Actor’s Express has announced six plays for its 2015-16 season, including a world premiere set against the backdrop of the Atlanta child murders.
Janine Nabers' "Serial Black Face," a drama about a mother coping with the disappearance of her young son, won the 2014 Yale Drama Series, selected from 1,638 entries from 41 countries. The competition's judge, playwright Marsha Norman, called Nabers' script "unsettling to read, but even as you read it, you know it is true."
The season includes two other world premieres (that will run in repertory) by Steve Yockey, the Atlanta playwright whose “Wolves” and “Pluto” previously were staged by the Westside troupe.
The 28th season lineup under the artistic direction of Freddie Ashley:
Sept. 12-Oct. 11: "Stupid (Expletive Deleted) Bird."
Aaron Posner’s (“My Name Is Asher Lev”) play is described as an irreverent “sort-of-adaptation” of “The Seagull,” about a passionate young director fighting for the future of his art while competing with a famous novelist for the affections of a beautiful young actress. His mother, an aging Hollywood star, struggles with fading youth and her lover’s wandering eye.
Oct. 31-Nov. 15: "The Thrush and the Woodpecker."
In Yockey’s revenge thriller, Brenda Hendricks tries to repair a fractured relationship with her son Noah, who has returned home from college following an act of vandalism. When a mysterious visitor arrives at their remote North Carolina home bearing secrets from Brenda’s past, the three find themselves on a collision course with betrayal and revenge.
Nov. 7-22: "Blackberry Winter."
This Yockey drama, a co-production with Out of Hand Theater developed with director Adam Fristoe, is a National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere. Carolyn Cook stars as Vivienne, who struggles with caring for her mother, an Alzheimer's patient who is vanishing slowly before her daughter's eyes. (Read the AJC's Personal Journey feature about Cook, whose experience caring for her mother informed the play, at www.myajc.com/forgotten-memories.)
Jan. 23-Feb. 28, 2016: "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street."
Stephen Sondheim’s Tony Award-winning musical.
March 29-April 23, 2016: "Serial Black Face."
Set in Atlanta in 1979, Nabers’ story charts a single mother’s brave journey of loss, love and learning. With the city gripped by the murders of 23 children, Vivian copes with the disappearance of her young son while working to give a fresh start to her troubled teenage daughter. When a handsome stranger enters her life with the promise of new love, she finds that nothing is as it seems.
May 21-June 19, 2016: "Significant Other."
A gay romantic comedy from Joshua Harmon, writer of Actor’s Express hit “Bad Jews.” It follows Jordan Berman, who navigates a string of workplace crushes, awkward first dates and romantic misadventures, wondering if he’ll ever find Mr. Right.
Season subscription packages are on sale at 404-607-7469, www.actors-express.com. Single tickets will go on sale July 10. Actor's Express is located in King Plow Arts Center, 887 W. Marietta St., Suite J-107, Atlanta.
About the Author
