Boston Theater Companies Collaborate to Produce Works of Annie Baker, 10/15-11/20

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Three Boston theatre companies will engage in a landmark local collaboration this fall to produce breakout writer Annie Baker's first three plays - CIRCLE MIRROR TRANSFORMATION, produced by the Huntington Theatre Company (October 15 - November 14), BODY AWARENESS, produced by SpeakEasy Stage Company (October 22 - November 20), and THE ALIENS, produced by Company One (October 29 - November 20). All set in the fictional town of Shirley, VT, the plays will run together in the first-ever festival dedicated to the work of this wryly observant young writer, which will be curated by the Huntington Theatre Company.

"I fell in love with the characters in these plays and with the idea of creating a fictional New England town at the Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA," says Huntington Artistic Director Peter DuBois. "Each of Annie's plays stands on their own with their imagination and subtle humor, and seen together they form a striking portrait of Shirley, Vermont. The same is true for this festival; each company has their own identity and audience, but together they bring out the richness of the work being presented at the Calderwood. Annie's writing makes you happy to be in the theatre, makes you want to celebrate our art form - I am thrilled we are embarking on this journey."

This festival presents a special opportunity to examine the rich and varied lives of a small town filled with humor, good intentions, unintended consequences, and accidental beauty. Audiences will experience three miniature portraits of Shirley, VT, a town not found on any map. The plays will have staggered openings beginning October 15 but run concurrently, providing audience members the opportunity see all three between October 30 and November 14. Special same-day "marathon" scheduling is being designed so that one will be able to attend the entire festival in one day.

Subscribers to each of the three participating companies will receive discount offers on the other two festival productions; single tickets will go on sale in August and be available on BostonTheatreScene.com. The Huntington will also present a reading of Annie Baker's NOCTURAMA, her fourth play set in Shirley, VT, in conjunction with the festival.

"We are thrilled to team up with up the Huntington and Company One to introduce Boston theatregoers to the delightful denizens of Shirley, Vermont," says SpeakEasy Stage Company Producing Artistic Director Paul Daigneault. "Both the partnership and the plays celebrate the importance and spirit of community."

"Annie Baker's voice is one of the freshest and most exciting on the American stage today," says Company One Artistic Director Shawn LaCount. "Company One shares her commitment to establishing community and exploring the fragility of the simple moments that is everyday life."

CIRCLE MIRROR TRANSFORMATION will run from October 15 - November 14, 2010 at the Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA (Wimberly Theatre). When the four students in Marty's creative drama class experiment with harmless theatre games, hearts are quietly torn apart and tiny wars of epic proportions are waged and won. Set in the Shirley, Vermont community center, this beautifully crafted new comedy mixes antic sadness and hilarious detail, and became a runaway hit Off Broadway. The New York Times called Circle Mirror Transformation, "Absorbing, unblinking, and sharply funny!" It was twice extended and played to sold-out houses at Playwrights Horizons in September - November 2009 and then remounted and extended once again in December 2009 - January 2010.

BODY AWARENESS will run from October 22 - November 20, 2010 at the Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA (Roberts Studio Theatre). "Body Awareness Week" on a Vermont college campus is the setting for this smart and touching comedy about ordinary people grasping for connection. Phyllis, the organizer, her partner Joyce and Joyce's grown son Jared are hosting one of the guest artists in their home, Frank, a photographer famous for his female nude portraits. While Phyllis is outraged by Frank's photos, Joyce is intrigued enough to consider posing for Frank, sparking a firestorm that could break apart their unconventional family. The New York Times called Body Awareness "an engaging new comedy by a young playwright with a probing understated voice," and The New Yorker called the play "an impressive and occasionally beautiful meditation on the mysteries of being moved." Body Awareness was first produced Off-Broadway by the Atlantic Theater Company in May 2008.

THE ALIENS will run from October 29 - November 20, 2010 at the Boston Center for the Arts (Plaza Theatre). In the town of Shirley, two 30-something dropouts hang out by the dumpster behind the coffee shop where they meditate on music, philosophy, shrooms, and Bukowski. When a teenage employee asks them to relocate, these disillusioned young men find the disciple they've been waiting for. A beat-tinged, psychotropic journey, Annie Baker's The Aliens is a funny and heartening look at friendship, ritual, and small town New England. Company One is proud to join the Huntington Theatre Company and SpeakEasy Stage Company in exploring the tiny spaces of our small towns.

Additional information about each of these productions and each company's 2010-2011 Season will be announced shortly.

For more information, visit online at www.huntingtontheatre.org, www.speakeasystage.com, or www.companyone.org.

 

Photo Credit: Amy Shaughnessy

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