the week of september 13-19, 2024
telenovelas, time travelers, cosmic waiting rooms
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Graphic Design: Elizabeth Morton | Editorial Support: Ryan Adelsheim
world premieres
Blossom Johnson’s Diné Nishłį (i am a sacred being) Or, A Boarding School Play runs September 18-29 at Bag&Baggage’s The Vault Theater in Hillsboro, OR from The Native Theatre Project. Jeanette Harrison directs the “exuberant (and slightly haunted) comedy about four teenage girls in a modern-day boarding school whose traditional song and dance group is invited to perform the Navajo National Anthem at the 2002 Winter Olympics.” (The production will subsequently tour the greater Portland area throughout October.)
Keyanna Khatiblou’s A Going Away Party Play starts performances September 19th at Boston Court Pasadena in Pasadena, CA. The “celebration of multicultural identities and an exploration of what it means to leave or lose your home country” is directed by James Fowler.
Jordan E. Cooper’s Oh Happy Day! runs September 19 - October 13 at Baltimore Center Stage. Stevie Walker-Webb directs the “outrageous reimagining of Noah’s Ark” with original songs by Donald Lawrence.
productions
Brian Quijada and Nygel D. Robinson’s Mexodus runs September 13 - October 20 at Berkeley Rep. The “electrifying live-looping musical, composed in real-time, exploring the often-untold stories of the Underground Railroad that led south into Mexico” is directed by David Mendizábal.
Alexis Scheer’s Laughs in Spanish starts performances September 13th at SpeakEasy Stage in Boston. Mariela López-Ponce directs the “part telenovela, part whodunit, cafecito-infused comedy about mothers and daughters and art and success.”
Kate Hamill’s Ms. Holmes and Ms. Watson, Apt. 2B runs September 13 - October 6 at Warehouse Theatre in Greenville, SC. The “irreverent, darkly comic, modern take on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous sleuth and sidekick” is directed by Jay Briggs.
Arlene Hutton’s Blood of the Lamb starts performances September 14th at NYC’s 59E59. Margot Bordelon directs the “electrifying thriller about two women with opposing beliefs, forced to navigate the bureaucratic chaos of post-Roe America.”
Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee’s Inherit the Wind runs September 14 - October 13 at The Goodman Theatre in Chicago. The “iconic courtroom showdown where science and religion go head-to-head” is directed by Henry Godinez.
James Ijames’ Kill Move Paradise is now running through November 3rd at Odyssey Theatre Ensemble in Los Angeles. Gregg T. Daniel directs the story of “four Black men who find themselves stuck in a cosmic waiting room in the afterlife, confronting the brutal reality of their pasts and scrambling to make sense of their surreal new world.”
Ben Power’s adaptation of Stefano Massini’s The Lehman Trilogy starts performances September 14th at The Guthrie in Minneapolis. The “sweeping generational saga questioning how we define heroes and villains — and where we draw the line between them” is directed by Arin Arbus.
The Breakdown Odyssey by Ms. Boogie will have a one-night-only performance on September 14th at The Shed in NYC. The intimate reimagining of the rapper’s groundbreaking album “addresses the exclusion of Black trans women in hip hop culture and the wider world…with a blend of nostalgic, classic rap instrumentals and modern essences.”
Chisa Hutchinson’s Redeemed runs September 15 - October 5 at NYC’s 59E59. marcus d. harvey directs the two-hander set over the course of two prison visitations as a woman whose brother was murdered nine years ago “must decide if [her brother’s killer] is capable of redemption or just attempting to impress the parole board.”
Ryan Miller and Nick Blaemire’s musical adaptation of Safety Not Guaranteed starts performances on September 17th as part of BAM’s Next Wave Festival. Lee Sunday Evans directs the new indie-rock musical based on the 2012 film about “a young journalist setting out to make her name by digging into an outrageous classified ad seeking someone willing to travel back in time.”
