American Stage Closes Season With THE FIGS

American Stage is closing out its 46th season with a world premiere. From July 10 - August 4, Doug Robinson’s The Figs will introduce audiences to a brand new fairytale and its eccentric cast of characters.

“This is a play with so many love stories - of lovers, and family, and travelers, and friends, and the land - it is about all the different loves that are lived in our lives, " says Producing Artistic Director Helen R. Murray, who will also direct.

The story in question is set into motion by a tyrannical king cursed with a fig obsession (yes, the fruit), and an inability to grow them himself. When the king promises his daughter's hand in marriage to whomever delivers the tastiest figs, the kingdom comes out in full force to vie for the princess' hand. Enter a family of fig farmers, a lovelorn innkeeper, a capricious swan, and a hilariously chaotic storyteller, played by Texas-based actor Kayland Jordan.

“While [the Storyteller] is most definitely the embodiment of magic and whimsy, she actually really enjoys structure. The Storyteller is the storywrangler,” says Jordan, referring to the Storyteller’s task of guiding both the characters and the audience on their respective journeys. “It is the characters of the fairytale that move the plot forward. She's just the mouthpiece,” she adds.

Jordan was most recently seen as Clare in Stage West Theatre’s production of Poor Clare. Other notable credits include Ruth Younger in A Raisin In The Sun, and Helena in A Midsummer Night's Dream at The Utah Shakespeare Festival. Kayland will originate the role as the Storyteller in The Figs.

Written by Doug Robinson, The Figs first appeared as a staged reading in American Stage’s Lift Every Voice New Play Festival in 2023. The festival, which is part of American Stage’s new play development initiative, gives emerging playwrights a platform and local audiences a taste of what they might expect for future productions. The Figs is the culmination of a year-long development process guided by Murray.

Though the story can be enjoyed by all ages, Murray says that the Figs calls on adults to revisit the unbounded creativity of childhood.

“This piece of theatre asks audiences to remember a time in their lives when they played and imagined. Just because we grew up does not mean we should leave those parts of ourselves behind. Come and play with us while we tell you a love story!”, says Murray.

 

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