THE BEAUTY QUEEN OF LEENANE, A LIE OF THE MIND & More Set for Theatre Pro Rata's 2015-16 Season

Theatre Pro Rata announced its 2015-2016 season today, featuring A Lie of the Mind by Sam Shepard, the Tony Award-winning The Beauty Queen of Leenane by Martin McDonagh, and The Knight of the Burning Pestle by Francis Beaumont, a rollicking satire of the theater (and its audience members) from the Jacobean era.

The season opens with one of Sam Shepard's best known works, A Lie of the Mind. Pro Rata brings this gritty drama about two families linked by an abusive relationship to the Nimbus Theater in northeast Minneapolis. Pro Rata Artistic Director Carin Bratlie directs, saying, "Shepard has an incredible gift for language and character development, and I'm eager to explore this award winning play with our artists and audience."

The next show, The Beauty Queen of Leenane by Martin McDonagh, marks Pro Rata's second year as part of the Theatres in Residence Series at Park Square Theatre, with performances on the new Andy Boss Thrust Stage. A huge success when first produced in London and on Broadway, the play garnered an Olivier Award and four Tony Awards for its darkly comic portrayal of a mother and daughter stuck with each other in their small Irish town. Asked about the contrast between this play and their previous offering at Park Square, Bratlie said, "I'm thrilled to follow up our production of Kushner's The Illusion at Park Square by swinging the pendulum to the other end of the Pro Rata spectrum. We have a long-time love of modern dark comedy, and I'm excited to share it as a Theatre in Residence."

Finally, The Knight of the Burning Pestle by Francis Beaumont will be performed at the intimate Dreamland Arts space in St. Paul. Pro Rata Artistic Associate Amber Bjork is slated to direct the play that involves wealthy theater patrons who insist on inserting their apprentice into the play they're watching despite there being no role for him. When asked how she felt the show would resonate with a modern audience Bjork said, "I always thought that spoofs were dated and rooted in their time. But even though it's a 400 year old lampoon of Shakespeare (and contemporaries), it feels familiar and I was surprised at how recognizable some of the characters are--I've seen these people in our theater community, both on stage and in the audience."

Throughout the season Pro Rata will also continue its Playreading Series, inviting the general public to attend readings of scripts under consideration for future seasons. Audience members are encouraged to provide feedback afterward, giving them a voice to help choose upcoming seasons. Admission is free. Dates are TBA.

Show dates and information:

A Lie of the Mind
By Sam Shepard, directed by Carin Bratlie
September 12 - 27, 2015
Performing at Nimbus Theater

Shepard's famous portrait of the American nightmare begins when Beth wakes up with a brain injury. Her husband Jake has beaten her so badly that she retreats to her family home in Montana. Jake crawls back to his mother and siblings in California. Two families begin to reassess and unravel. When the mind can take no more, it survives by breaking down and rewiring its pathways. But when the family dynamic deteriorates, it may take gunshots and fire to forge more reliable bonds.

The Beauty Queen of Leenane
By Martin McDonagh, directed by Carin Bratlie
January 8 - 24, 2016
Performing at Park Square Theatre's Andy Boss Thrust Stage

Twenty years ago, Pato Dooley thought of Maureen Folan as the beauty queen of Leenane. He never quite stopped thinking so. In reality, Maureen is a bitter spinster, stuck caring for a spiteful mother in a house they have made into a prison for each other. When Pato returns to Leenane, Maureen sees a twinkle of hope for a life with more love in it. But one thing remains in her way, pulls her down, and sits in a rocking chair plaguing her heart out. In his first published work, master tragedian Martin McDonagh proves that when cruelty is met with cruelty, all promises of civility are forfeit.

The Knight of the Burning Pestle
By Francis Beaumont, directed by Amber Bjork
June 3 - 19, 2016
Performing at Dreamland Arts

In the first full-length, English-language theatrical parody, a company of actors prepares for a performance of "The London Merchant." But a pair of wealthy patrons demand their apprentice Rafe be inserted into the play. He becomes the errant Knight of the Burning Pestle, tasked to prove his bravery amidst the plot of a love story that does not need him. Written at the peak of the Jacobean era and lampooning the best of the bygone Elizabethan playwrights, The Knight of the Burning Pestle stands as proof that players, patrons, and the theatre-going experience have changed little over the centuries.

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