Lloyd Suh’s The Chinese Lady runs September 18 - October 13 at The Alliance Theatre in Atlanta. Inspired by the true story of Afong Moy, the “darkly poetic yet whimsical portrait of our collective past seen through the eyes of a young Chinese woman” is directed by Jess Mcleod.
Dave Harris’ Exception to the Rule starts performances September 18th at DC’s Studio Theatre. Miranda Haymon directs the “gut-punch of a comedy interrogating how a racialized public school system fails its students by design, who gets the chance to escape it, and what they must leave behind to do so.”
James Ijames’ Good Bones runs September 19 - October 13 at The Public Theater in NYC. The “sharp, funny exploration of gentrification and the growing price of the American dream” is directed by Saheem Ali.
Henry V is now playing through October 6th at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre. Edward Hall directs “Shakespeare’s gripping tale of youthful ambition and adventure, exploring the thrill and destructive power of war and examining nationalism at its most dangerous and seductive.”
Michael John LaChiusa’s See What I Wanna See is now running through September 29th at Out of the Box Theatrics in NYC. Emilio Ramos directs the musical based on three Ryūnosuke Akutagawa short stories, now revived with an all-AAPI cast of actors and elements inspired by traditional Asian theater practices.
festivals
The inaugural PlayFest Indy runs September 13-15 at The New Harmony Project in Indianapolis. The readings include Lucy Thurber’s Port Isabel, Texas (directed by Chris Saunders and dramaturged by Andrew Kramer); Erika Dickerson-Despenza’s Audubon (directed by Malika Oyetimein and dramaturged by Dominique Rider); a.k. payne’s Noa (directed by Josiah Davis and dramaturged by Ashley M. Thomas); Lina Patel’s Sick Girl, Or Don’t Hate Me ‘Cuz I’m Pretty (directed by Daniel Talbott and dramaturged by Lexy Leuszler); Aurora Real de Asua’s Wet (directed by Constance Macy and dramaturged by Tanya Palmer); Jessica Huang’s The Birth of the Pill (directed by Sandra Marquez and dramaturged by Maren Robinson); Keiko Green’s WAD (directed by Emily Moler and dramaturged by Gavin Reub); and Jordan Ramirez Puckett’s Huelga (directed by Psalmayene 24 and dramaturged by Divinia Shorter).
The Judith Champion Caribbean MixFest runs September 14-20 at Atlantic Theater Company in NYC. The annual reading series’ line-up includes Nelson Diaz-Marcano’s 1898 (directed by Estefanía Fadul), Fedna Jacquet’s Black Mother Lost Daughter (directed by Jerrica D. White), Iraisa Ann Reilly’s The Jersey Devil Is A Papi Chulo (directed by Jean Carlo Yunén A.), Karl O’Brian Williams’ Not About Eve (directed by Patrice Johnson Chevannes), La Daniella’s Castillos de Plástico (directed by Cristina Angeles), and commissioned one-acts by Karina Billini, Nehassaiu deGannes, Juliette Jeffers, Erlina Ortiz and Phanésia Pharel
(directed by Nadia Guevara and Ibi Owolabi).
workshops & readings
Judson Arts’ Big Bang: Works in Progress begins September 18th at Judson Memorial Church in NYC, in association with playwrights Jonathan Caren and Bridget Anthony. The new monthly cold reading series for actors, writers, and musicians features five excerpts of works-in-progress read in a salon-style setting. For upcoming sessions this fall, artists can submit 10 pages of writing or songs to: judsonwednesdays@gmail.com. Actors can arrive at the session and will be cast on a first-come basis.
Josh Wilder’s Leftovers will have readings September 16 & 17 as part of the The Jungle Theater’s Greenhouse Reading Series in Minneapolis. The play follows “two brothers beginning to dream their way out of the cycle of poverty that has governed their lives and finding themselves on an adventure they never could have imagined.”
