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Artists Rep announced its 29th season today, and it looks like we're in for some very artistically ambitious productions: Beginning with Yasmina Reza's hit God of Carnage in September, the company will cram in a classic Pinter (No Man's Land) before the obligatory holiday comedy (Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Christmas Carol). 2012 brings an adaptation of John Webster's The Duchess of Malfi by former Portland playwright Joseph Fisher, Annie Baker's obie-winning acting class drama, Circle Mirror Transformation, the terrific musical Next to Normal and David Mamet's latest, Race. The full press release is after the jump.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE â Portland, Oregon â March 18, 2011. Artists Repertory Theatre is proud to announce their 2011/12 seasonâs play selections: God of Carnage by Yasmina Reza, No Manâs Land by Harold Pinter, Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Christmas Carol by John Longenbaugh, Circle Mirror Transformation by Annie Baker, (I Am Still) The Duchess of Malfi by Joseph Fisher, Next to Normal book/lyrics by Brian Yorkey with music by Tom Kitt, and Race by David Mamet.
With the 2011/12 season, Artists Rep takes on challenging and provoking, premiere plays true to its mission of challenging artists and audiences with plays of depth and vibrancy. We explore the strengths, frailties, and diversity of the human condition primarily through regional premieres, commissioned works and selected classics appropriate to contemporary issues.
âAt Artists Rep we have always strived to produce plays that inspire conversations long after the curtain call," said Allen Nause, Artists Repertory Theatre's Producing Artistic Director, "Our next season boldly continues that important Artists Rep tradition.â
THE 2011/12 SEASON at ARTISTS REPERTORY THEATRE
GOD OF CARNAGE by Yasmina Reza
SEPT 6 â OCT 9 | ALDER STAGE
Whatâs so funny about parents acting like children?
This 2009 Tony winner for Best Play, tells the story of two sets of parents who meet to discuss a bullying incident in what they hoped would be a âcivilized manner. â As the evening wears on that intent goes awry, and the play turns ferociously hilarious, shocking and disturbing, as the parents battle for ethical superiority. Roman Polanski is directing the film adaptation currently shooting in Paris and starring Jodie Foster, Kate Winslet, Christoph Waltz and John C. Reilly.
NO MANâS LAND by Harold Pinter
OCT 4 â NOV 6 | MORRISON STAGE
Is what you remember ever what really happened?
In this enigmatic tumble through time, two men circle each other in the limbo of logic, recovering memory and reconciliation as their lives hurtle toward their end. With the aid of libation lubrication, the two of them discover the possible truth behind their success, adventures and women won and lost. A poignant comedy seeped in ambiguity, Pinterâs No Manâs Land explores the space between what is known and what is imagined.
SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE CASE OF THE CHRISTMAS CAROL by John Longenbaugh
NOV 15 â DEC 24 | ALDER STAGE
Will Sherlock Holmes crack his own case?
Literatureâs favorite quirky inquisitor is infused with the spirit of a crotchety Ebenezer Scrooge in an unusual holiday show crafted by Seattle veteran playwright John Longenbaugh. After failed attempts by Dr. Watson to cheer Holmes into celebrating the holiday season, the unrepentant, ill-tempered detective is forced to deduce the facts and solve the most important mystery of his life â past, present and future. The play premiered at Taproot Theatre Company in Seattle and this is its second production nationally.
(I AM STILL) THE DUCHESS OF MALFI by Joseph Fisher, an adaptation of John Websterâs play
JAN 10 â FEB 12 | MORRISON STAGE
Is the desire of love or power the most alluring?
Edgy and visceral, this contemporary adaptation of Websterâs classic Jacobean revenge tragedy is a world-premiere production. In this re-imagined classic, the Duchess of Malfi defies her brotherâs chess game of power, manipulation and morality. Laced with violence and shocking wit, this macabre, plot-twisting, back-stabbing saga of murder, sex and betrayal doesnât come to a pretty end. Written by former Portland playwright, Joseph Fisher, whose Artists Rep credits include adaptations of Chekhovâs The Seagull (2006) and Carlo Goldoniâs The New House (2003).
CIRCLE MIRROR TRANSFORMATION by Annie Baker
FEB 7 â MAR 11 | ALDER STAGE
Can a drama class change lives forever?
In this funny, curiously potent play, five people enroll in an adult creative drama class at a small-town community center. Over the course of six weeks they are led through theater games and exercises into murky and dangerous psychological waters. By the end of the class, layers of emotional baggage are stripped off to reveal how truth, change and public performance can possibly âset the body and spirit free.â A Northwest premiere, critically acclaimed playwright Annie Bakerâs Circle Mirror Transformation won the 2009 Obie Award for Best New American Play and garnered accolades Off Broadway and beyond.
NEXT TO NORMAL book/lyrics by Brian Yorkey, music by Tom Kitt
MAR 6 â APR 15 | MORRISON STAGE
So what is it that defines âcrazyâ anyway?
Called a groundbreaking, powerhouse rock musical, Next to Normal, is a heart-swelling, unflinching dissection of a motherâs mental illness and her suburban family trying to hold it all together. This multiple award-winning smash hit is a brave, emotionally bracing musical that takes on new territory with mix of raw energy and grace. âLike all good musicals, it breaks your heart without crushing your hope," says reviewer Charles McNulty of the Los Angeles Times. Next to Normal was nominated for 11 and won three 2009 Tony Awards and the 2010 Pulitzer Prize. Susannah Mars plays the lead in this West Coast regional theater premiere.
RACE by David Mamet
APR 24 - MAY 27 | ALDER STAGE
When it comes to race is justice blind?
In this complex, complicated world acknowledging prejudice is an ugly venture into discomfort.
In Race, two lawyers (one black, one white) take on a case that gets under the skin and turns into a minefield of deep divisions, resentments and bigotry. Mametâs rapid-fire dialogue, gripping plot and blunt language, thoroughly stripped of polite social convention, is rife with provocative humor and shines a light into the depths discrimination. Playwright David Mamet is a Pulitzer Prize-winning and Academy Award-nominated writer.
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