Primary Stages (Casey Childs, Founder & Executive Producer; Andrew Leynse, Artistic Director; Elliot Fox, Managing Director) has announced the line-up for its upcoming 27th season of producing new works with the world premieres of two plays: Olive and the Bitter Herbs by Charles Busch; Rx by Kate Fodor; and the New York premiere of The Morini Strad by Willy Holtzman; and In Mother Words, conceived by Susan R. Rose and Joan Stein, and written by Leslie Ayvazian, David Cale, Jessica Goldberg, Beth Henley, Lameece Issaq, Lisa Loomer, Michele Lowe, Marco Pennette, Lisa Ramirez, Theresa Rebeck, LuAnne Rice, Annie Weisman and Cheryl L. West at Primary Stages at 59E59 Theaters (59 East 59th Street).
In a statement,
Casey Childs,
Primary Stages Founder & Executive producer, said, "Our 27th season will include four new works by 16 playwrights. All of these plays are New York premieres and two are world premieres. We commissioned this new work from Charles and Willy wrote his play with
Primary Stages in mind." He went on to add, "This ambitious season will be a perfect example of how
Primary Stages continues to cultivate opportunities for writers at all stages of development. We are thrilled to present the new works of our long time collaborators as well as the next generation of
American Playwrights." He closed by saying, "We are committed to doing what we can to make great theater accessible in New York and are pleased that we can continue to keep our ticket prices affordable."
Opening the 2011-2012 season is the world premiere of a new comedy commissioned by Primary Stages, Olive and the Bitter Herbs by Tony nominated playwright, Charles Busch. In his latest comedy, actress Olive Fisher sees a ghost in her mirror, but that's the least of her problems. Her radiator's broken, the couple next door stinks up her apartment with exotic cheeses, and the highlight of her long career was a sausage commercial in the '80s. While she's not the most popular tenant, her neighbors invite themselves over and she finds herself hosting a Passover Seder. But are Olive's guests there to see her or the mysterious man in her mirror? Olive and the Bitter Herbs is a comedy about connecting to the people in our lives--those with us and those who have passed on. Performances begin July 26, 2011 for a limited run through September 3, 2011. Opening night is set for Tuesday evening, August 9, 2011 at 7:00 p.m.
The fall season at
Primary Stages continues with the New York premiere of the new play, In Mother Words, conceived by
Susan R. Rose and
Joan Stein, and written by
Leslie Ayvazian,
David Cale,
Jessica Goldberg,
Beth Henley,
Lameece Issaq,
Lisa Loomer,
Michele Lowe, Marco Pennette,
Lisa Ramirez,
Theresa Rebeck, Lu
Anne Rice, Annie Weisman and
Cheryl L. West, under the direction of
Lisa Peterson. As maddening as it is joyful, the subject of family is never devoid of great stories. When entrusting the subject to some of contemporary theater's most dynamic storytellers, what results is a thrilling tapestry of many colors. Utterly unpredictable, In Mother Words shatters traditional notions about parenthood, unveils its inherent comedy and celebrates the deeply personal truths that span generations. Pulitzer Prize winner
Beth Henley, Peabody Award winner
Theresa Rebeck, Michelle Lowe,
David Cale and other leading playwrights of our time breathe humor and honesty into every story, giving an illuminating voice to the adventure of raising a child. The play received its world premiere at Hartford Stage as Motherhood Out Loud and will receive its West Coast premiere at the
Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles this season. Performances begin September 20, 2011 for a limited engagement through October 29, 2011. Opening night is set for Tuesday evening, October 4, 2011 at 7:00 p.m.
The second half of the 27th season in 2012 begins with the world premiere of the new comedy, Rx by
Kate Fodor. Meena Pierotti's job is making her unhappy. Luckily, there's a pill for that. Well, not yet. But Meena has joined the clinical trial for a new drug targeting workplace depression. The trial gets messy, however, when she falls in love with her doctor, who himself is trying to enroll into a drug trial targeting heartbreak.
Kate Fodor's (100 Saints You Should Know) quirky comedy about romance in the age of prescription drugs asks what we really need to heal what ails us. Performances begin January 24, 2012 for a limited run through March 3, 2012. Opening night is set for Tuesday evening, February 7, 2012 at 7:00 p.m.
The 2011-2012 concludes with the New York premiere of the new play, The Morini Strad, by
Willy Holtzman directed by
Casey Childs,
Primary Stages Founder & Executive Producer. Inspired by the true New York story of concert violinist Erica Morini and her legendary Stradivari violin, The Morini Strad is a delicate duet between Erica, a difficult and former child prodigy, and Brian, a stubbornly independent violin maker she hires to restore and then sell her beloved Strad. As Brian makes the arrangements, the question of what will become of the priceless instrument threatens to destroy their unexpected friendship. Through classical music and fiery confrontations, Brian and Erica must face the choices they've made about their music and their lives. The play received its world premiere at City Theater in Pittsburgh, this past fall. Performances begin March 20, 2012 for a limited engagement through April 28, 2012. Opening night is set for Tuesday evening, April 3, 2012 at 7:00 p.m.
Primary Stages is committed to making great theater accessible in New York by continuing to keep ticket prices affordable. Single tickets for preview performances during the first two weeks of each production have been reduced to $45, with tickets for regular performances after opening remaining at $60.
Discounted 4-play subscription packages for previews and regular performances are now available, in addition to a special 5-play subscription package that includes the upcoming A.R. Gurney play, Black Tie. Information is available by calling TicketCentral at (212) 279-4200 or online at www.PrimaryStages.org.
The final production of the current 2010-2011 season at Primary Stages is the world premiere of the new comedy, Black Tie by A.R. Gurney directed by Mark Lamos. The cast features Ari Brand, Daniel Davis, Gregg Edelman, Carolyn McCormick, and Elvy Yost. Performances begin January 25, 2011 for a limited run through March 20, 2011. For additional information about Primary Stages, please visit the website at www.primarystages.org.
Photo Credit: Walter McBride/WM Photos
