McCarter Theatre Center Opens 2023-2024 Theatre Series With BULRUSHER by Eisa Davis

McCarter Theatre Center opens their 2023-2024 Theatre Series with Eisa Davis’ Bulrusher, a transformational coming-of-age story filled to the brim with passion, humor, and even a touch of magic; on stage in the Berlind Theatre September 13 – October 7th. This is a co-production with Berkeley Repertory Theatre, where the production will move after its run in Princeton.

“I’m so thrilled for ‘Bulrusher’ to be opening our season and to have Nicole A. Watson back in the director’s chair after leading the much-loved ‘Blues for an Alabama Sky’ to great success,” said Artistic Director, Sarah Rasmussen. “We couldn’t be more excited to produce this heartfelt and poetic play. The world of this play and its characters will stay with you long after you've seen it!”

Bulrusher transports audiences to the predominantly white town of Boonville, nestled in the majestic Redwoods of 1955 California. Orphaned as an infant and possessing the mystical gift of clairvoyance, Bulrusher feels her small-town world closing in around her, until a mysterious Black girl from Alabama arrives harboring a secret, awakening new discoveries and uncovering old truths.

“Any story that enlivens and expands our understanding of the variety of history and our shared past is a story worth telling,” said Nicole A. Watson, director of Bulrusher and McCarter’s Associate Artistic Director. “Bulrusher is a gift of a play in that is a story about finding love, home, and a sense of belonging in a variety of ways. It's complex, poetic, and rooted in this history of Northern California.”

A finalist for the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, Eisa Davis’ Bulrusher has charmed critics and audiences with its “big heart and wide-open soul” (Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune). The Hollywood Reporter praised Ms. Davis for her ability to convey “the power of many variants of intimacy, with their contending and complementary strands of anger and desire, rebellion and love.”

Ticket Information

Tickets start at $25 and are now on sale at McCarter.org or can be purchased by calling the Patron Services Office at 609-258-2787. Groups of 10 or more can save 20% off of tickets (zone restrictions apply.)

Princeton University Students can access free tickets with Passport to the Arts using code PUTIGER. More information on PU Student Tix for events at McCarter: McCarter.org/TigerTix

High School & College Students can access $25 tickets in advance with code STUTIX. Tickets can be picked up prior to the performance with a valid student ID.