AFTER THE BLAST
BY ZOE KAZAN
April 25, 26, 27; May 1, 2, 3, 4, 8, 9, 10, 11
In a not-too-distant future, humanity’s best and brightest have gone underground after radiation has devastated the world. Generations later, coping with life inside an artificial habitat, they’re relying on implanted chips that simulate everything from adventures in nature to the very flavors of their daily meals. After government rejections, Anna and Oliver fight against adversity to have a child of their own. Oliver brings home a robot companion named Arthur for Anna to train as an assistant to the blind. Will Anna’s connection to this machine make her the mother she has always dreamed she’d become? “[Kazan has] created a slyly detailed alternate universe that is both an extrapolation of the world we know today and its own consistent entity.” —The New York Times.
4000 miles
BY Amy Herzog
June 6, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 15, 19, 20, 21, 22
Leo-Joseph Connell is a wandering soul at 21, biking across the country when a sudden tragedy strikes and sends him from Washington State to Manhattan; alone on two wheels. Leo seeks refuge in the familiar home of his 91-year-old grandmother, a keen-witted confidant, Vera, whose wisdom and irascible demeanor are just what he needs. Amy Herzog’s heartfelt comedy tackles issues of isolation, belonging, and navigating family matters in the modern political climate. “Herzog’s... humor, honesty and narrative subtlety make this a rarity: a family play that avoids sentimentality or sitcom shtick.” – Time Magazine
The language archive
BY julia cho
July 18, 19, 20, 24, 25, 26, 27, 31; August 1, 2, 3
Language and love blend together in this heartfelt story of modern romance. George is a leading linguist who specializes in dead and dying languages. He spends his days immersed in his work until his wife walks out on him, twice. Can George rekindle his marriage with the help of an aging couple, the last speakers of a language on the edge of extinction, or his enamored coworker, Emma, who has been admiring him from afar? “Quirky, but ravishingly well-written piece that is smart, funny, deep and tender.” —OC Weekly.
pocatello
BY samuel d. hunter
September 5, 6, 7, 11, 12, 13, 14, 18, 19, 20, 21
Eddie is the hapless small-town manager of an aging Italian chain restaurant who yearns to nourish his family and neighborhood the only way he knows how. Following in his father’s footsteps, he struggles to serve his neighbors and keep his friends employed in an area where jobs are scarce; all while staving off the imminent closure from the corporate office. Can Eddie find a way to set things right with his restaurant, friends, and family? “Samuel D. Hunter evokes a world in which identity itself has come to seem confusingly mass-produced... ” – The New York Times
the thanksgiving play
BY larissa fasthorse
October 17, 18, 19, 23, 24, 25, 26, 30, 31; November 1, 2
Things get awkward when the local school board commissions three teachers to devise a culturally sensitive Thanksgiving show. They’ve secured grant money and a professional LA actress to play the American Indian lead, but everything comes crashing down when her actual heritage is discovered. Larissa FastHorse’s wickedly funny satire spotlights the absurd nature of the politically correct, lampooning the virtue signaling of “enlightened white allies” and the verbal gymnastics employed in modern progressive thinking. “The familiar, whitewashed story of Pilgrims and Native Americans chowing down together gets a delicious roasting from expert farceurs.” – The New York Times