Sam Mueller’s PIN. will have a reading on September 10th at NYC’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center as part of Rattlestick Theater’s Terrence McNally Incubator Presentations. Caitlin Sullivan directs. Rattlestick’s new initiative provides “early-career playwrights with financial resources, mentorship with a veteran playwright, and a 29-hour workshop with professional New York talent.” (Contact boxoffice@rattlestick.org for more details.)
Karina Curet’s Casa Cristo will have a reading on September 16th at El Barrio's Artspace PS109 as part of the new Broadway For All’s Front Door Reading Series. Alejandra Ramos directs the new work, written in Spanish and English, about a bilingual Catholic high school class retreat complicated by wavering beliefs and raging hormones.
the nyc theatre game of thrones
Lear deBessonet is the next artistic director of Lincoln Center Theater. She is currently the artistic director of New York City Center’s Encores! and will work alongside Bartlett Sher, LCT’s longtime resident director who will now serve in the newly created role of executive producer. LCT’s current producing artistic director André Bishop will officially step down next June after 33 years.
2024-25 season updates
Miami New Drama announced its upcoming season. The line-up includes three world premieres: Billy Corben and Harley Elias’ immersive experience Lincoln Road Hustle (directed by Michel Hausmann), Harley Elias’ Bad Dog (directed by Michel Hausmann), and Jonathan Spector’s Birthright (directed by Margot Bordelon).
Theater Alliance announced its 2024-25 season. The DC theatre will produce York Walker’s Covenant, Lindsay Joelle’s The Garbologists, and Kareem Fahmy’s American Fast.
New Georges in NYC announced its 2024-25 season. Productions include Julia May Jonas’ A Woman Among Women (directed by Sarah Hughes, co-pro with The Bushwick Starr), Emma Horwitz & Bailey Williams’ Two Sisters Find A Box of Lesbian Erotica in the Woods (directed by Tara Elliott, co-pro with Rattlestick), and a third production TBA.
Shattered Globe Theatre in Chicago announced its 2024-25 season. The line-up includes Sarah Ruhl’s Becky Nurse of Salem (directed by Polly Noonan), Kenneth Lonergan’s Lobby Hero (directed by Nate Santana), and Brendan Pelsue’s adaptation of A Tale of Two Cities (directed by Mikael Burke).
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.)
Assistant to the Managing Directors at Williamstown Theatre Festival: $45,000-$55,000 (Full-Time Non-Exempt)
*This position is based in NYC, with in-person work in Williamstown, MA for the months of June - August. (Dormitory housing with private bedrooms and shared bathrooms/common areas is provided during the summer, but it’s not air-conditioned.)Living Wage for New York, NY: $69,852 | Living Wage for Berkshire County, MA: $47,802
Revenue (2022): $3.15 million / Net Income: -$1.43 million
Executive Compensation: $222,908 (Artistic Director)
A reader emailed that the advertised salary range for one of the co-managing directors this role would be assisting was $200,000 - $250,000. (Thank you to the Internet Archive Wayback Machine for retrieving that position description.)
Administrative Coordinator at Second Stage: $50,000-$53,500 (Full-Time)
Living Wage for New York, NY: $69,852
Revenue (2023): $26.25 million / Net Income: -$2.73 million
Executive Compensation:
Artistic Director: $1,001,527 ($472,260 base / $500,000 retirement & other deferred compensation / $29,267 non-taxable benefits)1
Executive Director (through 2/23): $370,519 ($340,231 base / $15,520 retirement & other deferred compensation / $15,038 non-taxable benefits)
Right before she officially stepped down at the end of August, Carole Rothman stated in the New York Times she was “negotiated out” of her position. (Rothman’s not-so-amicable departure from Second Stage was announced in September 2023; this 990 is for the fiscal year ending August 2023. Deferred compensation can include 401K, stock options, pensions, and, depending on the negotiated distribution schedule, settlement & severance payments.