STUDIO THEATRE ANNOUNCES ARTISTIC DIRECTOR DAVID MUSE’S FIFTH SEASON, INTRODUCES NEW BRAND, LAUNCHES NEW WEBSITE, AND ANNOUNCES PARTNERSHIP WITH ARCHITECT DAVID SCHWARZ
World premiere slapstick comedy from Pulitzer Prize winner Beth Henley in its Subscription Series
Studio produces its first commissioned play with Rachel Bonds’ The Wolfe Twins in Studio Lab
David Schwarz to oversee long-term master plan for Studio’s theatre complex at 1501 14th Street
Artistic Director David Muse is pleased to announce Studio Theatre’s 2014-2015 Season, a ten-play lineup that features the first world premiere in Studio’s Subscription Series in a decade, Studio’s first commissioned work in its Lab, and a late-night musical that will be staged cabaret-style. In addition, Studio reveals its new brand look and website, and announces the beginning of long-term architectural planning with renowned architect David Schwarz.
SUBSCRIPTION SERIES
Studio is producing its first world premiere in the Subscription Series in a decade. “When I first read Laugh, Beth Henley’s slapstick homage to 1920s silent films, I was taken by its exuberance and daring,” says Artistic Director David Muse. “It’s a fearless play: a gold mine explodes in the first five minutes of the play, and the piece as a whole covers years and increasingly dire—and ridiculous—circumstances. It’s funny and unpredictable, and has a real heart. I’m excited to welcome Beth to Studio as we develop and produce this piece.”
The Subscription Series also features two plays by writers that Studio has introduced to DC—Amy Herzog with her latest play Belleville and Tarell Alvin McCraney with Choir Boy. “It’s a pleasure to welcome back two accomplished writers in the heat of their careers,” says Muse. “Amy Herzog’s incisive Belleville follows our 2013 production of 4000 Miles. Amy has written a kind of thriller for the stage, full of the psychological precision and insights that 4000 Miles offered, but in a darker key. She writes so very, very well for actors; she used to be a performer, and reading her dialogue, you can tell that she understands just how much they can do with the right material.” Muse will direct.
Studio Theatre has previously produced Tarell Alvin McCraney’s three Brother/Sister Plays to great success: The Brothers Size in 2008, In the Red and Brown Water in 2009, and Marcus; Or the Secret of Sweet in 2010. Studio will produce his latest play, Choir Boy, this season. Muse says, “I’ve been a fan of Tarell’s play since I read it after its premiere at the Royal Court in London. It’s a great play for DC—about a group of African-American boys in an elite prep school who find solace and order in the school’s gospel choir. It’s about tradition and coming of age, negotiating friendships and masculinity at a moment when adulthood starts to get much more real.”
Joshua Harmon’s savage comedy Bad Jews is the last of the plays that Studio is announcing for its upcoming Subscription Series. “I haven’t gone searching for plays with provocative titles,” says Muse. “But our last few seasons have featured a few, and this coming season is no exception. Josh’s play was an Off Broadway hit last season, and for good reason: it’s ferocious and daring and very, very funny, but it also gets to something real about these three twenty-something cousins, who range from observant to secular Jew, as they try to honor the memory of their Holocaust survivor grandfather.”
Studio will announce the fifth play in the Subscription Series at a later time.
STUDIO LAB
Now in its fourth year, Studio Lab—which produces stripped-down productions of invigorating new plays—will present The Wolfe Twins, a world premiere from American writer Rachel Bonds and the first play Studio is producing from its new commissioning program. “Rachel writes with a style and sophistication that belies her age. This play is a wry, dark, smart take on aging and change, and the particular relationships that siblings share.” A director will be announced at a later date. All three of Studio’s previous Lab plays—Lungs by Duncan Macmillan, Dirt by Bryony Lavery, and Red Speedo by Lucas Hnath—have been nominated for the Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding New Play.
SPECIAL EVENTS
Muse will also direct Julia Jordan and Juliana Nash’s rock musical Murder Ballad as a part of Studio’s Special Events Series. “This will be the first real musical I’ve directed,” he says. “I’ve done plays with music and plays with movement, but this is an all-out, sung-through musical. And it’s great—it’s sexy and tense. It opens with the image of a bloody bat on a pool table, ranges around New York City, and has a lot of fun getting to its grim ending. We’ll be turning Stage 4 into a kind of dive bar. With actors performing around the audience and late-night performances, it’s a great way to bring some of the feel of the nightlife of 14th Street onto our stages.”
Murder Ballad is the only Special Event Studio is announcing at this time. “It’s a plan that gives the Theatre some flexibility,” Muse explains. “The kind of international performers we’ve been presenting over the past few seasons tend to have much shorter timelines as they book their tours than our current planning cycle allows us. So we’re taking a gamble that we’ll find something great to bring in next spring or summer.”
