the week of september 24 - 30, 2022
clyde's is comin' for that number one spot
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Graphic Design: Elizabeth Haley Morton | Editorial Support: Rebecca Adelsheim
in-person theatre
The world premiere of Suzan-Lori Parks’ Sally & Tom starts previews October 1st at the Guthrie in Minneapolis. Steve H. Broadnax III directs the “clever collision of American history and theater” examining the complexities of Thomas Jefferson’s relationship with Sally Hemings.
Shayok Misha Chowdhury, Scott R. Sheppard, and Alice Yorke’s Speech runs through October 1st at the Philly Fringe. Chowdhury directs the “satirical scrutiny of the free speech debate and the rapidly shifting terrain of civil discourse within our hyper-visible social-media-centered world” from Philadelphia-based performance company Lightning Rod Special.
Josephine Decker and Pig Iron’s performance installation The Path of Pins or The Path of Needles is now playing at the Philly Fringe through October 2nd. The immersive, outdoor dark fairy tale explores “the terrors, joys, and deep uncertainties of pregnancy.”
Martyna Majok’s Cost of Living is now in previews on Broadway. The 2018 Pulitzer Prize-winning drama about the complexities of disability and caregiving is directed by Jo Bonney, who also directed the 2017 Off-Broadway production.
Jane Wagner’s The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe is now playing at Center Theatre Group in Los Angeles. Leigh Silverman directs Cecily Strong in the one-woman show that “weaves together the seemingly disparate tales of a punk-rock rebel, wealthy Californian socialites, and feminist reactionaries in search of aliens.”
Caridad Svich’s adaptation of Julia Alvarez’s novel In the Time of the Butterflies is now playing at Book-It Repertory Theatre in Seattle. The fictionalized account of four sisters living under Trujillo’s authoritarian rule in the Dominican Republic is directed by Ana María Campoy. (Once again, I love how Book-It’s website includes short, pithy explanations of why they chose to program the play; it’s giving handwritten bookstore staff recommendations.)
Victor I. Cazares’ american (tele)visions is now running through October 16th at New York Theatre Workshop. Rubén Polendo directs the story of an undocumented Mexican family, told via “an epic multiverse where time is fluid and the characters are refracted through literal televisions, imagined video games, endless Walmart aisles and a double-wide torn in two.”
Greig Sargeant & Elevator Repair Service’s Baldwin and Buckley at Cambridge is now playing at the Public. John Collins directs the recreation of the “infamous 1965 debate between James Baldwin and William F. Buckley, Jr., ending with an imagined scene between Baldwin and Lorraine Hansberry, researched and written by April Matthis and Sargeant.”
Kareem Fahmy’s Dodi & Diana starts previews on October 1st at Colt Coeur. Adrienne Campbell-Holt directs the world premiere set in Paris 25 years after the car accident that took the lives of Princess Diana and Dodi Al Fayed.
The world premiere of Melis Aker’s Hound Dog starts previews October 6th in a joint Ars Nova/PlayCo production. The “cross-cultural jam-session-meets-play explores the winding path towards forgiveness and belonging” is directed by Machel Ross.
Tall Order’s Those With 2 Clocks starts previews October 6th at The Wilma Theater. The world premiere from Philadelphia artists Jess Conda, Jenn Kidwell, and Mel Krodman is “a fast-paced, genre-defying production combining sketch, drag, and cabaret performance that examines the role comedy plays in reinforcing dangerous patriarchal norms.”
The world premiere of Brett Neveu’s The Malignant Ampersands runs October 6 - November 27 at A Red Orchid in Chicago. Dado directs the “very unofficial sequel to Orson Welles’ The Magnificent Ambersons.”
Kate Nash, Andy Blankenbuehler, and Ted Malawer’s new dance musical Only Gold starts previews October 5th at MCC. Blankenbuehler also directs the world premiere about “a royal family's arrival in Paris forcing nobility and townsfolk alike to examine the choices they've made.”
J. Nicole Brooks’ world premiere adaptation of Eve L. Ewing's 1919 runs October 4- 29 at Steppenwolf for Young Adults. Gabrielle Randle-Bent and Tasia A. Jones co-direct the “hopeful, lyrical exploration of the killing of 17-year-old Eugene Williams in treacherous waters off the segregated 1919 Lake Michigan shoreline, and the way those events reverberate in Chicago today.” (If you’re not familiar with Ewing’s writing, I heartily recommend Electric Arches.)
For the first time since the 2019-20 season, American Theatre released its annual most-produced plays and playwrights lists. Lynn Nottage holds the number one spot on both lists; Clyde’s will have 11 productions this season. (The play is currently running at both the Goodman in Chicago and Pittsburgh’s City Theatre.) As I noted in the first edition of Season Planning Futures, a new Lynn Nottage comedy was always going to generate significant interest — but the Broadway production was available to livestream and that digital accessibility is important to note, especially as most theatres transition away from providing streaming options in Pandemic Year Three.
digital theatre
HERE will launch the new digital platform URHERE in November. The platform will provide access to innovative outdoor and digital premieres and archival works. The first project will be Jared Mezzocchi’s Section 230, “a deep and often dark look at the law that shaped the internet”, which will be performed live and in-person for a mixed in-person and virtual audience.
The theatrical streaming series Bard at the Gate announced its upcoming season. Projects include Laura Schellhardt's Shapeshifter (directed by Halena S. Kays) and three world premieres: Majkin Holmquist's Tent Revival, Nikki Massoud's Cut (directed by Pirronne Yousefzadeh), and Wings of Night/Wings of Morning Light (written and performed by Joy Harjo). The series is co-curated by Paula Vogel and Nicole A. Watson.
The Roundabout Refocus Project readings are now available to stream. The June series spotlighted Latinx playwrights from the 20th and 21st centuries; available readings include María Irene Fornés’ Sarita (directed by Rebecca Aparicio), René Marqués’ The Oxcart (directed by Cristina Angeles), and Fausto Avendaño’s El Corrido de California (directed by Galia Backal).
commissions & residencies
Melis Aker is the inaugural LaunchPad resident at Signature Theatre. The new initiative provides early-career playwrights with “two $15,000 commissions, one full production and one workshop production, developmental readings, writing retreats, private on-site workspace, healthcare benefits, and an annual theatregoing stipend.”
the regional theatre game of thrones
Sean Daniels is joining Florida Studio Theatre as Associate Director and Director of The Recovery Project. He is currently the artistic director of Arizona Theatre Company. The Recovery Project is “a newly pioneered initiative working to heal the stigma of addiction and recovery through the development of new plays, theatre education programs, and outreach.”
Gavin Witt will oversee the leadership transition at Spooky Action Theater. Dramaturg and director Witt steps in as “temporary transition consultant” for founding artistic director Richard Henrich, who retired two months after his board-mandated “leave” and allegations of his harmful, toxic behavior were reported by DC Theater Arts and Washington City Paper.
