Irish playwright Marie Jones' Stones in His Pockets replaces the previously announced Quills for the June 2-July 3 slot at the Magic Theatre in San Francisco, closing the 1998-99 season. Quills, a black comedy about the writings of the Marquis de Sade, has been postponed because of the filming commitments of playwright Doug Wright, according to a released statement. Magic hopes to reinstate the play at the beginning of the 1999-2000 season with Wright directing.
Stones tells of two down on their luck Irishmen working as extras on a Hollywood film being shot in the Irish countryside. When the men find themselves dissatisfied with the American look at their culture, they begin to construct the perfect Irish film. Belfast-born Jones is best known for her play, Women on the Verge of H.R.T..
Kent Nicholson will direct Stones. For tickets ($30-$18), call (415) 441-8822.
As for the rest of the Magic's 1999-00 season, the company has received a $100,000 grant from the National Theatre Artist Residency (via the Pew Charitable Trusts and TCG) to help complete and stage John O'Keefe's Bronte Cycle trilogy. A $16,500 NEA grant will also help O'Keefe and other writers in residency at the Magic.
