the week of october 11-17, 2024
the week of october 11-17, 2024
confabulations, spectacular untruths, golem's smoothie shop
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:
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Graphic Design: Elizabeth Morton | Editorial Support: Ryan Adelsheim
what paid subscribers got this week
I wrote a new edition of Postseasons (fka Season Planning Futures), where I looked at themes and patterns in 2024-25 line-ups at ten regional theatres: Theatrical Outfit, Theater Mu, Diversionary Theatre, Boise Contemporary Theater, Oklahoma City Rep, TheatreSquared, Speakeasy Stage, ArtsWest, Artists Rep, and TheaterWorks Hartford:
Back in July, I analyzed programming at several large so-called "flagship" institutions. This time, I wanted the inverse: small companies in robust or under-the-radar regional theatre communities.
As always, if you want to read these ramblings but can’t afford a subscription right now, let me know and I’ll forward it to you. Paid subscribers sustain this humble operation and I’m very grateful.
side note
I look forward to reading Washington City Paper's People Issue every year — it’s an annual set of interviews celebrating “the folks who make D.C. what it is.” I never dreamed I'd be featured in it (and among such impressive company!) No greater honor for a Washingtonian.
Thanks to the whole City Paper staff, Stephanie Rudig, and Darrow Montgomery, who was exceptionally kind as photoshoots make me want to die. Here’s my favorite on-brand chunk from the interview:
I was working at a theater and the managing director was asking me about the “That’s Not a Living Wage” section because they had been featured in it. He said, “I just want you to know that we’re working on it and it’s going to take place, probably our next budget year.” That makes me feel like I’m having an impact. It’s not a shaming exercise. I try not to say anything that I wouldn’t say to somebody’s face. Would I tell a person that I think they’re girlbossing too close to the sun? You know what, I would.
(I’m also referred to as a “fearless dramaturg” in the introduction, but little do they know that I have to read the Wikipedia plot summaries for horror movies seventeen times before I watch them.)
world premieres
Anna Ziegler’s The Janeiad starts performances October 11th at The Alley Theatre in Houston, TX. The contemporary spin on The Odyssey, retold from the connected perspectives of Penelope and a 9/11 widow, is directed by Rob Melrose.
Kathleen Culebro’s The Amazing, Fabulous, and Spectacular Untruths of Juan Garcia starts performances October 11th at Amphibian Stage in Fort Worth, TX. Evan Michael Woods directs the comedy of errors about the titular charmer “returning to his hometown of Oaxaca to weave a tapestry of tall tales and misadventures, aiming to impress (and possibly confuse) everyone, particularly the lady of his misguided affections.”
Lava Alapai, Linda Alper, Anthony Hudson, Daniel Kitrosser, Susannah Mars, Josie Seid & Luan Schooler’s The Event! runs October 13 - November 10 at Artists Rep in Portland, OR. The “delightfully playful experience” set in a small Oregon logging town after a mysterious (and possibly supernatural) disappearance is also directed by Schooler.
Jocelyn Mackenzie, Jeremy Lloyd Styles, and Neena Beber’s Rutka starts performances October 13th at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park. Wendy C. Goldberg directs the new indie rock musical adapted from a diary kept by Polish teenager Rutka Laskier in 1943 “as she and her friends are trying to live life as normally as possible while confined in the Jewish Ghetto.”
Julia May Jonas’ A Woman Among Women runs October 15 - November 3 at The Bushwick Starr in a co-pro with New Georges. The riff on Arthur Miller’s All My Sons is directed by Sarah Hughes with music by Brian Cavanagh-Strong.
Matt Shvyrkov’s Confabulation is now running through October 20th at The Strides Collective in Philadelphia. Jonathan Edmondson directs the dramedy about “a woman looking to take control of her own life and confront her deepest darkness in a past-life regression support group.”
