Wendell B. Franklin News

Huntington Theatre Company presents a gripping production of Lynn Nottage's Pulitzer Prize-winning play that takes an unflinching look at the savagery of war and sees survival

This March, Berkeley Repertory Theatre proudly presents Ruined, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. A powerful new play about the harrowing lives of women in Africa, Ruined is written by Lynn Nottage and directed by Liesl Tommy.

Winner of the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, Ruined takes place in a small town in the war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo. There, Mama Nadi runs a cozy brothel where a soldier can put down his weapon and spend the evening in the company of beautiful women - for a price. Mama Nadi both protects and profits from the young women who work for her, and she is determined to keep the war at bay and the money flowing at any cost. But it's the hope of these courageous women that ultimately prevails. Expertly navigating relationships and politics, Ruined is rich with humor and music, celebrating the triumph of the human spirit.

The Desire, written and directed by Jackie Alexander (Primary Stages' Plenty of Time, feature film Joy), will begin preview performances at the Billie Holiday Theatre, Saturday, April 28th at 3PM. Starring Wendell B. Franklin, Heidi Kristoffer, Kellie E. McCants, Kerri Miller, Anthony Sandkamp, and Shane Taylor, the show will open Sunday, May 6th at 4PM.