{"id":10107,"date":"2015-03-06T15:06:44","date_gmt":"2015-03-06T20:06:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/college.unc.edu\/?p=10107"},"modified":"2024-07-02T16:07:07","modified_gmt":"2024-07-02T16:07:07","slug":"playmakersnewseason","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/collegearchive.unc.edu\/?p=10107","title":{"rendered":"PlayMakers announces 2015-2016 season"},"content":{"rendered":"

A Pulitzer Prize-winner straight from Broadway, the world premiere of a new adaptation of a timeless classic and a tour de force musical by Stephen Sondheim will highlight the six-play 2015-2016 main-stage season from PlayMakers Repertory Company.<\/p>\n

The theater will also present three topical, thought-provoking shows in its PRC2<\/sup> second- stage season. The PRC2<\/sup> series is a dynamic combination of exciting stories on stage followed by a \u201csecond act\u201d of engaging post-show dialogue between the artists, expert panelists and the audience.<\/p>\n

PlayMakers is the professional theater company in residence at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. All performances will be presented in UNC-Chapel Hill\u2019s Center for Dramatic Art on Country Club Road. Main-stage productions will be in the Paul Green Theatre; PRC2<\/sup> shows in the Elizabeth Price Kenan Theatre.<\/p>\n

Subscription packages are available for purchase. Renewing subscribers can secure their current seats for the new season through May 1. Call (919) 962-7529 or visit http:\/\/www.playmakersrep.org<\/a> for information.<\/p>\n

Main-stage productions for 2015-2016 are:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cDisgraced\u201d by Ayad Akhtar: Sept. 16 to Oct. 4, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n

The season opens with the regional premiere of \u201cDisgraced,\u201d winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the Obie Award for Best Playwriting. In the play, an upwardly mobile Pakistani-American lawyer has achieved success while distancing himself from his Muslim heritage. When he and his wife host a dinner party, friendly conversation turns to politics and religion, escalating into something far more dangerous in this breathtaking comedy-drama. Variety calls it \u201ca blistering social drama\u201d and The New York Times said it \u201c<\/strong>bristles with wit and intelligence,\u201d naming \u201cDisgraced\u201d one of its Ten Best Plays of the Year.<\/p>\n

\u201cDear Elizabeth\u201d by Sarah Ruhl: Oct. 14 to Nov. 1, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n

Described as a play in letters from Elizabeth Bishop to Robert Lowell and back again, \u201cDear Elizabeth\u201d depicts the 30-year marriage of minds between two acclaimed poets as revealed through a lifetime of their intimate correspondence. Words soar across decades and continents, as their story comes alive with intelligence and whimsy. The San Francisco Chronicle describes the play as \u201csheer magic.\u201d The San Jose Mercury News said it \u201ccaptures both the enchantment of poetry and the alienation of reality in equal measure.\u201d PlayMakers\u2019 production will star company member Ray Dooley, recently seen as Puck in \u201cA Midsummer Night\u2019s Dream,\u201d and Ellen McLaughlin, who appeared at PlayMakers in \u201cAll My Sons\u201d and \u201cPenelope.\u201d<\/p>\n

“Peter and the Starcatcher” by Rick Elice, based on the novel by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, with music by Wayne Barker: Nov. 18 to Dec. 12, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n

An apprentice Starcatcher and an orphan boy take to the high seas in this whimsical origin story of \u201cThe Boy Who Never Grew Up.\u201d Along the way they meet many of the beloved characters immortalized by \u201cPeter Pan\u201d author J. M. Barrie. This is a wildly theatrical, madcap journey with a dozen actors portraying more than 100 unforgettable roles in a swashbuckling story that will delight adults and children alike.<\/p>\n

New York Magazine describes \u201cPeter\u201d as “miraculous \u2026 spectacle, wit and joy spill out of this production like treasure from a magic pocket.” The New York Times says “with grown-up theatrical savvy and a child\u2019s wonder… this show never stops flying.”<\/p>\n

\u201cThree Sisters\u201d by Anton Chekhov, world premiere adaptation by Libby Appel: Jan. 20 to Feb. 7, 2016<\/strong><\/p>\n

