Landing Theatre Company to Open 2016-17 with THE REDEMPTION SERIES
By: BWW News Desk Sep. 02, 2016
The Landing Theatre Company (LTC), Houston's professional company dedicated to advancing American Playwriting, opens their 2016-17 season with THE REDEMPTION SERIES: 12 original short plays in response to crisis in America.
In the wake of national tragedies such as the massacre at PULSE Night Club in Orlando, FL and the continuing fatal police shootings, LTC put out a national call for new plays that explore how we come together and move forward in times of crisis. Featuring plays from notable writers from around the country, we seek to find answers to these questions through laughter, tears, and community. See the series lineup below.
SUMMER STORM, by Jaisey Bates
Two spoken word poem plays: "'before the worst shooting in u.s. history,' they were dancing" and "I had a dream but now I'm woke" about the shooting at PULSE Nightclub and the killings of Alton Sterling and Philando Castille. Melanie Burke directs.
CRAM SCHOOL SNOW DAY, by Reina Hardy
Phones no longer have internet, the Great Republic has just acquired a sniper corps, and five cram school teachers are stuck at school on a Saturday snow day. No children have arrived. Suddenly chanting and the sounds of gunfire spill in from the streets outside. Rob Kimbro directs.
STOP FRISK, by Rich Rubin
A White cop stops a Black man on his way to visit a friend. After pinning him to the ground and taking his ID, the officer realizes that this was the high school football star he revered 20 years ago. Cheramie Hopper directs.
GYM CLASS HEROES, by Dillon Rouse
How hard would you work for a second chance? Marv, Ray, Lilly, and Harry push themselves past the limit at a Mixed Martial Arts gym - each with a past and literally fighting for a better future. Mara McGhee directs.
DOLPHINS AND SHARKS, by James Tyler
When new printers and computers keep appearing and the cost of printing keeps going up, Yusef and Isabel, who are making just over minimum wage at the Harlem print shop, debate whether or not to confront their manager about getting the raise they were promised upon hire - but at the risk of losing their jobs altogether, is it worth it? Vicky Comesanas directs.
NORTH BEND, by Ariene Jaffe
A mother packing boxes of non-perishable foods and wrapped cash explains to her son their plans to move away to North Bend, WA - off the grid and back to basics. Meanwhile her son, who suffers from paranoid personality disorder, keeps rambling about enemies lurking and arms himself to eradicate them. The question is: is he warning his mother about them or the voices in his head about his mother? Lauren Hance directs.
CREATURES OF HABIT, by Blaise Miller
Have you noticed how slated our news media has become since it's been "twitter-ized?" Can an entire story be told in 140 characters? If not, what information is "hot" enough to include - and more importantly, what critical information is left out? Sophia Watt directs.
BULL, by Peter Snoad
Two cops guard the statue of the iconic Wall Street Bull - one loves it; one plots to destroy it. Faced with the existential crisis of finding control over one's own life, the cops struggle to grasp how to live in a world with so much "bull" crushing their American Dream. Clara Goodwin directs.
THE BETROTHAL, by Germaine Shames
While searching through the rubble of a recently demolished home, an abandoned Syrian girl and a rookie American journalist discover an imaginary world beyond conflict and retribution. Rebecca Bernstein directs.
TWO BROKEN HEADLIGHTS, by Elliot Kreloff
Two Black cops pull over a White couple for a broken taillight. Now switch. Two White cops pull over a Black couple for a broken taillight. Four actors, two cars, one scenario - go! Jonathan Gonzales directs.
DALLAS/LOVE THE BOMB, by Josh Inocéncio
Five White police officers have been shot. A Black army veteran is hiding in an office building, wielding a sniper rifle. A robot sent to find the killer approaches, male-like with a white painted face. Knowing it was sent by the Dallas PD and knowing he won't make it out alive, he is forced to confront, in his final moments, what he's really dying for. Erika Watson directs.
DANCE AGAIN, by Emilio Rodriguez
Stephen M. Miranda directs this brief choreopoem for the Brown Boys in Orlando.
Tickets: Pay-what-you-can! ($25 suggested). The Landing Theatre @ the Docks is located at 1119 Providence Street, Houston, TX 77002. Performances: Thursdays-Saturdays @ 7:30pm, September 22 - October 1, 2016.
TALKBACK THURSDAYS: September 22 and 29 - a feature of all LTC shows. A chance to meet the artists, discuss the production and interact with us.
The Landing Theatre Company is currently holding auditions for their upcoming season productions: This is Modern Art, Small Jokes About Monsters, Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train, and In Darfur. All audition dates and show information can be found at www.landingtheatre.org.
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