CHARLESTON, S.C.: PURE Theatre has announced its 2018-19 season, the company’s 16th and its first at its new location, the Cannon Street Art Center. The season will feature works by Lynn Nottage, Lucas Hnath, Sam Shepard, and Bess Wohl.
“When I was a teenager, I didn’t fully appreciate what it meant to be 16,” co-founder and artistic director Sharon Graci said in a statement. “It was really just a license—literally, to drive a car. As the head of an arts organization that is turning 16, I have a whole new appreciation for what 16 means. PURE is mature, seasoned, but not as wizened as our older counterparts. There’s still much to learn, but we’re confident and thoughtful, with a firm understanding of audience expectations. We’re bold and balanced, and we are not afraid to challenge our patrons to expect more and to challenge ourselves to deliver more. We work hard, we take risks, and we dream of a future that is welcoming to all. It’s exciting to manifest that dream, and it’s terribly, terribly sweet. Just as it should be.”
The season will open with Sweat (Oct. 4-7 at the Dock Street Theatre/MOJA Arts Festival, Oct. 11-20 at Cannon Street Art Center) by Lynn Nottage, about working-class folks in Reading, Pa., afflicted by job cuts and poverty.
Next will be A Doll’s House, Part 2 (Nov. 1-24) by Lucas Hnath, a sequel to Ibsen’s A Doll’s House that explores what happens 15 years later, when Nora returns to the family she left.
Following will be rotating repertory productions of True West and Fool For Love (Jan. 10-Feb. 9, 2019) by Sam Shepard, which is part of the company’s new Past Contemporaries Series.
Next will be Small Mouth Sounds (March 7-30, 2019) by Bess Wohl, about six runaways from city life who embark on a silent retreat.
Closing out the season will be a Tony Award-winning work to be announced later, which will have performances on April 18-May 11, 2019.
Founded in 2003, PURE Theatre is dedicated to creating exceptional theatre experiences that enliven thought, ignite dialogue, and expand consciousness.