STUDIO 2NDSTAGE
Studio’s playground for emerging artists, 2ndStage produces innovative and eclectic programming with shorter rehearsal periods and smaller budgets than its other productions, in the spirit of exuberance and experiment. This season is no exception, bringing Holly Twyford back to 2ndStage direct to Taylor Mac’s unsettling comic drama Hir, following the success of Twyford’s production of Edgar & Annabel in the 13-14 Season. The season also features Irish writer Mark O’Rowe’s dizzying supernatural monologue drama Terminus and the vulgar and hilarious Silence! The Musical, a parody of the 1991 Oscar-winning movie, directed by 2ndStage Artistic Director Keith Alan Baker.
BRAND AND BUILDING
In addition to announcing its 2014-2015 Season plays, Studio also announces its new website and brand look in collaboration with DC-based firm Design Army and web development agency L2 Interactive. “As I enter my fifth year as Artistic Director of Studio Theatre,” says Muse, “I felt the time was right to refresh our brand. We have developed a clean, contemporary look that captures some of the voice and feeling of Studio’s work—the intimacy and immediacy of experiencing the work on our stages, the vibrancy of our urban environment, and the distinctions and continuity across our four programming streams.”
This brand refreshment is the first stage in Studio’s long-term planning for its neighborhood presence. “The next phase of this work is rethinking our physical presence in the neighborhood, and I feel very lucky to announce that we will be partnering with architect David M. Schwarz as we develop a long-term plan for our theatre complex at 14th and P streets. David is an internationally renowned architect whose work shows a remarkable sensitivity to balancing scale with surroundings and innovation with tradition. We look forward to partnering with him as we strategize about how to integrate Studio’s historic complex into our revitalized neighborhood.”
Further details on production dates, casting, and creative teams will be announced shortly.
Studio Subscription Series
Laugh
by Beth Henley
World Premiere
“Henley has an unmistakable talent for making human desperation seem funny, complex, and unpredictable.” —The Village Voice
The West. The 1920s. Mabel’s had a hard few weeks: A dynamite accident at a gold mine has left her wealthy but orphaned, and she’s shipped off to a calculating aunt whose nephew is charged with seducing her to control Mabel’s fortune. This hapless courtship reveals a shared love of silent movies and a plan for greater things. A story of mishaps and moxie, the romance of Hollywood and ultimately a Hollywood-caliber romance. A world-premiere slapstick comedy from the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright of Crimes of the Heart.
Belleville
by Amy Herzog | directed by David Muse
“Ms. Herzog’s thrillingly good play confirms her reputation as one of the brightest new talents in the theater.” —The New York Times
Abby and Zack traded the comforts of America for noble adventure abroad, moving to the trendy Parisian enclave Belleville for his prestigious post with Doctors Without Borders. Their lives seem perfect. But when Abby returns home early one afternoon, she uncovers a few seemingly inconsequential surprises. Chillingly precise and psychologically astute, Amy Herzog (4000 Miles) anatomizes the consequences of deceptions small and large and the terrifying, profound unknowability of our closest relationships.
Choir Boy
by Tarell Alvin McCraney
“History and secret histories, the things that free us and the things that tie us to the past are all examined in this exhilarating, multi-layered new play.” —The Guardian
For 50 years, the elite boarding school Charles R. Drew Prep has stood by its traditions and prepared young black men to lead. But times and finances have changed, and the pressure on Drew’s legendary gospel choir is high. So when Pharus, an ambitious and talented student, is told to ignore a gay slur to take his place as the choir’s leader, he has to decide who he is and what he’s willing to fight for. A music-filled story of masculinity, tradition, coming of age, and speaking your truth from the MacArthur Award-winning writer of The Brother/Sister Trilogy (The Brothers Size, In the Red and Brown Water, Marcus; Or the Secret of Sweet).
Bad Jews
by Joshua Harmon | directed by Serge Seiden
“The best comedy of the season!” —The New York Times
The night after their grandfather’s funeral, three cousins engage in a verbal battle royale over a family heirloom. In one corner is self-proclaimed “Superjew” Daphna: volatile, self-assured, unbending. In the other, Liam: secular, entitled, and just as stubborn. And in the middle, Liam’s brother Jonah tries to stay out of the fray and honor his grandfather’s memory on his own. A savage comedy about family, faith, and identity politics.
And one more play to be announced at a later date.
Studio Lab
The Wolfe Twins
by Rachel Bonds
World Premiere
Lewis invites his estranged sister Dana on a trip to Rome to reconnect. But when he befriends a beautiful stranger, old wounds fester and intimate secrets are revealed. A dark, contemplative world premiere from the Studio Theatre commissioned playwright Rachel Bonds.
Special Events
Murder Ballad
conceived by and with book and lyrics by Julia Jordan | music and lyrics by Juliana Nash | directed by David Muse
“A hot night of theatre…with an energy that is electric.” —Backstage Magazine
Sara’s life is perfect—Upper West Side husband, daughter, and life. But her irresistible past blows back into her life in the form of an old flame, a dangerous passion, and a love triangle headed for ignition. Staged cabaret-style in Stage 4, this sexy twist on an old form puts the audience in the middle of its action. An explosive rock musical from Jonathan Larson Grantee Julia Jordan and indie rock singer/songwriter Juliana Nash (Talking to Animals).
