Theatre Raleigh Presents Award-Winning Play CURSE OF THE STARVING CLASS

Theatre Raleigh has announced its upcoming production, "Curse of the Starving Class" from Nov 6-17, 2024, at the Theatre Raleigh Arts Center in North Raleigh.

Fresh off the success of its production of "Bull Durham: A New Musical," in Durham last month, Theatre Raleigh continues to produce high-quality productions featuring a mix of Broadway actors and local and regional talent. Since 2023, the professional, nonprofit theatre company has hosted acclaimed performers such as Ariana DeBose, Julie Benko, Beth Leavel, Rachel Bay Jones, Norm Lewis and Norbert Leo Butz. Last month's "Bull Durham" production featured Broadway performers Carmen Cusack, Nik Walker and John Behlmann. 

"Curse of the Starving Class" is a classic Sam Shepard play, part of the late playwright's series of family tragedies set in the American West. It won the 1977 Obie Award for Best New American Play. The setting is a farmhouse in the American West, inhabited by a family who has enough to eat but not enough to satisfy the other hungers that bedevil them. The father is a drunk, the mother a frowzy slattern, the daughter precocious beyond her years, and the son a deranged idealist. After the family decides to sell the house to raise money, tragedy ensues. In the end the characters become a metaphor for the underside of American life—benighted innocents pursuing a dream that remains beyond their reach.

Directed by Charlie Brady, this production features a talented local and regional cast that promises to deliver an unforgettable theatrical experience. The cast includes Heather Shore, a North Carolina-based actor as Emma; Michael Tourek, a Greensboro-based film, television and stage actor know for his roles in 'Ozark' and 'Office Christmas Party' as Weston. Plus, Drew Solomon as Ellis/Slater, Jim Bray, a company member with Playmakers Repertory Company in Chapel Hill, as Taylor/Emerson, Thomas Butler as Wesley, Brian Westbrook as Malcolm and Maddie Behrens as Ella are all making their Theatre Raleigh debuts. 

Brady is excited to direct a play by such a legendary playwright. "Sam Shepard plays were an incredibly formative element in my education as a young actor. I have always had a yearning to direct his material," Brady said. "I have found his style of writing so unique and specific, bridging the realistic and abstract in a fun and effective manner that keeps the audiences on their toes. 'Curse of The Starving Class' is particularly intriguing. Even though it was written in the 1970s, many of the themes still ring true today and parallel some of our current society's polarization of what it means to aspire to achieve the 'American Dream.' This dark comedy satirically entertains in way that is not often seen anymore. I am sure the audience will leave the theater haven been taken on a doozy of a ride!"

For more information about Theatre Raleigh and its upcoming productions, visit https://theatreraleigh.com/.

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