OUR 2017-2018 SEASON:
Barbecue
Sep 26 – Nov 11, 2017
Bay Area Premiere by Robert O’Hara
Directed by Margo Hall
The hard-partying, foul-mouthed O’Mallery family is staging an intervention for their drug-addicted sister, Barbara. With a plan inspired by reality TV, they’ve disguised their meeting as a family barbecue in the park—but soon it’s the whole family’s problems that are in the spotlight. Barbecue overturns our presumptions about race, poverty, and the American family in hilarious and incisive fashion. Learn more.
A Christmas Story: The Musical
Nov 22, 2017 – Jan 13, 2018
Musical | Music and Lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul; Book by Joseph Robinette
Directed by Susi Damilano
Nine-year-old Ralphie Parker wants nothing more for Christmas than an official Red Ryder Carbine-Action 200-Shot Range Model Air Rifle. But first, he’ll have to navigate past a maniacal department store Santa, an infamous leg lamp, a triple-dog-dare to lick a frozen flagpole, and much more. Nominated for three Tony Awards in 2013, A Christmas Story is a classic and heartfelt holiday tale backed by a magnificent score. Learn more.
Born Yesterday
Jan 23 – Mar 10, 2018
Revival by Garson Kanin
Directed by Susi Damilano
Harry, a ruthless, thuggish millionaire—with his showgirl fiancée, Billie, in tow—comes to Washington to bribe a senator and enrich his business interests. He soon hires a reporter to clean up Billie’s image; but as she awakens to a world full of possibilities, she starts to question corruption’s stranglehold over the disadvantaged. Garson Kanin’s delightful and dangerous comedy is a timely exploration of politics, profiteering, and the power of female persuasion. Learn more.
Non-Player Character
Feb 7 – Mar 3, 2018
Sandbox Series World Premiere by Walt McGough
Aspiring video game designer Katja and her longtime friend Trent are an unstoppable team against animated monsters in the virtual underworlds of SpearLight, an online role-playing game. But after a humiliating falling-out, Trent marshals an army of internet trolls to wage real-life war against her. Comic and poignant, Non-Player Character is a timely, boldly theatrical exploration of the games we play and who’s winning. Learn more.
The Effect
Mar 20 – Apr 28, 2018
West Coast Premiere by Lucy Prebble
Directed by Bill English
Connie and Tristan are falling head-over-heels in love—or is that just a side effect? As volunteers in a clinical trial for a new super-antidepressant, they can’t really be sure. As their sudden romance heats up, they’re left wondering if they can believe their own feelings, and their doctors are forced to consider the ethical consequences of their work. Winner of the UK Critics’ Circle Award for Best New Play, The Effect takes on our pill-popping culture with humor and scintillating drama. Learn more.
An Entomologist’s Love Story
May 8 – Jun 23, 2018
World Premiere by Melissa Ross
Directed by Giovanna Sardelli
Working at the Museum of Natural History has its ups and downs for entomologists Betty and Jeff. As they research the mating rituals of bugs, they find their own complicated relationships increasingly under the microscope. An Entomologist’s Love Story is a hilarious, edgy and explicit look at love in our times. Learn more.
In Braunau
Jun 13 – Jul 7, 2018
Sandbox Series World Premiere by Dipika Guha
American couple Justin and Sarah, reeling after the last election, decide to take their outrage to another place—the little known city of Braunau, Austria. In Braunau they embark on their plan to lease Adolf Hitler’s childhood home and convert it to a “rainbow BnD” (bed and dinner) where people from all over the world can break bread, talk, and understand history. Learn more.
Sunday in the Park with George
Jul 5 – Sep 8, 2018
Musical Revival | Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim; Book by James Lapine
Directed by Bill English
In the final days before the completion of his masterpiece, A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, Georges Seurat is torn between making meaningful art and maintaining a relationship with his lover, Dot. One of the most acclaimed musicals of our time, Sunday in the Park with George won the Pulitzer Prize and was nominated for 10 Tony Awards including Best Musical. Learn more.
Washed Up on the Potomac
Aug 8 – Sep 1, 2018
Sandbox Series World Premiere by Lynn Rosen
Order is the name of the game in this D.C. proofreading office, but everything is a bit off today. It’s ninety degrees in October, a costly mistake has been made on an important account, and someone is going to get fired. As three proofreaders ponder their futures, they become haunted and inspired by memories of a coworker whose body may have washed up on the banks of the Potomac today. Who will be the next to go? Or are they already gone? Learn more.