{"id":5141,"date":"2013-03-19T22:11:01","date_gmt":"2013-03-20T03:11:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/college.unc.edu\/?p=5141"},"modified":"2024-07-02T14:20:49","modified_gmt":"2024-07-02T14:20:49","slug":"playmakers-2013-2014-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/collegearchive.unc.edu\/?p=5141","title":{"rendered":"PlayMakers announces 2013-2014 season"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
Joseph Haj, artistic director for PlayMakers. Photo by Andrea Akin.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Stephen Sondheim\u2019s Tony Award-winning musical \u201cAssassins,\u201d a world premiere by Chapel Hill native Loudon Wainwright III, and a mesmerizing duo of plays staged in and around an indoor pool are some of the highlights of the 2013-2014 season from PlayMakers Repertory Company.<\/p>\n

PlayMakers is the professional theater company in residence at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.<\/p>\n

The season will also feature Noel Coward\u2019s comedy classic \u201cPrivate Lives\u201d and the regional premiere of \u201cLove Alone\u201d by Deborah Salem Smith.<\/p>\n

The main-stage season will open with the 2010 Olivier Award-winner for Best New Play, \u201cThe Mountaintop\u201d by Katori Hall.<\/p>\n

The theater will also present three plays in its PRC2<\/sup> second-stage series. Each PRC2 <\/sup>performance includes engaging post-show dialogue between the artists and the audience. These conversations have become the hallmark of the series.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur new season features plays that we have been waiting for years to produce,\u201d said PlayMakers producing artistic director Joseph Haj. \u201cIt\u2019s an exciting lineup, which we\u2019re so pleased to bring to life for Triangle audiences.\u201d<\/p>\n

All performances will be presented in UNC\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 for 2013-2014 are available for purchase. Renewing subscribers can secure their current seats for the new season through May 1. Call (919) 962-PLAY (7529) or visit http:\/\/www.playmakersrep.org<\/a> for information.<\/p>\n

Dates and descriptions of the 2013-2014 main-stage plays<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Mountaintop\u201d by Katori Hall: Sept. 18 to Oct. 6, 2013<\/strong><\/p>\n

The season opens with a new play acclaimed from London to Broadway. Set on April 3, 1968 in Memphis at the Lorraine Motel, the story unfolds on the historic last night of Civil Rights icon Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. A visitation from a mysterious woman leads him to confront his innermost thoughts and fears on the stormy evening before his assassination. The play has garnered honors including the Olivier Award for Best New Play. The Independent (London) called it \u201cbreathtaking, hilarious and heart-stopping.\u201d Variety said \u201cThe Mountaintop\u201d is \u201cemotionally powerful and theatrically stunning.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMetamorphoses\u201d by Mary Zimmerman and \u201cThe Tempest\u201d by William Shakespeare: Performed in rotating repertory, Nov. 2 to Dec. 8, 2013<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Paul Green Theatre will be transformed into a wonderland complete with indoor pool for Zimmerman\u2019s mythological storytelling presented in tandem with Shakespeare\u2019s stormy classic. Haj will co-direct with Dominique Serrand (PlayMakers\u2019 \u201cImaginary Invalid,\u201d 2012.)<\/p>\n

\u201cMetamorphoses,\u201d based on Ovid\u2019s classic poem, presents the tales of Midas, Orpheus and Eurydice, Eros and Psyche, and others, to juxtapose the ancient and the contemporary in breathtaking storytelling and gorgeous imagery, exploring the timeless theme of love in all of its forms. The Chicago Sun-Times called it \u201caltogether transcendent\u201d and TIME Magazine described it as \u201ca glimpse of the divine.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Tempest\u201d has the distinction of being the Bard\u2019s last play and the theater\u2019s first work of magical realism. In the aftermath of a shipwreck of his own conjuring,\u00a0the exiled Prospero wields magical powers, illusion and manipulation\u00a0to restore his daughter Miranda to her rightful place. His machinations bring about revelations, romance\u00a0and redemption on a mysterious island.<\/p>\n

\u201cPrivate Lives\u201d by Noel Coward:<\/strong> Jan. 22 to Feb. 9, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sparks fly when divorced, newly remarried lovers land in adjacent honeymoon suites on one glorious evening on the Riviera, igniting a timeless battle of the sexes. A comic masterpiece wrapped in the epitome of glamour and whip-smart wit of the incomparable Noel Coward, \u201cPrivate Lives\u201d is sophisticated, urbane and as hilariously catty as they come. The New York Times called the Tony and Olivier Award-winner \u201can enduring marriage of wit and lust \u2026 one of the funniest comedies of the 20th century.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLove Alone\u201d by Deborah Salem Smith: Feb 26 to March 16, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n

