Boston Playwrights' Theatre's
27th Season of New Plays

Boston Playwrights' Theatre has announced the schedule for it's 27th season of new plays.  The line-up includes:

October 9 - 26
"Miss Margaret LaRue in 'Milwaukee'"
Written & Directed by Wesley Savick
Miss Margaret LaRue was a star back in the day when anything and everything was possible, but where is she now?  Written and directed by former BPT Resident Director and newly minted BPT alum Wesley Savick, "Miss Margaret LaRue in ‘Milwaukee’" is his homage to all of our hometowns -- the ones we abandoned for the bright lights and the fascinating, exciting lives we saw ahead of us.

November 6 - 23
"The Oil Thief"
Written by Joyce Van Dyke
Directed by Judy Braha
Featuring Melinda Lopez as Amy, a petroleum geologist, and Will Lyman as her long-time partner Rex, "The Oil Thief" explores the geological rift between lovers unexpectedly in crisis. The emotionally charged triangle between Amy, Rex and Aleksi, a young translator who pushes into their lives, leads Amy to question her own ideas of freedom and responsibility in the world -- both personal and global.

January 22 - February 8, 2009
"Daughter of Venus"
Written by Howard Zinn
Directed by Wesley Savick
NOTE: Performances the first weekend will be presented at C. Walsh Theatre, 55 Temple Street on Beacon Hill. Thereafter, performances will be presented at Boston Playwrights' Theatre, at 949 Commonwealth Avenue. "Daughter of Venus" shows a family in pain, a mother too fragile to carry the weight of her husband’s desires, and a father and daughter emotionally distant to the point of despair.  Sometimes the choices we make (or don’t make) have vast repercussions on our world and the people we love.  By the author of "A People’s History of the United States," "Marx in Soho" and "Emma."  "Daughter of Venus,"  a New England Premiere, is a co-production with Suffolk University. ("Daughter of Venus" is also part of Suffolk University's Zinn Fest.  See details below.) 

March 27-April 11, 2009
"The Wrestling Patient"
Written by Kirk Lynn in collaboration with Katie Pearl & Anne Gottlieb
Directed by Katie Pearl
NOTE: "The Wrestling Patient" will be presented at the Stanford Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA, 527 Tremont Street in Boston's South End.
Based on the true story of the young Jewish writer Etty Hillesum, this new play chronicles Etty’s remarkable journey into the emerging science of psychology just as WWII engulfs her native Amsterdam.  "The Wrestling Patient," a world premiere, is a co-production with Forty Magnolias Productions and SpeakEasy Stage Company.

Suffolk University's
"ZINN FEST" 
A city-wide Theater celebration of the work of Howard Zinn
Howard Zinn is Visiting Professor in the Suffolk University College of Arts and Sciences for 2008-2009. During the school year, Suffolk University, Boston Playwrights' Theatre and Central Square Theater will come together in a unique collaboration celebrating Dr. Zinn’s plays, activism, and scholarship.  The schedule of performances follows below.
 
Tuesday, October 28, 2008 - 4 p.m.
"Emma" 
Directed by Marilyn Plotkins
A reading of Dr. Zinn’s play about controversial 19th century anarchist Emma Goldman and her life-long, world-wide struggle against oppression. Presented by the Suffolk University Theatre Department and featuring Suffolk students, alumni and faculty.
At C. Walsh Theatre, 55 Temple Street on Beacon Hill
Admission is free and open to the public.
The reading will be followed by a talk-back session with Dr. Zinn.

November 20 - 22 
"Shouting Theatre in a Crowded Fire"
Inspired by the writings of Howard Zinn; written and directed by Wesley Savick.
Equal parts Marx and Marx Brothers, "Shouting Theatre in a Crowded Fire" catapults the writings of Howard Zinn through a dizzying American landscape of game shows, pop music, and fractured reenactments of the Group Theatre, the Living Theatre, and "The Crucible." Presented by the Suffolk University Theatre Department.
C. Walsh Theatre, 55 Temple Street, Beacon Hill.
Ticket information to be announced
Followed by a talk-back sessions with Dr. Zinn (date to be announced).
 
January 22 - February 8, 2009
"Daughter of Venus"
(as listed above)
A performance at Suffolk will be followed by a talk-back session with Dr. Zinn and Suffolk Scholar in Residence James Carroll, screenwriter of the film"Constantine’s Sword" (date and time to be announced).

Friday, March 6, 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, March 7, 4:00 pm and 8:00 p.m.
Central Square Theater presents
"Marx in Soho"
By Howard Zinn
Directed by David Wheeler
Central Square Theater, 450 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge
A staged reading of Zinn’s witty and insightful “play on history.”  It's the afterlife, and Karl Marx is out to clear his name. Through a bureaucratic error, he's sent to Soho in New York, rather than to his old stomping ground in London, in order to make his case.  Zinn introduces us to Marx's wife, his children, the anarchist Mikhail Bakunin, and a host of other characters.
 
As the culminating event of the Zinn Fest, "Marx in Soho" will be followed by an open conversation with festival artists, community organizers, and scholars. Tickets are free (suggested donation is $10), however reservations are required to guarantee a seat. Call 617-576-9278 x213.

For tickets and information on any and all Boston Playwrights' Theatre performances, call 1-866-811-4111.

-- OnStage Boston