Showing titles in Drama & Plays

Sonia, a Cuban exiled during Castro's rise to power, is forced to relive her tumultuous childhood when her only son enlists in the military following 9/11. Using humor and sensitivity, Sonia Flew paints a lyrical portrait of two families in two countries over a 40-year span.

With wisdom, humor and insight, The Busy World Is Hushed examines the contradictions we find in our faith, our families and ourselves. Hannah, a widowed Episcopal minister, is hoping to translate a long-lost gospel when she is challenged by both her scholarly assistant and her wayward gay son. But when family secrets are revealed, only the intercession of a stranger can help Hannah find peace.

At the center of Cassandra Medley's play is the controversial idea that higher concentrations of melanin in the genetic makeup of people of color make them mentally, physically, and spiritually superior. Based on the scientific studies of her ironically now-deceased father, Kalima, a fledging molecular scientist looking to come to her own has a difficult time owning his flawed research. Her mother Claire, who carry's her deceased husband's scientific torch has a hard time reckoning with her daughter's enlightenment.

Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Wendy Wasserstein spins a comic and moving tale about the pitfalls that await female political appointees. On the eve of Dr. Lyssa Dent Hughes' nomination as Surgeon General, a witty and dangerous cast of characters stir the calm waters of her Georgetown home.

A timely and hauntingly beautiful new opera with libretto by Pulitzer Prize-winner Leroy Aarons and score by accomplished composer Glenn Paxton. Scandal erupts in the White House - and in the national press - when Thomas Jefferson's longtime love affair with his slave mistress Sally Hemings is revealed.

This Tony Award-winning play, set in New York City in 1850, centers on the painfully shy Catherine Sloyer, who lives in Washington Square with her father. When Catherine falls in love with a handsome suitor, Dr. Sloyer threatens to disinherit her, convinced that the young man could only be interested in her fortune. The decisions Catherine makes and their surprising consequences mark The Heiress as a complex and satisfying portrait of the American character.

A highly-placed school official is accused of buying drugs on the street. Is he an out-of-control addict or a victim of discrimination? Voir Dire - a legal term meaning “to say what is true”- is the story of the racially-mixed jurors who will decide the official’s fate. An L.A. Theatre Works full-cast performance featuring Christine Avila, Barbara Bosson, Shannon Cochran, Ella Joyce, Kevin Kilner and Amy Pietz. Directed by Ken Frankel. Recorded before a live audience.

A behind-the-scenes story of a high-stakes political drama that dared the country and its citizens to look into the mirror - and change. Robert Kennedy had an early mistrust of Dr. Martin Luther King and his tactics, but became one of the civil rights movement’s greatest champions.

In Neat, writer/performer Charlayne Woodard shares her memories of growing up black in America in the '60s and '70s. The play focuses around the life of Woodard's Aunt Beneatha, Neat, who was mistakenly fed camphor oil as a baby, resulting in permanent brain damage. Stories of family and of time spent with Neat are weaved together with touching results.

In Michael Hollinger’s look at the discordant backstage world of classical music, The Lazara Quartet has just fired one of its members, and his replacement is wary of the group’s reputation for personal, violent quarrels. And as they prepare for a command performance at the White House, they’re haunted by their former colleague’s sudden disappearance.

They may go to the same school, but misfits Solomon, Diwata and Howie have never met and their teachers and peers just don't take them seriously - until a sex scandal involving one of their teachers brings them together. Soon they realize that three voices are stronger than one. And since their school has no speech and debate squad, maybe this is their chance to be heard at last - by the school and even the world.

Ah, to be young, gifted, and broke! Three struggling artists swindle an art collector in Keith Bunin's critically acclaimed new play. Exploring a complex labyrinth of love, friendship, and true intimacy with moon-washed delicacy, Bunin's deft dialogue drives this beautifully constructed play to its soul-shattering climax.

Smith's edgy and funny The Watts Towers Project focuses on Simon Rodia, the Italian immigrant who spent 33 years building his towers: only to walk away from them, never to return. Smith blends his own childhood, the life of Rodia, and the last quarter-century of L.A. history to create (in the words of Back Stage West) a "wonderfully eclectic piece".

In the second “battle” of Ayckbourn’s celebrated triology The Norman Conquests, we rejoin the family weekend, this time hearing the events in the living room, where Norman gets drunk on homemade dandelion wine – and all hell breaks loose. Norman unleashes his merry brand of manipulative charm on the hapless guests and even his most formidable opponents go down in defeat on the drawing room rug.

Molly Sweeney, by the great Irish playwright Brian Friel, tells the story of married couple Molly and Frank, who live in a remote Irish village. Molly has been blind since birth, but now a surgeon - Mr. Rice - believes he may be able to restore her sight. In a series of interwoven monologues, Molly Sweeney takes us into the minds of three people with very different expectations of what will happen when Molly regains her vision.

The Tony Award-winning playwright and creator of TV's MASH has fashioned a wickedly funny satire about the Iran-Contra Senate hearings and their participants. A top-notch Hollywood cast, headed by Walter Matthau, brings this scathing comedy to life.

When Jon attends the premier of his movie in the Lansing Film Festival, he faces the most important weekend of his young life, but not in ways he expected. His old pal, Vince, has been stewing for a decade and their high school friend, Amy, is now the assistant district attorney in Lansing. Edgy humor gives way to fiery confrontation that examines memory and perception.

New York dilettante Marjorie Taub, a middle-aged doctor's wife, is hooked on culture - mornings at the Whitney, afternoons at MOMA, evenings at BAM. Plunged into a mid-life crisis of Medea-like proportions, she's shaken out of her lethargy by the reappearance of a fascinating childhood friend.

Neil Simon's hilarious, semi-autobiographical Tony Award-winning play stars Josh Radnor and Justine Bateman. This production features an exclusive interview with the prolific playwright.

In 1947, witty, outspoken, irascible Dalton Trumbo (Academy Award-winning screenwriter of Roman Holiday and Spartacus) went to prison for defying the House Committee on Un-American Activities and became one of the famed Hollywood Ten. Through his wildly funny and thought-provoking correspondence, Trumbo's son has created a touching portrait of an extraordinary man.