Tracie Hansom

Playhouse on the Square, in partnership with Gene and Carol Katz, Karen McCarthy, and Super Sponsor Dr. Thomas Ratliff, present Lisa Loomer's new play dedicated to the controversial Roe versus Wade decision.

The Circuit Playhouse, in partnership with super sponsor Dr. Thomas Ratliff, offer the 2017 Pulitzer Prize winner as its first play of the new year.

When a mysterious invitation brings Blanche DuBois back to New Orleans, she finds herself once again face-to-face with the smoldering Stanley Kowalski. They are soon joined by luckless salesman Willy Loman and hard-drinking couple George and Martha, and suddenly all bets are off. Add a folksy Stage Manager and the comic genius of The Second City team, and the question becomes: Will the American theatre ever be the same?

When a mysterious invitation brings Blanche DuBois back to New Orleans, she finds herself once again face-to-face with the smoldering Stanley Kowalski. They are soon joined by luckless salesman Willy Loman and hard-drinking couple George and Martha, and suddenly all bets are off. Add a folksy Stage Manager and the comic genius of The Second City team, and the question becomes: Will the American theatre ever be the same?

When a mysterious invitation brings Blanche DuBois back to New Orleans, she finds herself once again face-to-face with the smoldering Stanley Kowalski. They are soon joined by luckless salesman Willy Loman and hard-drinking couple George and Martha, and suddenly all bets are off. Add a folksy Stage Manager and the comic genius of The Second City team, and the question becomes: Will the American theatre ever be the same?

When a mysterious invitation brings Blanche DuBois back to New Orleans, she finds herself once again face-to-face with the smoldering Stanley Kowalski. They are soon joined by luckless salesman Willy Loman and hard-drinking couple George and Martha, and suddenly all bets are off. Add a folksy Stage Manager and the comic genius of The Second City team, and the question becomes: Will the American theatre ever be the same?

In Cyprus, Texas, all good children are taught to obey the teachings of the bible in order to avoid Satan's evil grip. But when students at the Christian Puppet Ministry put those teachings into practice, one devout young man's puppet takes on a mind of its own with consequences that no one could have expected. Described by The New York Times as "disturbing as it is uproarious,"  this hilarious fast-paced comedy features a foul-mouthed sock puppet named Tyrone who shows us that sometimes our deepest and darkest desires can fit like a glove. P.S. This show may feature puppets, but it is absolutely not for children. Seriously. You'll thank us later. 

In Cyprus, Texas, all good children are taught to obey the teachings of the bible in order to avoid Satan's evil grip. But when students at the Christian Puppet Ministry put those teachings into practice, one devout young man's puppet takes on a mind of its own with consequences that no one could have expected. Described by The New York Times as "disturbing as it is uproarious,"  this hilarious fast-paced comedy features a foul-mouthed sock puppet named Tyrone who shows us that sometimes our deepest and darkest desires can fit like a glove. P.S. This show may feature puppets, but it is absolutely not for children. Seriously. You'll thank us later. 

The New Moon Theatre Company brings a fresh serving of Tennessee Williams to Memphis. ORPHEUS DESCENDING, directed by Gene Elliot, opened last weekend at the Evergreen Theater.

A 2013 Pulitzer Prize finalist fresh from off-Broadway, the regional premiere of Rapture, Blister, Burn, by Gina Gionfriddoushers into the Next Stage at Theatre Memphis and runs April 3 - 19, 2105.

While watching the Next Stage production of Gina Gionfriddo's RAPTURE, BLISTER, BURN at Theatre Memphis, I was reminded of John Van Druten's screenplay for the 1943 Warner Brothers film OLD ACQUAINTANCE. It was one of those 'women pictures' which provided thespic opportunities for the likes of actresses like Bette Davis and Miriam Hopkins, who, in fact, were the lead players in this particular film. In their youth, the two women had been friends, but as their paths parted in life, the Davis character, brittle and alone, became a critically acclaimed (if financially challenged) author, while the Hopkins character, finally penning a bestseller (trash that it is, it rakes in the 'big bucks'), jealously desires what Davis has. I couldn't help thinking, if Gionfriddo's RAPTURE had fallen into the hands of a director like Vincent Sherman, I could see Davis as the 'Catherine Croll' character, who, despite national recognition and an evidently fulfilling career, begins to have doubts about her life choices. (If you've ever seen the famous car scene in Joseph L. Mankiewicz's ALL ABOUT EVE, also starring Davis, you'll hear the character of stage actress 'Margo Channing' lament what a woman gives up when she devotes herself entirely to a career: I wonder if this very scene influenced Ms. Gionfriddo in her characterizations.) The other character, 'Gwen,' would obviously have been given over to Hopkins, who would have shone as the once promising woman who jettisoned her own burgeoning promise to marry 'Don Harper,' who once had been Catherine's intended (George Brent, anyone?).

?A 2013 Pulitzer Prize finalist fresh from off-Broadway, the regional premiere of Rapture, Blister, Burn, by Gina Gionfriddo ushers into the Next Stage at Theatre Memphis and runs tonight, April 3 - 19, 2105.

?A 2013 Pulitzer Prize finalist fresh from off-Broadway, the regional premiere of Rapture, Blister, Burn, by Gina Gionfriddo ushers into the Next Stage at Theatre Memphis and runs April 3 - 19, 2105.