Rec Room Announces 2019-2020 Theatrical Season
By: A.A. Cristi Aug. 16, 2019
Rec Room Arts has announced an exhilarating 2019/20 season under the leadership of Artistic Director Matt Hune. Rec Room's fourth year further establishes the company as an influential artistic hub presenting first-class works of theatre from a wide array of voices. The season includes an eclectic lineup of four Houston premiere productions as well as readings of two new plays as part of the Rec Room Residency program.
The main-stage productions include Lucy Kirkwood's acclaimed drama The Children, directed by Brandon Weinbrenner (The Royale); the regional premiere of Antionette Nwandu's Pass Over directed by Mekeva McNeil; the Obie Award winning play Appropriate by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, directed by Julia Oppenheim Traber; and concludes with the Pulitzer Prize and Susan Smith Blackburn Prize finalist, The Wolves, by Sarah DeLappe, directed by Sophia Watt.
"This is our boldest season yet," said Artistic Director Matt Hune, who is working alongside an incredible team of seasoned and emerging directors. "We begin with The Children, a fantastic ethical thriller, featuring an ensemble of theatre legends (who will be announced in the coming weeks), and followed by some of the most brilliant plays written in the last couple years with some of Houston's most creative artists. I couldn't be more excited for our must-see fourth season."
Rec Room Arts furthers its mission of developing new work for new audiences by supporting the development of two plays in a series of readings as part of the Residency program. Pulsate: A Vampire Musicalwritten by Faith Fossett and directed by Rachael Logue will be presented August 30-31. In the spring, local playwright, Elizabeth Keel, will workshop her play Corona.
"We've been fortunate enough to experience continued growth at Rec Room and this season is surely a testament to that," said Hune. "These plays explore our past, present, and future while speaking with stunning directness to the contemporary moment. I'm proud to say that this is the type of innovation and quality we've come to expect from Rec Room."
The entire Rec Room team is excited that every play of the season is a Houston premiere. While the theatre itself only seats up to 60 people, Rec Room Arts is helping put Houston on the map as a leader in innovative, new performance. "Our passion is to create epic productions in our modest downtown warehouse," Hune says. "We are advocates for new work and bold artists. We believe that in order for our city to be truly progressive and world-class, it must create and participate in progressive art. We work everyday to be part of that progression."
2019-2020 SEASON
TONY AWARD NOMINEE: BEST PLAY
HOUSTON PREMIERE
THE CHILDREN
Written by Lucy Kirkwood
Directed by Brandon Weinbrenner
Opening: November 9, 2019 | Closing: December 7, 2019
Two retired nuclear engineers in an isolated cottage on the lonely British coast as the world around them crumbles. Together they are going to live forever on yogurt and yoga, until an old friend arrives with a frightening request.
OBIE AWARD: BEST NEW AMERICAN PLAY
HOUSTON PREMIERE
APPROPRIATE
Directed by Julia Oppenheim Traber
Opening: March 28, 2020 | Closing: April 18, 2020
The estranged members of the Lafayette clan have returned to Arkansas and their crumbling old plantation home to settle the accounts of their recently deceased patriarch. As they sort through a lifetime of hoarded mementos and junk, the discovery of a gruesome relic and a surprise visitor send the family into a spiral of explosive confrontations, repressed histories, and regret.
PULITZER PRIZE: FINALIST
HOUSTON PREMIERE
THE WOLVES
Directed by Sophia Watt
Opening: May 23, 2020 | Closing: June 13, 2020
Left quad. Right quad. Lunge. A girls indoor soccer team warms up. From the safety of their suburban stretch circle, the team navigates big questions and wages tiny battles with all the vim and vigor of a pack of adolescent warriors. A portrait of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for nine American girls who just want to score some goals.
Single and season tickets can be purchased online by visiting www.recroomarts.org, over the phone by calling 866-811-4111, or in-person at the box office one hour before curtain.
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