Bethesda-based Quotidian Theatre will be producing plays from two writers familiar to its audiences — Horton Foote and Connor McPherson — and one from Henrik Ibsen which shocked audiences when it was originally produced, in its three play 2019-2020 season.
Quotidian will lead off with McPherson’s Port Authority, the tale of three different men, at different stages of their lives, who have made (or are making) fatal mistakes. Ben Demers, reviewing this production at Quotidian for DCTS, praised the “stellar writing” and noted that “[t]he slow, deliberate rhythm of the piece allows director Jack Sbarbori and his actors plenty of time to ensnare the audience in concise, stirring moments that might otherwise be overlooked in a busier show.” Sbarbori, Quotidian’s Artistic Director, directs this production as well. Featuring Chris Stinton, Matthew Vaky, and Joseph Palka; from October 25 to November 17, 2019.
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Quotidian next lights up its stage in the spring of 2020, with Henrik Ibsen’s Ghosts. Captain Alving and his wife, Helen, appear to have the perfect marriage — but in fact he is a serial philanderer, bedding women indiscriminately and brutally ignoring his wife. On the advice of her pastor and in the forlorn hope her love can reform him, Helen stays with him until he dies. She does send her son Oswald away in the hope that he will not be contaminated by her husband’s immorality — but it turns out that Oswald has inherited his father’s syphilis. What’s more, he’s fallen in love with a woman that — well, let’s just say that Helen knows who her real dad is. Maurice Velency, in his book “The Flower and the Castle: An Introduction to Modern Drama” (Macmillan, 1963) noted “Regular tragedy dealt mainly with the unhappy consequences of breaking the moral code. Ghosts, on the contrary, deals with the consequences of not breaking it.” Kevin O’Connell adapted the text and will direct; the production features the work of Alyssa Sanders and David Dubov. From April 3 to 26 of next year.
And then it’s on to Harrison, Texas — the venue for some of Horton Foote’s finest plays, and for The Day Emily Married, the story of a divorcee, approaching forty, who attaches herself to an extremely ambitious man while her mother tries to manipulate the couple into moving in with her and Emily’s father. “Although the current theatre season is still in its infancy, The Day Emily Married sets some high standards to match on every artistic level,” says Broadway World’s Michael Dale. “An evening with the Davis family may not be terribly comfortable, but they’ll send you home exhilarated.” Sbarbori directs; the cast will include Jane Squier Bruns and John Decker. From July 10 to August 2, 2020.
Subscriptions to Quotidian’s 2019-2020 season available here.
