THE CALL Rounds Out San Jose Rep's 2014-15 Season
By: BWW News Desk Apr. 23, 2014
Tanya Barfield's provocative drama The Call completes San Jose Repertory Theatre's 2014-2015 seven-show anniversary season in the sixth show slot (May 14 - June 7). This sensitive drama boldly tackles multi-racial adoption, identity and parenthood with razor sharp honesty and respect. When Annie and Peter decide to adopt a child they look toward Africa. But it isn't long before their anxiety over adoption and identity threaten their fantasies of parenthood in this powerful yet intimate look at the yearnings of motherhood, doubts and good intentions.
"I can't think of a better play to put between Oscar Wilde's most uproarious comedy, The Importance of Being Earnest and one of the best musical revues, Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris," says Rick Lombardo, San Jose Rep's Producing Artistic Director. "This show examines adoption, identity and parenthood through the searing lens of the cultural divide. I think our audiences are going to be enthralled with this smartly written and thought-provoking play."
Tanya Barfield's plays include Of Equal Measure, Blue Door, Dent, The Quick, The Houdini Act and 121º. She wrote the book for the Theatreworks/USA children's musical: Civil War: The First Black Regiment. Ms. Barfield was the recipient of the 2003 Helen Merrill Award for Emerging Playwrights, the 2005 Honorable Mention for the Kesselring Prize for Drama, a 2006 Lark Play Development /NYSCA grant, and she has twice been a finalist for the Princess Grace Award. She has been commissioned by Playwrights Horizons, Center Theatre Group, South Coast Repertory, Primary Stages and Geva Theatre Center.
San Jose Rep's 2014-2015 35th Anniversary Season:
World Premiere
THE 12
Book and lyrics by Robert Schenkkan
(Pulitzer-Prize winner, Kentucky Cycle)
Music and lyrics by Neil Berg
Directed by Richard Seyd
Aug. 28 - Sept. 21
A Weekend with Pablo Picasso
Written by and starring Herbert Siguenza
Directed by Todd Salovey
Oct. 16 - Nov. 6
A Christmas Carol
Adapted and directed by Rick Lombardo
Original music by Anna Lackaff
Nov. 26 - Dec. 24
World Premiere
Wuthering Heights
Based on the novel by Emily Brontë
Adapted and directed by Kirsten Brandt
Jan. 22 - Feb. 15
The Importance of Being Earnest
By Oscar Wilde
Directed by Rick Lombardo
March 26 - April 19
Starring Danny Scheie as Lady Bracknell
Bay Area Premiere
The Call
May 14 - June 7
Jacques Brel is Alive and Well
and Living in Paris
English lyrics and additional material by
Eric Blau and Mort Shuman
Directed by Rick Lombardo
Musical direction by Dolores Duran-Cefalu
July 2 - July 26
Rick Lombardo (DIRECTOR/SOUND DESIGN/PRODUCING ARTISTIC DIRECTOR) is in his sixth season at San Jose Rep where his productions have included The Snow Queen, The Death of the Novel, Disconnect, God of Carnage, A Christmas Carol, Spring Awakening, Love in American Times, The Dresser, Black Pearl Sings!, The Weir and As You Like It. He was previously the artistic director for 13 seasons at New Repertory Theatre in Boston and, in 2009, was awarded the Norton Prize for Sustained Excellence from the Boston Theater Critics Association for his work. His more than thirty productions there included award-winning productions of The Clean House, Sweeney Todd, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, A Streetcar Named Desire, Ragtime, and Waiting for Godot. His production of Bill W. and Dr. Bob enjoyed an extensive run off-Broadway. His work has also been seen at the Kennedy Center, Arena Stage, Arizona Theatre Company, New York City's Town Hall, Opera Boston, Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater, The Actors Shakespeare Project, Porthouse Theater, and The Berkshire Theatre Festival, among others. He was co-director of the theatre program at Fordham University's College at Lincoln Center, and founding artistic director of the off-Broadway Stillwater Theatre Company in New York. He is an Executive Board member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society and a Senior Fellow with the American Leadership Forum Silicon Valley. He lives in San Jose with his wife, actress Rachel Harker, and daughter.
About San Jose Rep: San Jose Rep is the flagship theatre of San Jose and the only fully professional, non-profit theatre company in the South Bay, presenting seven main-stage productions each year. Now in its 34th year as a major contributor to the South Bay's cultural community, San Jose Rep's mission is to engage, entertain, and inspire people. San Jose Rep produces innovative theatrical performances that offer fresh perspectives into the human condition, educational programs that promote lifelong learning, and outreach initiatives that benefit our diverse community. For more information, visit www.SJRep.com.
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