Category Archives: Drama

84 Charing Cross Road at the Greenbelt Arts Center, June 13-28

84 Charing Cross Road at the Greenbelt Arts Center, June 13-28

84 Charing Cross Road
by Helene Hanff and James Roose-Evans

Directed by Elise Berg

June 13 – 28, 2014

A guest production from Off The Quill.

Location: Greenbelt Arts Center

Description: Helene Hanff, a struggling New York writer, finds more than the rare editions she seeks when she contacts Marks & Co., a small London bookshop. A graceful transatlantic dance of correspondence ensues, spanning four decades and abundant with literature, culture and affection. (The action of the play is set in the New York apartment of Helene Hanff and in Marks & Co., Booksellers, 84 Charing Cross Road, London. The action spans the years 1949-1971).

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The Monkey on My Back at the Publick Playhouse, May 16-17

The Monkey on My Back at the Publick Playhouse, May 16-17

Prince George’s Publick Playhouse

Friday, May 16, and Saturday, May 17

Description: The Monkey on My Back: an Intimate Evening with Debbi Morgan. Debbi Morgan returns to the Playhouse with her one-woman, personal memoir. Don’t miss your chance to see Debbi’s candid–and at times humorous–story of fear, abuse and hard-earned happiness. Fri-Sat, May 16-17.

Recommended for mature audiences, program contains adult themes and strong language.

Call the box office at 301-277-1710, tickets $40/general admission $50/VIP (includes early admission and book signing).

Light of Night at Venus Theatre, May 8-June 1

Light of Night at Venus Theatre Play Shack, May 8 – June 1

Light of Night
by Cecelia Copeland

Location: Venus Theatre Play Shack.

May 8 to June 1, 2014
Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00pm; Saturdays and Sundays at 3:00pm.

Tickets: $20. Buy here.

Parental advisory: Adult themes.

Description: Light of Night is Stephanie’s poetic descent into the underworld of marriage. As her seductive best friend and charismatic husband fight over who she should be, Stephanie is pulled back and forth between freedom and loyalty. In the end she must decide which doors to leave open for light and which windows to bar against the cold. A modern poetic Latina retelling of the Persephone Myth.

Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992 at Clarice Smith, May 3-10

Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992 at Clarice Smith, May 3-10

By Anna Deveare Smith

May 3-10, 2014

Director Caroline Clay

Presented By: University of Maryland School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies

Venue: Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center Kogood Theatre. Reserved Seating.

Click Here to Buy Tickets:
Regular: $25
Subscriber: $20
Senior Citizen: $20
UMD Alumni Association: $20
UMD Faculty & Staff: $20
Students & Youth: $10

Sat, May 3, 2014 . 7:30PM
Sun, May 4, 2014 . 2:00PM
Sun, May 4, 2014 . 7:30PM
Wed, May 7, 2014 . 7:30PM
Thu, May 8, 2014 . 7:30PM
Fri, May 9, 2014 . 7:30PM
Sat, May 10, 2014 . 2:00PM
Sat, May 10, 2014 . 7:30PM

Description:

In 1991, the violent police assault of African American Rodney King ignited international outrage after being captured on videotape and aired widely. A year later in 1992, in the aftermath of the trial and acquittal of the police officers charged with assault, protest and riots broke out in the streets of Los Angeles, where the incident took place.

MacArthur ‘Genius’ award-winning playwright and actress Anna Deavere Smith weaves a stunning, comprehensive portrait through the verbatim words of 40 people from the ashes of the riots in this explosive piece of documentary theatre. Nominated for the 1994 Tony Award for Best Play, Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992 is the result of nearly 300 interviews Smith conducted in a nine-month span with gang members, police officers, lawyers, activists and shopkeepers from a diversity of class and racial backgrounds.

Twilight offers a searing look at the impact of social, economic and political lines that divide not only a city, but also a nation, through the lens of a seminal moment in modern United States history.

TWILIGHT: LOS ANGELES, 1992 is presented by special arrangement with Dramatists Play Service, Inc., New York.

An Iliad at Clarice Smith, May 2-3

Lisa Peterson & ​Denis O’Hare/Homer’s Coat present An Iliad at Clarice Smith, May 2-3

May 2 & 3, 2014 . 8PM

Venue: Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center Kay Theatre. Reserved Seating.

Click Here to Buy Tickets:
Regular: $40
Subscriber: $32
Senior Citizen: $35
UMD Alumni Association: $35
UMD Faculty & Staff: $32
Students & Youth: $10

Fri, May 2, 2014 . 8:00PM
Sat, May 3, 2014 . 8:00PM

Description:

In An Iliad, actor Denis O’Hare and director Lisa Peterson telescope Homer’s great poem about the Trojan War into an intimate solo show illuminating both the heroism and the horror of warfare.

Set in a contemporary milieu, the one-man performance stars an ageless Greek singer and poet. The script is rendered in contemporary vernacular language with occasional snatches of verse and even a few bellowed lines in Homer’s original Greek. The play’s sole narrator, a battered-looking character who claims to have been recounting the yarn throughout the ages, combines the reverence and mystery of ancient Greek mythology with the dynamic urban rhythms of contemporary life.

O’Hare describes his character as “a ‘living book’ sitting on the shelf, and either he’s being pulled down off the shelf by willing participants or he’s willing himself off the shelf to fall open in a time when the culture needs him.”