NewsAtlantic Has Plays by Butterworth, Thurber, McPherson, Baker, Parnell and Filmmaker Coen in 2007-08Atlantic Theater Company's 2007-08 season will boast no fewer than five world premieres, including works by Annie Baker, movie maker Ethan Coen, Lucy Thurber, Peter Parnell and Jez Butterworth.
By
Kenneth Jones
May 31, 2007
Conor McPherson
Photo by Aubrey Reuben
Conor McPherson's Port Authority will make its New York premiere as well.
Artistic director Neil Pepe and managing director Andrew D. Hamingson announced the not-for-profit's coming Off-Broadway slate May 31.
The Atlantic's main stage season at the Linda Gross Theater on West 20th Street will mark premieres from three playwrights returning to the Atlantic stage and the Atlantic debut of an emerging young writer: Parnell returns following his acclaimed play The Cider House Rules; Butterworth saw the New York premiere of his Mojo and American premiere of The Night Heron at Atlantic; and Thurber is making her Atlantic debut.
Atlantic Stage 2, the company's new theatre, will feature world premiere limited engagements of Three Short Plays by Ethan Coen, by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Ethan Coen ("O Brother, Where Art Thou?," "Fargo"), directed by Pepe in January 2008; and Annie Baker's comedy Body Awareness, staged by Atlantic Theater Company founding member Karen Kohlhaas (The Hothouse) in May 2008.
The Atlantic Theater Company's 2007-08 Main Stage Season
Scarcity, a world premiere, by Lucy Thurber. Aug. 29-Oct. 14. "Set in rural western Massachusetts, Scarcity tells the tale of two siblings whose aspirations to escape the confines of poverty and small town life come into direct conflict with their sense of family responsibility. When 16-year-old Billy is afforded an opportunity to change schools and move out of town by an unusually attentive young teacher, his family starts to unravel around him. In this raw, emotionally rich world premiere new drama, up-and-coming playwright Lucy Thurber explores the stark reality of how class in America shapes our very image of ourselves."
Trumpery, a world premiere, by Peter Parnell. Nov. 14-Dec. 30. "It is 1858. Charles Darwin struggles to finish 'The Origin of Species,' and give the world his theory of natural selection, while coping with family illness and his own loss of faith. Meanwhile, halfway around the world, an unknown explorer is about to come up with the exact same theory. Both vibrantly comic and deeply moving, Trumpery examines what it means to live in a Darwinian universe from the point of view of the man who discovered the idea."
Parlour Song, a world premiere, by Jez Butterworth, directed by Neil Pepe. Feb. 8-March 30, 2008. "British playwright Jez Butterworth (Mojo, The Night Heron) takes on domestic paranoia in his inimitably sly and incisive style in Parlour Song, which explores what happens when two ordinary people discover they hate who they have become. In his first American world premiere production, Butterworth reveals a fascinating world where all is not what it seems, when a demolitions expert suspects his wife is stealing from him."
Port Authority, a New York City premiere, by Conor McPherson, directed by Henry Wishcamper. April 30-June 22, 2008. "Set against the backdrop of contemporary Dublin, Port Authority weaves the stories of three generations of Irishmen as they experience loss, failure and the elusiveness of love. Conor McPherson (Shining City, The Weir, Dublin Carol) exposes the heart of the common man with his customary wit and humor in his return to Atlantic following his acclaimed production of Dublin Carol." Atlantic Stage 2 Season
Three Short Plays by Ethan Coen, directed by Neil Pepe. January 2008. "Atlantic is thrilled to present the world premiere of three unique and comic new plays by acclaimed screenwriter and Academy Award winning film maker Ethan Coen ('O Brother Where Art Thou?,' 'Fargo,' 'The Big Lebowski')."
Body Awareness, a world premiere, by Annie Baker, directed by Karen Kohlhaas. May 2008. "At bucolic Shirley State College in Vermont it is Body Awareness Week, and all must go according to plan. But when radical photographer Frank Bonitatibus shows up with his passel of photographs of naked women, things start to go awry. In this warm and witty satire, Baker blows the lid off of political correctness with a comic and touching window into a very unconventional family." *
Atlantic Theater Company, founded by David Mamet and William H. Macy, "is dedicated to producing great plays simply and truthfully utilizing an artistic ensemble."
Atlantic believes that the story of the play and the intent of the playwright are at the core of the creative process. Since its inception in 1985, Atlantic has produced more than 100 plays including the Tony Award winning production of The Beauty Queen Of Leenane, the world premieres of Woody Allen's A Second Hand Memory and Writer's Block, the acclaimed world premiere of David Mamet's Romance, Jez Butterworth's Mojo, Tom Donaghy's Minutes From the Blue Route, Edwin Sanchez's Trafficking in Broken Hearts and the American premieres of Blue/Orange, Dublin Carol and The Night Heron, plus the New York premieres of The Intelligent Design of Jenny Chow and The Cider House Rules.
Broadway's current musical Spring Awakening was launched at Atlantic, as was last season's Tony-nominated The Lieutenant of Inishmore.
The Atlantic Main Stage at the Linda Gross Theatre is located at 336 West 20th Street (between Eighth and Ninth Avenues). Tickets for main stage productions are $55 and available by calling Ticket Central at (212) 279-4200 (or at ticketcentral.com).
Atlantic Stage 2 is at 330 W. 16th Street (between Eighth and Ninth Avenues). Tickets are $35 and available by calling Ticket Central at (212) 279-4200 (or at ticketcentral.com).
For more information, visit www.atlantictheater.org.
The Max Martin musical features a number of his most beloved songs, including “…Baby One More Time,” “Roar,” “Since U Been Gone,” “It’s My Life,” “I Want It That Way,” “Can’t Stop the Feeling!,” and more.
