CHICAGO: Victory Gardens Theater has announced its 2020-21 season, featuring a world premiere from Ali Viterbi.
“It’s only a matter of time until our indomitable human spirit will overcome this moment in global history,” said artistic director Chay Yew in a statement. “As a diverse city and country, we will rise by standing together, by supporting and raising each other up in these uncertain times. These are the same values we hold dear at Victory Gardens. Looking to artists who give us hope and inspiration, we’ve specifically chosen plays for our 46th season that continue our passionate commitment of reflecting the world in which we live.”
The season will open with Qui Nguyen’s Poor Yella Rednecks (Sept. 18-Oct. 18), a follow up to Nguyen’s Vietgone, about an immigrant family’s struggle in Arkansas in the 1970s. Jess McLeod will direct.
Next up will be the world premiere of In Every Generation (Nov. 13-Dec. 13), by Ali Viterbi. Devon de Mayo will direct this play about the Levi-Katz family who find strength in tradition, but who are also faced with a question of whether their future will be defined by trauma.
Ike Holter’s Exit Strategy (Jan. 29-Feb. 28, 2021) will follow, about a group of teachers and students who fight back to save their school from closing. Wardell Julius Clark will direct.
Erika Dickerson-Despenza’s cullud wattah (April 9-May 16, 2021) will be next. Lili-Anne Brown will direct this play about two sisters in Flint, Michigan as they worry about layoffs, lead poisoning, and other secrets that bubble to the surface and threaten to capsize their family.
The season will conclude with Heroes of the Fourth Turning (June 11-July 11, 2021), by Will Arbery, about a group of conservative Catholics in Wyoming who gather to celebrate their mentor. Generations clash as the celebration devolves into a fight for understanding. Jonathan Berry will direct.
“We’re incredibly hopeful about the future of Victory Gardens and the arts and cultural scene in Chicago and our nation,” said executive director Erica Daniels in a statement. “We look forward to a time when we can all come together to experience our shared stories with one another—on stage and off.”
Founded in 1974, Victory Gardens produces contemporary American plays and musicals.