In Chekhov\u2019s landmark drama, sisters Olga, Masha and Irina languish in a provincial town far from their beloved Moscow, yearning for the sparkling city of their childhood, where they are sure all wishes will be fulfilled. \u201cThree Sisters\u201d is a masterful look at a family navigating the space between reality and dreams. This will be the world premiere production of a new adaptation by the director of PlayMakers\u2019 \u201cVanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c<\/strong>We Are Proud to Present a Presentation About the Herero of Namibia, Formerly Known as South West Africa, From the German S\u00fcdwestafrika, Between the Years 1884-1915\u201d by Jackie Sibblies Drury: Feb 24 to March 13, 2016<\/strong><\/p>\n

In a present-day rehearsal, a performance piece on a little-known episode of early 20th<\/sup> century genocide takes a jolting turn when the actors \u2014 three black and three white \u2014tap into personal resentments and sublimated prejudices. Tensions mount as they expose more of themselves than they ever wanted to. The Washington Post raved, calling \u201cWe Are Proud to Present \u2026\u201d \u201ca genuine thunderbolt \u2026 devastatingly funny \u2026 dangerous and primal.\u201d Backstage Magazine said the play delivers \u201c90 minutes of original, enlightening, pulse-pounding theater.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, a Musical Thriller\u201d music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, book by Hugh Wheeler, from an adaptation by Christopher Bond, originally directed on Broadway by Harold Prince, orchestrations by Jonathan Tunick: March 30 to April 23, 2016 <\/strong><\/p>\n

A brilliant tale of obsession and revenge, \u201cSweeney Todd\u201d combines melodrama, murder \u2014 and \u201cthe worst pies in London\u201d \u2014 with a sumptuous score by the incomparable Stephen Sondheim. The murderous barber and his culinary accomplice Mrs. Lovett take the audience on a spellbinding journey of comic turns and thrilling drama. The New York Times proclaimed the multiple Tony Award-winner a \u201cwhopping grisly yarn\u201d and \u201cthumping good entertainment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dates and descriptions of the plays in the PRC2 <\/sup>second-stage series:<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cUncle Ho to Uncle Sam\u201d written and performed by Trieu Tran: Aug. 26-30, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n

A Vietnamese boy and his family barely escape the fall of Saigon and the horrors of a Viet Cong re-education camp to become refugees, at last coming to America. Tran tells of his riveting journey of hardship and brutality, with a new world of gang war, hip hop and Shakespeare on the other side. The Seattle Times says this haunting search for sanctuary is \u201cno storybook saga \u2026 [it\u2019s] a powerful tale of blistering force.\u201d Tran appeared as a series regular on HBO\u2019s \u201cThe Newsroom.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHighway 47\u201d written and performed by KJ Sanchez: Jan. 6-10, 2016 <\/strong><\/p>\n

An immensely entertaining storyteller, Sanchez spins a true tale of tangled history in the high desert New Mexico town where her family was among the original settlers under the Spanish Land Grants of 1734. Almost 300 years later, the holds of heritage have deteriorated and the community devolved in a quagmire of disputed land rights and lawsuits \u2014 with her father playing a prominent role. The Chicago Sun Times calls Sanchez \u201ca tour de force performer and powerful writer.\u201d<\/p>\n

TBA: April 27 to May 1, 2016 <\/strong><\/p>\n

PlayMakers is finalizing plans to present a third play in the PRC2<\/sup> series. Information will be released soon.<\/p>\n

For information on PlayMakers\u2019 2014-2015 season, currently presenting \u201cAn Enemy of the People\u201d by Henrik Ibsen, adapted by Arthur Miller (on stage through March 15), followed by the Obie Award-winning \u201c4000 Miles\u201d by Amy Herzog (April 1-19) and \u201cMary\u2019s Wedding\u201d by Stephen Massicote (April 29-May 3), visit http:\/\/www.playmakersrep.org<\/a> or call (919) 962-PLAY (7529).<\/p>\n

Based in UNC-Chapel Hill\u2019s College of Arts and Sciences, PlayMakers is the Carolinas\u2019 premiere resident professional theater company.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A Pulitzer Prize-winner straight from Broadway, the world premiere of a new adaptation of a timeless classic and a tour de force musical by Stephen Sondheim will highlight the six-play 2015-2016 main-stage season from PlayMakers Repertory Company.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10107","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-fine-arts-humanities"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/collegearchive.unc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10107","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/collegearchive.unc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/collegearchive.unc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/collegearchive.unc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/collegearchive.unc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=10107"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/collegearchive.unc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10107\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":47188,"href":"https:\/\/collegearchive.unc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10107\/revisions\/47188"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/collegearchive.unc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=10107"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/collegearchive.unc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=10107"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/collegearchive.unc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=10107"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}