BERKELEY, CALIF.: Shotgun Players has announced is 28th season, which will include seven productions and a reading series.
The main stage season will begin with KILL THE DEBBIE DOWNERS! KILL THEM! KILL THEM! KILL THEM OFF! (March 21-April 21, 2019), a new theatre piece inspired by Anton Chekhov’s Three Sisters that follows the same themes of fading memories, the approaching revolution, and visions of the future
Next will be Geetha Reddy’s Far, Far Better Things (April 26-May 19), a co-production with TheatreFIRST. Inspired by Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities, it follows the relationship between two women separated by class, race, and the expectations of motherhood. It will be presented at Live Oak Theatre in Berkeley.
Following will be Kings (May 16-June 16), by Sarah Burgess. Directed by Joanie McBrien, this political satire tells the story of a new female member of Congress on a mission to bring an end to the corruption she witnesses in American politics.
Next up is James Ijames’ Kill Move Paradise (July 5-Aug. 4), winner of the 2018 Kesselring Prize. This play, inspired by recent events, follows four young, African-American men stuck in limbo after being shot by police officers.
Following will be The Flick (Aug. 22-Sept. 22) by Annie Baker. This Pulitzer Prize-winning dramatic comedy is about three underpaid employees at a movie theatre and their seemingly monotonous lives. Jon Tracy will direct.
Next is Sheila Callaghan’s Elevada (Oct. 17-Nov. 17), which tells the story of a first date during the technological age in which human interaction is rare.
Closing out the main stage season is Caryl Churchill’s Vinegar Tom (Dec. 6, 2019-Jan. 5, 2020). Directed by Barbara Damashek, this satire follows two women in 17th-century England on trial for witchcraft.
In addition, the company’s 2019-20 “Champagne Readying Series” will include Lloyd Suh’s Charles Francis Chan Jr.’s Exotic Oriental Murder Mystery (April 29-30, 2019), Star Finch’s Before/After (June 17-18), Claudia Rankine’s Citizen: An American Lyric (July 29-30), Kristiana Rae Colón’s Good Friday (Sept. 23-24), and MJ Kaufman’s Sensitive Guys (Jan. 20-21, 2020).
Founded in 1992, Shotgun Players is a company of artists dedicated to creating bold, relevant, affordable theatre and commissioning new works.