Jacqueline Goldfinger's Bottle Fly starts performances October 17th at Redtwist Theatre in Chicago. The “beautiful depiction of queer survival in the Everglades” is directed by Eileen Dixon.
Robert O’Hara’s Shit. Meet. Fan. is now playing at Off Broadway’s MCC Theater through December 15th. O’Hara also directs the “uproarious new satire based on Paolo Genovese’s Perfect Strangers — the most remade film in cinematic history.”
productions
Marisela Treviño Orta’s A Girl Grows Wings starts performances October 10th at LA’s Latino Theater Company in partnership with Organización Secreta Teatro. Rocío Carrillo directs the drama about “the daughter of undocumented immigrants reconnecting with her fractured cultural identity and her familial roots.”
Calamity West’s In the Canyon runs October 12-26 from The Constructivists in Milwaukee, WI. The “poignant reflection on resilience, community, and the ever-changing landscape of America, from 2007 to 2067” is directed by Jaimelyn Gray.
Patrick Page’s All the Devils Are Here: How Shakespeare Invented the Villain starts performances October 12th at The Guthrie in Minneapolis. Simon Godwin directs the solo performance “exploring the layered motivations and complex psyches of these infamous evildoers.”
August Wilson’s How I Learned What I Learned runs October 15 - December 1 at Geva Theatre in Rochester, NY. The “autobiographical one-actor play chronicling Wilson’s life as a Black artist in Pittsburgh’s Hill District” is directed by taneisha duggan.
Amy Berryman’s Walden starts performances October 16th at Second Stage in NYC. Whitney White directs the “thrilling and engrossing new drama wrestling between the gravitational pulls of duty and desire.”
Kate Hamill’s adaptation of Pride & Prejudice runs October 17 - November 10 at Baltimore Center Stage. The “bold and playful take on Jane Austen’s beloved romance” is directed by Ken-Matt Martin.
Sarah Ruhl’s Dear Elizabeth starts performances October 17th at Remy Bumppo in Chicago. Drawing from poets Elizabeth Bishop and Robert Lowell’s decades-long correspondence, Christina Casano directs the “peek into the private lives of two literary giants, revealing their vulnerabilities, insecurities, and the intimacy of their bond.”
York Walker’s Covenant runs October 17 - November 3 at The Waverly from DC’s Theater Alliance. The “bluesy, spine-chilling exploration of faith, fear, and the power of myth” is directed by Autumn Angelettie.
Ethan Crystal and Garrett Poladian’s Golem Owned a Tropical Smoothie starts performances October 17th at The Tank in NYC. Patrick Swailes Caldwell directs the new musical about the titular “non-copyright infringing creature who owns a non-copyright infringing smoothie shop — until Smeegle, the notorious CEO of the mega-corporate Smoothie Kingdom, threatens to drive him out of business.”
workshops & readings
Elinor T Vanderburg's Deep Salmon will have a Page 73 reading on October 16th at ART/NY. Lisa Milinazzo directs the new work about three siblings reuniting to bury their father as they wonder how to “move forward if they’re not allowed to look back.”
festivals
The 2024 Prelude Festival runs October 16-19 at The Segal Center in NYC. Curated by Jess Barbagallo and John Hoobyar, the annual experimental theater festival line-up includes Riven Ratanavanh’s Ornamentalism; Skeleton Architecture; Leslie Cuyjet and Karen Kandel’s Going Beige; Shonni Enelow and David Levine’s David Mamet's Glengarry Glen Ross: WTF; Katie Brook and Katiana Gonçales Rangel’s Nannies of New York City; Nile Harris, Alex Tatarsky, Anh Vo, and Ethan Philbrick’s Precarious Luxuries: improvisations, performance, and planning for the unplanned; Léoh Hailu-Ghermay’s Legally Bald; Amanda Horowitz’s Bad Stars; Tina Satter/Half Straddle’s Petra; Holland Andrews and yuniya edi kwon’s How does it feel to look at nothing (excerpt); Moriah Evans’ Sharing; An Hour with Francesca D'Uva; S T A R R busby’s Working Up A Surrender: Collective Healing Experiments; luciana achugar’s The Pleasure Practice; Julia Jarcho’s Throw Yourself Away: Writing and Masochism; Niall Jones’ - *• AsTheyWriistBroke •* -, and works-in-progress from Needy Lover, Ashil Lee, Phoebe Brooks, Jerry Lieblich, and Paul Lazar.
