Dirt Dogs Theatre Co. to Present CLYBOURNE PARK

Dirt Dogs Theatre Co. will present the award-winning Clybourne Park by Bruce Norris, directed by Ron Jones.

ABOUT THE PLAY

An homage to Lorraine Hansberry's 1959 play, A Raisin in the Sun, Clybourne Park examines the evolution of a Chicago neighborhood over a 50-year time span. Act One takes place in 1959, as white community leaders anxiously try to stop the sale of a home to a Black family. Act Two is set in the same house in 2009, as the now predominantly African American neighborhood battles to hold its ground in the face of gentrification. With the same cast appearing in both acts, Clybourne Park examines how people and places evolve over time and play different roles in society's progress-or the hindrance thereof.

Originally staged Off-Broadway at Playwrights Horizons in 2010, Clybourne Park is one of two plays to receive the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and both the Olivier and Tony Awards for Best New Play.

ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT

Bruce Norris is a multi-award-winning playwright originally from Houston, best known for Clybourne Park. In 2018, Norris' play, Downstate, premiered at Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre and transferred to London's National Theatre in 2019. His other plays include The Low Road, an adaptation of Bertolt Brecht's The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui, The Qualms, A Parallelogram, The Unmentionables, The Pain and the Itch, and Purple Heart, all of which premiered at Steppenwolf where Norris is an ensemble member.

ABOUT THE DIRECTOR

Ron Jones, a respected and well-known actor, director, and producer, is once again working with Dirt Dogs Theatre Co. after directing the regional premiere of White Guy on the Bus in 2019. With more than 50 years in the industry, Jones has directed nearly 150 productions and acted in 100. Jones spent the bulk of his career teaching theatre for HISD and Lone Star College before his retirement. He is the former Artistic Director of New Heights Theatre and Celebration Theatre, which was dedicated to celebrating diversity.

DDTCo. Artistic Director, Malinda L. Beckham, who appears in Clybourne Park as Bev/Kathy, is pleased to collaborate with Jones once again. "Ron is not only a Houston treasure artistically, he's a personal treasure of true friendship and collaboration. If you ever have the opportunity to work with Ron, jump on it. You will be enlightened both on and off the stage."

Beckham also serves as the show's costume designer. The remainder of the creative team includes Mark Lewis (scenic design), Kris Phelps (lighting design), Travis Ammons (sound design), John Baker (production manager), and Barbara Alicea-Aponte (production stage manager).

BOX OFFICE
713.521.4533 | https://matchouston.org/events/2022/clybourne-park