cabaret (directed by Joseph Haj).
Williamstown Theatre Festival announced its upcoming summer season. The line-up includes Sara Porkalob's Dragon Mama, Part II of The Dragon Cycle (directed by Andrew Russell); Rachel Bloom’s Death, Let Me Do My Show (directed by Seth Barrish); the world premiere of David Ives’ Pamela Palmer (directed by Walter Bobbie), Robin Frohardt’s The Plastic Bag Store (a collaboration with Mass MoCA), and a cabaret series curated by Asmeret Ghebremichael.
City Theatre Company announced its 2024-25 season. The Pittsburgh theatre will produce Selina Fillinger’s POTUS, Lauren Gunderson and Margot Melcon’s The Wickhams: Christmas at Pemberley (directed by Kyle Haden), Noah Haidle’s Birthday Candles (directed by Marc Masterson), Rajiv Joseph’s King James (directed by Monteze Freeland), and one show TBA.
Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park announced its 2024-25 season. The company will produce Jeffrey Hatcher’s adaptation of Dial M for Murder (directed by Tatiana Pandiani), Eboni Booth’s Primary Trust (directed by Timothy Douglas), Karen Zacarías’ The Book Club Play (directed by Blake Robison), Sanaz Toossi’s English (directed by Kimberly Senior), Melinda Lopez and Maurice Emmanuel Parent’s Mr. Parent (conceived with and directed by Megan Sandberg-Zakian), Noah Haidle’s Birthday Candles (directed by Joanie Schultz), and the world premiere of Jocelyn MacKenzie, Jeremy Llloyd-Styles, and Neena Beber’s Rutka: A New Musical (directed by Wendy C. Goldberg)
The Royal Court in London announced its 2024 season. The line-up includes Margaret Perry’s adaptation of Maggie Nelson’s Bluets (directed by Katie Mitchell), Mark Rosenblatt’s Giant (directed by Nicholas Hytner), Ciara Elizabeth Smyth’s Lie Low (directed by Oisín Kearney), Nassim Soleimanpour’s Echo (Every Cold-Hearted Oxygen) (directed by Omar Elerian), Sabrina Ali’s Dugsi Dayz (directed by Poppy Clifford), Stewart Pringle’s The Bounds (directed by Jack McNamara), Oli Forsyth’s Brace Brace (directed by Daniel Raggett), Tife Kusoro’s G, and Emteaz Hussain’s Expendable (directed by Esther Richardson and dramaturged by Nazli Tabatabai-Khatambakhsh).
I don’t normally cover UK theatre news — I’ll leave that to the pros, i.e. Fergus Morgan — but the combination of Bluets, Katie Mitchell, and Ben Whishaw means I am currently browsing DC to London flights for June.
awards & residencies
Rachel Bonds’ Jonah and Don Nguyen’s The World Is Not Silent are the 2024 winners of the Laurents/Hatcher Foundation Award. The writers will each receive $50,000, as will the two theatres who premiered the plays: Roundabout Theater Company and The Alley Theatre.
Nazareth Hassan is the 2023-24 recipient of the Vineyard Theatre’s Tow Foundation Playwright Residency. The program “gives artists the opportunity to focus on their craft and debut their work, while gaining insight into the nonprofit theatre world.”