After a routine medical procedure goes tragically wrong, a lawsuit ensues and the lives of both the patient\u2019s family and a doctor charged with her care are transformed.\u00a0This new drama focuses on two households as they navigate uncharted waters\u00a0of loss, anger, humor and longing on their path to healing. <\/strong>PlayMakers\u2019 production will be the regional premiere. The New York Times described \u201cLove Alone\u201d as \u201clucid, deeply nuanced and fearless work.\u201d The Boston Globe called it \u201cfirst rate \u2026 [a] gleaming gem.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAssassins,\u201d music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, book by John Weidman, based on an idea by Charles Gilbert, Jr.: April\u00a02 to April 20, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n

Multiple Tony Award-winner \u201cAssassins\u201d is a theatrical tour-de-force combining Sondheim\u2019s signature blend of intelligently stunning lyrics and beautiful music with a panoramic story of our nation\u2019s culture of celebrity and the violent means some will use to obtain it, embodied by America\u2019s four successful and five would-be presidential assassins. Haj will direct, with Jack Herrick of The Red Clay Ramblers as music director.<\/p>\n

\u201c<\/strong>Nothing quite prepares you for the disturbing brilliance of \u2018Assassins\u201d said The New York Times. \u201cDazzling in its originality\u201d reported Theaterweek. \u201cDark demented humor, as horrifying as it is hilarious\u201d said the Associated Press.<\/p>\n

In the PRC2 <\/sup>second-stage series: \u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cSurviving Twin,\u201d<\/strong> written and performed by Loudon Wainwright III: <\/strong>Sept. 4 to Sept. 8, 2013<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cSurviving Twin,\u201d conceived by Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter and Chapel Hill native son Loudon Wainwright III, is a posthumous collaboration combining and connecting his music with the writing of his late father, esteemed Life Magazine columnist Loudon Wainwright Jr. The focus of the piece is on fatherhood \u2014 being a father and having one. \u201cSurviving Twin\u201d explores the issues of birth, self-identity, loss, mortality, fashion and\u00a0pet ownership.<\/p>\n

Mojo Magazine said Wainwright is \u201cone of America\u2019s most astute lyrical commentators … compelling and emotionally overpowering.\u201d He has also acted in TV shows and films including \u201cM*A*S*H,\u201d \u201cBig Fish,\u201d \u201cThe 40 Year-Old Virgin\u201d and \u201cKnocked Up.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHold These Truths<\/strong>\u201d by Jeanne Sakata: Jan. 8 to Jan. 12, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n

During World War II, University of Washington student Gordon Hirabayashi fights the U.S. government\u2019s orders to forcibly remove and mass incarcerate all people of Japanese ancestry on the West Coast. As he struggles to reconcile his country\u2019s betrayal with his passionate belief in the U.S. Constitution, he begins a 50-year journey toward a greater understanding of America\u2019s triumphs \u2014 and a confrontation with its failures.\u00a0In May 2012, Hirabayashi was posthumously awarded the Medal of Freedom, the nation\u2019s highest civilian honor.<\/p>\n

StageScene LA called the show \u201cthe powerful and moving story of one man, who, in his own words \u2018could not give up on the Constitution.\u2019\u201d PlayMakers\u2019 production, the regional premiere, will be directed by Lisa Rothe, who directed the PRC2<\/sup> world premiere of \u201cPenelope\u201d (2012).<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Story of the Gun,\u201d created and performed by Mike Daisey, directed by Jean-Michele Gregory: April 23 to April 27, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n

In this world premiere, specially commissioned by PlayMakers, <\/strong>Daisey tackles his most provocative subject yet, America\u2019s national relationship with guns. Throwing easy answers and partisan bickering out the window, he delves into the history of the gun. How did it evolve as a weapon? What has gun ownership meant in different eras? What does it mean today? Daisey will cut through the political static with hilarious comedy, brilliant observation and pitch-perfect timing. The New York Times has called him \u201cThe master storyteller \u2014 one of the finest solo performers of his generation.\u201d<\/p>\n

For information on PlayMakers\u2019 remaining 2012-2013 season and special events, featuring the musical \u201cCabaret\u201d (April 3-21), or to purchase tickets, visit http:\/\/www.playmakersrep.org<\/a> or call (919) 962-PLAY (7529).<\/p>\n

Based in the College of Arts and Sciences, PlayMakers is the Carolinas\u2019 premiere resident professional theater company. New York\u2019s Drama League has named PlayMakers one of the \u201cbest regional theatres in America.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Stephen Sondheim\u2019s\u201cAssassins,\u201d a world premiere by Chapel Hill native Loudon Wainwright III, and a mesmerizing duo of plays staged in and around an indoor pool are some of the highlights of the 2013-2014 season from PlayMakers Repertory Company.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":5142,"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 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