MBS Productions Announces 2016/2017 Season
By: Rebecca Russo Jul. 24, 2016
Slave Letters
Created & conceived by Mark-Brian Sonna
October 13 - November 6, 2016
Due to record setting attendance we are bringing back our most acclaimed production at the larger Studio Theatre!
During the slave era of the United States most slaves were illiterate, but some secretly learned how to read and write. Some of these letters have survived and chronicle the daily life of slavery. While many detail the terrible conditions of slavery, others express intense humanity. These letters of love, longing, hope, and the quest for freedom are at times uplifting, horrifying, and even humorous, giving a voice to those who were oppressed. The reading of these letters is interspersed with Negro Spirituals and Slave Songs from the era. This ground breaking production is the first in its kind for it gives a voice to the millions who were subjugated.
"With Slave Letters at MBS Productions, Mark-Brian Sonna beautifully uses simplicity to shine light on voices from a dark period in American History..."
-Janice Franklin, TheaterJones.com
The Beulaville Baptist Book Club Presents: A Bur-Less- Q Nutcracker!
By Mark-Brian Sonna
November 25 - December 29, 2016, at the Studio Theatre
The hit cult show is back for its 10th smash year! The Beulaville Baptist Book Club, which is in dire straits financially, mistakenly hires the Velvet Kittens Burlesque troupe to do a performance of The Nutcracker. Winner of the 2014 National Nutcracker Award! Tickets are now on sale via the phone!!! Visit www.BurlesqueNutcracker.com for more information.
Love, Lust, & Lies
By Alejandro de la Costa
February 2, 2017- February 26, 2017, at the Stone Cottage Theatre
This vicious comedy about infidelity is about three college friends who reunite over dinner after 25 years. Jay is divorced, and Jeff is married to Audra. As the three reminisce, well-guarded secrets begin to emerge regarding their college days. Sometimes it is not a good idea to revisit old friends and the past. World Premiere.
...a moment in the life of Willa Dee Arvis
By Mark-Brian Sonna
March 30, 2017 - April 23, 2017, at the Stone Cottage Theatre
Dallas, Summer 1942: Two seemingly ordinary women, Willa Dee and her cousin Emily await the mail. National Geographic is doing a pictorial about American enlisted men training in the Bahamas, and they've gotten word that their husbands are featured in the photos. The arrival of the magazine and the viewing of the photographs opens up a Pandora's tinder box of memories, revelations and family secrets. As they reminisce, a mystery begins to unfold about a fateful evening. Willa Dee and Emily each possess different information about the events of what actually transpired. The arrival of family friend Euel, who holds the key to the mystery sets ablaze their emotions which forever alters the course of each of their lives. Touching, bitingly funny, and ultimately tragic, this play will move you and at the same time comfort you as you discover how each life, regardless of how mundane, is special.
"...a clear and unerring reminder of how superior theatre art not only entertains an audience but invites reflection and inspires introspection. The Audience members find themselves immediately and intimately drawn into sharing the joys and sorrows of the female protagonist. Her path of discovery leading to a startling, life-changing revelation is elevated from maudlin to universal level by masterful playwriting..." Alexandra Bonifield, Critical Rant & Rave
The Soul Gatherer
By Mark-Brian Sonna
June 1, 2017- July 2, 2017, at the Stone Cottage Theatre
On a stormy night a young woman suffering from catatonia begins to emerge from her years of silence with a series of painful screams. That same night her estranged brother is scheduled to arrive. The live-in nurse and maid become overwhelmed with trying to keep the young girl calm and call her Psychiatrist for help. There is a blackout. When the lights emerge a young man is found naked on the floor face down in a bed of feathers in a catatonic state. Is it a mass delusion, a physical embodiment of the girl's mental illness, a visitation of an angel, or is this visitor an imposter? Be prepared to be startled, provoked and intrigued by this most unique play.
The Soul Gatherer has been turned into an award winning film by the same name. It brings us pleasure to bring back
"The Soul Gatherer is perhaps the rawest, emotionally vulnerable and exciting piece of original theater I've seen in a very long time... Great theater should stretch our boundaries, and Mark-Brian has the hutzpah to take us to The Edge and back." Shelley Kaehr - Associate Theater Critic for John Garcia's THE COLUMN
"Sonna has a gift for trumping most theatre you see with verve and originality." Christopher Soden, Examiner.com
The Life and (cruel) Times of Conchita Zaragoza,
A Mambo Musical
By Mark-Brian Sonna
July 14, 2017 - August 6, 2017, at the Stone Cottage Theatre
Follow the life and misadventures of Conchita Zaragoza as she leaves her roots in rural Mexico to follow her dream of going to Hollywood! As a young woman Conchita watches a Carmen Miranda movie, and instantly decides that she will become the next Latin Superstar. She sews a Carmen Miranda dress (because that's what she thinks Americans dress) and heads north of the border, but mistakenly ends up in Marfa, Texas. The perennial optimist, she finds a job a at strip club. Undeterred, she uses her wiles and talents and turns it into the premiere supper club of West Texas and the Permian Basin! Determined to still make it to Hollywood, she hops on a bus, but because of her illiteracy she takes the wrong bus and ends up in Waxahachie, Texas. Once there, she finds herself working at the Renaissance Faire as the first Anne Boleyn to ever dance the Mambo! The question remains: Will she ever make it to Hollywood? World Premiere.
Ready to purchase your Season Punch Card?
Go to www.MBSProductions.net
You can also purchase over the phone by calling call 214-477-4942.
All performances are either at the Stone Cottage Theatre, or Studio Theatre. Both theatres are next to each other and are located at the Addison Conference and Theatre Center, 15650 Addison Road, Addison TX, 75001. All productions/dates/locations may be subject to change should the necessity arise. No Refunds.
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