end of an era
Cal Shakes is closing after 50 years. The Bay Area outdoor theatre has “an insurmountable financial impasse and [is] faced with no alternative but to suspend operations, begin layoffs and take steps towards what will be the ultimate closure of the company.” The announcement comes three months after Cal Shakes launched a last-minute $350,000 emergency fundraising campaign to mount its first self-produced show in two years.
2025 season updates
Shotgun Players announced its 2025 season. The Berkeley, CA theatre’s line-up includes Yasmina Reza’s ART (directed by Emilie Whelan), David Henry Hwang’s Yellow Face (directed by Daniel J. Eslick), Terry Guest’s The Magnolia Ballet (directed by AeJay Antonis Marquis), Christopher Chen’s The Motion (directed by Patrick Dooley), and Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s Sunday in the Park with George (directed by Susannah Martin). The company will also produce readings of Mat Smart’s A Black-Billed Cuckoo (directed by Mary Ann Rodgers) and R. Eric Thomas’ Glitter in the Glass (directed by Elizabeth Carter).
Actor’s Express announced its 2025 season. The Atlanta theatre will produce David Adjmi’s Marie Antoinette (directed by Donya K. Washington), Suzan-Lori Parks’ Topdog/Underdog (directed by Eric J. Little), John Patrick Shanley’s Doubt (directed by Freddie Ashley), Michael R. Jackson’s A Strange Loop (directed by Amanda Washington), and Lucas Hnath’s The Thin Place (directed by Freddie Ashley).
assorted
Can’t believe I missed linking this a few weeks ago, but American Theatre released its annual Most Produced Plays and Playwrights Lists of the 2024-25 Season. The top four plays are Heidi Schreck’s What the Constitution Means to Me (16), James Ijames’ Fat Ham (14), Rajiv Joseph’s King James (14), and Eboni Booth’s Primary Trust (13). The most-produced playwrights are Kate Hamill (18), Rajiv Joseph (18), Jeffrey Hatcher (16), James Ijames (16), Heidi Schreck (16) and Eboni Booth (13).
WP Theater announced its 2024-25 WP Lab Artists. The selected participants include playwrights Mukta Phatak, Jordan Ramirez-Puckett, Deneen Reynolds-Knott, Amy Staats, and Danielle Stagger; directors Kayla Amani, Britt Berke, Susanna Jaramillo, Alex Keegan, and Mikhaela Mahony; and producers Penzi Hill, Roshni Lavelle, Skye Pagon, Lianna Rada-Hung, Maia Safani. The two-year residency “provides emerging artists with professional and developmental resources, and culminates in the biennial WP Pipeline Festival.”
that’s not a living wage
Here are this week’s featured underpaid job listings, paired with the living wage for a 40-hour work week for one adult with no children in that area and the most recently available 990 data. (You can read more about the methodology here.)
Development Coordinator at Shakespeare Theatre Company: $45,000 – $50,000 (Full-Time)
Living Wage for Washington, DC: $60,090
Revenue (2023): $15.19 million / Net Income: -$4.01 million
Executive Compensation:
Marketing Manager, Grassroots & Community Engagement at Signature Theatre (VA): “High 40Ks - Low 50Ks” (Full-Time Exempt)
Living Wage for Arlington County, VA: $64,695
Revenue (2023): $11.81 million / Net Income: -$2.84 million
Executive Compensation: $194,207 (Managing Director) / $183,187 (Artistic Director)