the week of october 13 - 19, 2023
the return of under the radar
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icymi
I wrote about all of the productions I’m looking forward to seeing this season in my beloved District of Columbia:
My 2023-24 DC Theatre Season Preview
productions
Selina Fillinger’s POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive starts previews October 13th at Arena Stage in DC. Margot Bordelon directs the farce about “seven women of dramatically different backgrounds minimizing the damage done by male arrogance and political posturing.”
Jeesun Choi’s To the Ends of the Earth / 땅끝까지 runs October 13 - 28 at JACK in NYC. The “bilingual play about the Korean diaspora and personhood as told by a constellation of women+ characters” is directed by Keenan Tyler Oliphant.
Caitlin George’s Helen. runs October 13 - 29 at La MaMa in associate with En Garde Arts. Violeta Picayo directs the “funny, feminist riff on a familiar myth, excavating our mothers from history and asks what the future holds for our daughters.”
Stephen Mallatratt’s adaptation of Susan Hill’s The Woman in Black runs October 13-29 at McCarter Theatre Center in Princeton, NJ. The original London production of the Gothic horror story of “a mysterious spectre that haunts a small English town” is directed by Robin Herford.
Theresa Rebeck’s I Need That starts previews October 13 at Roundabout. Moritz von Stuelpnagel directs the new comedy about a hoarder (Danny DeVito) facing eviction unless he cleans up his property, reckoning with “what’s trash, what’s treasure, and whether we can ever know the difference between the two.”
Lynn Nottage’s Clyde’s runs October 14 - November 5 at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park. The dramedy about “a truck-stop operated by a group of people recently released from prison attempting to reclaim their lives in a world that’s set up for them to fail” is directed by Timothy Douglas.
Vanessa Severo’s Frida...A Self Portrait starts performances October 17th at Geva Theatre in Rochester, NY. The one-woman show recounting the iconic Mexican painter’s “physical limitations, complex love life, addictions and, of course, the beauty in her art” is directed by Joanie Schultz.
The world premiere of Moisés Kaufman’s Las Aventuras de Juan Planchard runs October 17 - November 12 at Miami New Drama. Performed in Spanish with English supertitles, the adaptation of Jonathan Jakubowicz's novel “masterfully exposes the mindset and ideals of Venezuela’s present-day ruling elite, unveiling their unrestrained excess and insatiable pursuit of power at any cost.”
Brittany K. Allen’s Redwood starts previews October 18th at Ensemble Studio Theatre. The exploration of “interracial family relationships in a deeply scarred country” is directed by Mikhaela Mahony and choreographed by Sasha Hutchings.
The world premiere of Helen Banner’s Westphalia runs October 19 - November 12 at Luna Stage in West Orange, NJ. Lila Rachel Becker directs the new work set in “a wild new robotic economy, where AI determines people’s right to buy or sell their own citizenship.”
navi’s Monstress starts performances October 19th at DC’s Flying V Theatre. The immersive horror experience “fusing live and digital performance, some technological wizardry, and atmospheric and sensory immersion” is directed by Kelly Colburn.
Michael John LaChiusa’s The Gardens of Anuncia starts previews October 19th at Lincoln Center. Graciela Daniele directs and choreographs the new tango-infused musical about her childhood “growing up in 1940s Buenos Aires in the shadow of the Perón regime.”
festivals
The Ashland New Play Festival in Ashland, OR runs October 19-22. This year’s reading line-up includes Isabel Estelle’s Ashland (directed by Caroline Shaffer), Weston Gaylord’s A Long Time Coming (directed by Holly L. Derr), and Bleu Beckford Burrell’s Lyons Pride (directed by Kyle Haden).
the regional theatre game of thrones
Lance Gardner is the new artistic director of Marin Theater Company. The Bay Area-based actor and producer succeeds Jasson Minadakis, who stepped down last year after 17 years.
commissions
C. Quintana is the inaugural recipient of Life Jacket Theatre Company’s Trans+ Playwrights Commission. The $10,000 commission will support the creation of “a new play based on in-depth interviews with Trans+ people living across America.”
The Civilians announced its 2023-24 R&D Group and inaugural Next Forever commissions. This year’s selected R&D artists are Michael Breslin, Dan Caffrey, Zachariah Ezer, Leonardo Gonzalez Dominguez, James La Bella, Elizagrace Madrone, Dominique Rider and Cat Rodriguez. The Next Forever commission recipients are Kareem Fahmy’s Riparian States and AriDy Nox’s Why Ya’ll Hate Earth So Bad?
assorted
The Under the Radar Festival will return January 5-21, 2024 in partnership with multiple NYC theatres. The annual experimental festival was put on indefinite hiatus by the Public Theater over the summer due to budget cuts. The 2024 line-up will feature new works by Cliff Cardinal, Shayok Misha Chowdhury, Dynasty Handbag, Tania El Khoury, Inua Ellams, Jessica L. Hagan, Nile Harris, John Jarboe, Albert Ibokwe Khoza, Motus, Yu Murai/Kaimaku Pennant Race, Pan Pan Theatre, and Peter Mills Weiss and Julia Mounsey.
The Kilroys announced The Web. A re-conception of the collective’s annual List, the new interactive site “not only champions underproduced plays by women, trans, and nonbinary playwrights but also highlights some of the theatermakers and collaborators (actors, directors, dramaturgs, producers, etc.) who work tirelessly to create and advocate for their work.”
