THE THANKSGIVING PLAY

by Larissa FastHorse
Directed by Bec Poole
November 3-18, 2023

Good intentions collide with absurd assumptions in Larissa FastHorse’s wickedly funny satire, as a troupe of terminally “woke” teaching artists scrambles to create a pageant that somehow manages to celebrate both Turkey Day and Native American Heritage Month. The Thanksgiving Play premiered off-Broadway at Playwrights Horizons in New York City on October 12, 2018.

APPROPRIATE

by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins
Directed by Lori Sitzabee
January 3-6, 2024

Winner of the 2014-2015 Obie Award for Best New American Play, Appropriate by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, makes its way to New Surry Theatre’s stage.  The estranged members of the Lafayette family return to the family home following the death of their father to settle his estate.  As they sort through the chaos left behind by a hoarder, they find themselves faced with a contentious family secret.  The family reunion takes a turn for the worse as old resentments and other family secrets are revealed.   “…very fine, subversively original… [Jacobs-Jenkins] honors the time-tested recipes of those who have gone before him, combining them into a crafty narrative… But he also brings a culinary self-consciousness to the mix that makes you savor the ingredients anew, while pondering why they have dominated American theater for so long… APPROPRIATE is piercingly clear, with carefully drawn characters who speak in crisp and fluid dialogue. [Jacobs-Jenkins] enjoys his quarrelsome characters, and he has achieved the difficult feat of making them all both unlovable and impossible not to identify with…remarkable and devious.” —NY Times.

STRAIGHT WHITE MEN

by young jean lee
directed by moira mcmahon
Feb 23-March 2, 2024

When Ed and his three adult sons come together to celebrate Christmas, they enjoy cheerful trash-talking, pranks, and takeout Chinese. Then they confront a problem that even being a happy family can’t solve: When identity matters, and privilege is problematic, what is the value of being a straight white man?
“The signal surprise of STRAIGHT WHITE MEN, written by the ever-audacious Young Jean Lee, is that the play is not a full-frontal assault on the beings of the title…Ms. Lee’s fascinating play goes far beyond cheap satire, ultimately becoming a compassionate and stimulating exploration of one man’s existential crisis. Believe it or not, Ms. Lee wants us to sympathize with the inexpressible anguish of her protagonist, a middle-aged, upper-middle-class straight white man…[A] mournful and inquisitive play…” —NY Times.

HUMAN

by andrea lepcio
directed by lori sitzabee
april 12-21, 2024

Human blends memoir with fiction, exploring how we become who we are in the face of love, neglect, caring, punishment, encouragement, and dismissal. Funny, sad, and everything in between, Andrea invites the audience to
feel and reflect.

HOUSE ARREST: a SEARCH FOR AMERICAN CHARACTER IN AND AROUND THE WHITE HOUSE,PAST AND PRESENT

by anna deavere smith
May 31-June 15, 2024

HOUSE ARREST is a fascinating and compelling look at nothing less than the civil rights movement, the issues of slavery and racism, and the relationship between the press and the presidency over the course of American history. It begins by focusing on Jefferson and his fine words versus the likelihood that he had a long-standing affair with one of his slaves. From there HOUSE ARREST changes gears and moves forward to Franklin Roosevelt’s presidency and examines how his affairs and disabilities were considered untouchable by the press. Smith interviewed many of the major players in American politics in the second half of the twentieth century and demonstrates the way politics has changed since Roosevelt’s administration. The play then jumps back to the assassination of Abraham Lincoln and compares that event and the Kennedy assassination. The range of voices and opinions that appear in the play make for vivid and interesting theatre. HOUSE ARREST is a triumph of Smith’s writing skills. In the course of over two hours, Smith weaves together historical writing and her own interviews with some 420 people both inside and outside of presidential politics. It’s a fascinating blend of history and commentary that is by turns illuminating, heartening and saddening.

SHE KILLS MONSTERS

by Qui Nguyen
directed by vanessa hawkins
July 5-20, 2024

She Kills Monsters tells the story of Agnes Evans as she leaves her childhood home in Ohio following the death of her teenage sister, Tilly. When Agnes finds Tilly’s Dungeons & Dragons notebook, however, she finds herself catapulted into a journey of discovery and action-packed adventure in the imaginary world that was her sister’s refuge. In this high-octane dramatic comedy laden with homicidal fairies, nasty ogres, and 90s pop culture, acclaimed playwright Qui Nguyen offers a heart-pounding homage to the geek and warrior within us all.