July 6 – August 3, 2014
The Ashes Under Gait City
A World Premiere by Christina Anderson
Directed by Lucie Tiberghien
When a devastating fire burned Gait City to the ground, the community decided to rebuild. An enduring and noble gesture, but with one crucial oversight: They forgot the black people. A popular internet guru, Simone The Believer, launches a campaign amongst her followers to encourage black Americans to migrate to this town, and reclaim their roots. Inspired by the 19th Century exclusionary laws, this play delves into ownership, identity, and the power of belief.
DCTS review
by Jayne Blanchard
Somewhat Recommended
not herre
One Night
by Charles Fuller
Directed by Ed Herendeen
Down on their luck, two Iraq war veterans mysteriously arrive at a seedy motel, looking for a place to hide and start over. They are burdened with secrets from their time in the sandbox and desperate to make sense of life in the here and now. As the trauma of the past blends unflinchingly into the present, this one night finds a soldier simmering in her patriotic duty for justice and freedom—her own. Raging against the searing subject of sexual abuse in the armed services, this suspenseful and provocative play asks:
“Why am I a hero if I die, and a nuisance if I live?”
DCTS review
by Jayne Blanchard
Somewhat Recommended
not here
Uncanny Valley
A National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere by Thomas Gibbons
Directed by Tom Dugdale
The relationship between the creator and the created unfolds in the phenomenon known as the uncanny valley where Claire, a neuroscientist, works with Julian, an artificial being, on becoming human. Drawing on current research and the not-so-distant future, this spellbinding and deeply satisfying new play travels to the ethical heart of humankind’s bid to outrace mortality. How far are we willing to go to forget, while insisting on never being forgotten?
DCTS review by Jane Blanchard
Highly Recommended
not here
not here
North of the Boulevard
by Bruce Graham
Directed by Ed Herendeen
Business is falling apart, and so are the walls in this crumbling auto-repair shop on the wrong side of the Boulevard. Three childhood friends and one crusty old man sift through the merits of their floundering lives while confronting the vanishing middle-class around them. But just when the last road to prosperity seems at its dead-end, a questionable opportunity unfolds before them: Are they corrupt enough to escape the corruption that’s ruining their neighborhood? This blistering, working-class comedy aims for the gut and takes no prisoners.
DCTS review by Jayne Blanchard
Recommended
Dead and Breathing
by Chisa Hutchinson
Directed by Kristin Horton
Carolyn is a cranky old broad who just wants to die already! She’s gone through almost as many nurses as she has treatments, but just can’t seem to kick the bucket. With her new—profane but God-fearing—hospice caregiver all up in her “lady parts,” she sets about convincing Veronika to help her to just get it over with. Full of surprises, this hilarious exploration into mortality and morality tests the boundaries of faith and forgiveness, prejudice and pridefulness, when the stakes are nothing short of life… and death.
DCTS review
by Debbie Jackson
Highly Recommended
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