2ndStage
Terminus
by Mark O’Rowe
“Gripping, grotesque and deliriously good.… The most exciting contemporary Irish playwright.” —Sunday Tribune
A is a teacher attempting to rescue her former pupil from a dangerous back-street abortion. B is a young woman who falls from a construction crane and in love with a demon made of worms. C is a homicidal sociopath who sells his soul to the Devil for an angelic voice heard only by his victims. This supernatural vision from Irish playwright Mark O’Rowe (Crestfall) takes its audience on a dizzying plunge through its characters’ quietest fears and most intimate desires.
HIR
by Taylor Mac | directed by Holly Twyford
“Hilarious and unsettling” —San Francisco Chronicle
Isaac’s father built their house and ruled it absolutely. But when Isaac returns home from the Marines, he discovers that everything has changed: his father is incapacitated by a stroke, his sibling Max is creating a third gender for hirself, and his mother’s liberation into a world of unlimited possibilities has forever demolished the familiar structures of Isaac’s childhood (including some of the house itself). Part farce, part family drama, Hir is an exuberant exploration of bad haircuts, shoddy construction, and mythologies of transformation from Taylor Mac, “one of the most exciting theater artists of our time” (Time Out New York).
Silence! The Musical
book by Hunter Bell | music and lyrics by Jon and Al Kaplan | directed by Keith Alan Baker
“A tasty treat! Vivaciously vulgar… wickedly satirical… gleefully subversive.” —New York Post
FBI trainee Clarice Starling has to track down notorious serial killer Buffalo Bill before he claims another innocent victim. Time’s running out, and the brilliant cannibal psychiatrist Hannibal Lecter may hold the truth—if Clarice plays his dangerous game of quid pro quo. A raunchy spoof of the 1991 Oscar-winning film, Silence! The Musical—which shattered NYC Fringe Festival box office records and ran for more than 500 performances Off-Broadway—features gleefully vulgar songs, non-stop zingers, and a singing chorus of tap-dancing lambs.
ABOUT DAVID M. SCHWARZ ARCHITECTS
David M. Schwarz Architects, Inc. is a Washington, DC-based design firm established in 1976 and incorporated in 1978. The firm currently employs an architectural and administrative staff of 50, with a second office in Fort Worth, Texas, opened in 1985. The firm designs cultural, institutional, commercial, sports, educational, and residential projects throughout the United States and emphasizes architecture as both a service and an art. Much early work in historic preservation engendered the firm with an appreciation for the expressive character that can be conveyed by buildings. The firm gives priority to developing designs that interpret and positively impact the built environment. It believes buildings should enrich and improve the quality of life. In its architecture as well as its planning work, David M. Schwarz Architects believes in crafting places for people through careful attention to questions of scale, materials, and detail, while remaining consistent with the needs of the client, the inherent nature of the site, and appropriate architectural themes.
ABOUT DESIGN ARMY
A large creative impact starts with small spark of inspiration—and the discipline to shape that vision. From developing marketing strategy to creating eye-catching visuals, Design Army has the talent and insight to produce compelling design that effectively connects with the targeted audience. Over 500 awards attest to its skills in meeting the needs of its diverse client base. The accolades notwithstanding, it is Design Army’s success in forging long term creative partnerships with such a varied assortment of organizations that has led it to the forefront of the industry. Design Army was founded in 2003 by two creative partners, Jake Lefebure and Pum M. Lefebure. Today, Design Army has grown to a ten-person studio and is one of the top design agencies in the country.
ABOUT L2 INTERACTIVE
L2 Interactive has been serving corporate and Performing Arts clients world-wide since 1989. Based in Chicago, IL, L2 has employees in five major cities across America and currently services clients in the U.S., Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom. Their services include website and web application design and implementation, content management solutions using eRube2, email marketing with mail2, their email marketing application, and cloud-based web hosting through their cloud2 hosting platform. L2 specializes in providing start to finish solutions for its clients.
ABOUT STUDIO THEATRE
Entering its fifth season under the leadership of Artistic Director David Muse, Studio Theatre is Washington’s premiere venue for contemporary theatre, “where local audiences will find today’s edgiest playwrights” (Variety). Muse is joined by Keith Alan Baker, Managing Director/Artistic Director, 2ndStage; and Serge Seiden, Producing Director. One of the most respected midsized theatres in the country, Studio Theatre produces the work of today’s greatest writers, augmented by occasional productions of modern classics, performed by acclaimed actors in intimate spaces. Throughout the Theatre’s 36-year history, the quality of its work has been recognized by sustained community support as well as with 312 nominations and 60 Helen Hayes Awards for excellence in professional theatre.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Accessibility: All performances are fully accessible to accommodate patrons with special needs. FM listening assistive system available, along with induction loops that work with a patron’s own hearing aids. Accessible seats available by reservation. Call the box office at 202.332.3300 or V/TTY 202.667.8436.