The Catastrophic Theatre Presents THE BOOK OF GRACE

The Catastrophic Theatre will produce The Book of Grace by trailblazing playwright Suzan-Lori Parks. The Book of Grace is directed by Luis Galindo and Jeff Miller and runs April 1 - April 24 at the Midtown Arts and Theatre Center Houston.

Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at matchouston.org or by calling the MATCH box office at 713-521-4533. Performances are Thursdays at 7:30 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 p.m., and Sundays at 2:30 p.m. All performances are Pay-What-You-Can.

"Sometimes the Alien is right in your own home. Sometimes right in your own blood. And you've got to build a wall around it."

Grace is a waitress who lives in a small border town in south Texas with her husband Vet, a border patrol agent. She encourages Vet's estranged son Buddy to return home and reunite with his father in time for a celebration honoring Vet's service. What ensues is a battle for power and revenge. In The Book of Grace, acclaimed playwright Suzan-Lori Parks explodes the American family portrait to expose the borders and fences destroying the American home and, by extension, the country.

The theatre's founders Jason Nodler and Tamarie Cooper have a long history with Parks that began with the commission and world premiere of her play f-ing A, which Parks also directed, with Catastrophic's predecessor company Infernal Bridegroom Productions (IBP). The play had its New York premiere at The Public Theatre and has been widely produced and studied. Cooper and Nodler are thrilled to produce this important play by their old friend and collaborator. In spite of her celebrated and prolific career, IBP introduced Parks to Houston audiences and her work is still rarely produced in Houston.

Luis Galindo, Patricia Duran and Bryan Kaplún make up the dynamic cast. The Book of Grace is co-directed by Luis Galindo and Jeff Miller with sets by Ryan McGettigan, lighting by Andrew Archer, sound design by Yasminne "Jazz" Zepeda, costumes by Macy Lyne, props by Tabitha Bounds, and video by Tim Thompson. Scott Lupton will stage manage with Courtney Lomelo, Lindsey Hardin, Clarity Welch, and Edgar Guajardo rounding out the team.

Named among Time magazine's "100 Innovators for the Next Wave," Suzan-Lori Parks is one of the most acclaimed playwrights in American drama today. She was the first Black woman to receive the Pulitzer Prize in Drama, is a MacArthur "Genius" Award recipient, and in 2015 she was awarded the prestigious Gish Prize for Excellence in the Arts. She has also received grants and awards from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Rockefeller Foundation, the Ford Foundation, the New York State Council on the Arts, and the New York Foundation for the Arts. She is also a recipient of a Lila-Wallace Reader's Digest Award, a CalArts/Alpert Award in the Arts, and a Guggenheim Foundation Grant. She is an alum of New Dramatists and of Mount Holyoke College. Parks' project 365 Days/365 Plays (where she wrote a play a day for an entire year) was produced by over 700 theatres worldwide, making it one of the largest grassroots collaborations in theatre history. Her other plays include Topdog/Underdog (2002 Pulitzer Prize winner); The Book of Grace; Unchain My Heart: The Ray Charles Musical; In the Blood (2000 Pulitzer Prize finalist); Venus (1996 OBIE Award); The Death of the Last Black Man in the Whole Entire World; Imperceptible Mutabilities in the Third Kingdom (1990 OBIE Award, Best New American Play); The America Play, and the 2000 IBP premiere of f-ing A. Her adaptation of Gershwin's Porgy and Bess won the 2012 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical. Her recent play cycle, Father Comes Home From The Wars (Parts 1, 2 & 3)-set during the Civil War-was awarded the Horton Foote Prize, the Edward M. Kennedy Prize for Drama, and was a 2015 Pulitzer Prize Finalist.

All performances are held at The Midtown Arts and Theatre Center (MATCH). Tickets can be ordered online (catastrophictheatre.com OR matchouston.org) or by phone (713-521-4533). ALL PERFORMANCES ARE PAY-WHAT-YOU-CAN.

The Catastrophic Theatre and the MATCH are closely monitoring developments around COVID-19 and the novel coronavirus that causes it, and looking to the Houston Health Department, Harris County Public Health, and other public health authorities for guidance and recommendations. For the time being, each audience member is required to wear a mask throughout the performance. MATCH is taking precautions to ensure that patrons remain safe and comfortable including enhanced daily cleaning and sanitation procedures that emphasize disinfection of public areas. They are also providing hand sanitizer and tissue in the theaters, rehearsal rooms, offices, and backstage areas.

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