Studio 2010-11
Bettys Summer   Real Women
Dark Comedy by Christopher Durang   Comedy by Josefina Lopez
Betty anticipates a happy, restful time at the ocean. But casual friend and fellow vacationer Trudy talks incessantly and the other house-mates are peculiar orworrisome. There is sexy oaf Buck who pathologically chases all women all the time. Sweet withdrawn Keith carries a shovel and an inexplicable hatbox; might he be a serial killer? Emotionally disordered landlady Mrs. Siezmagraff moves in too—and then invites an even crazier derelict to dinner. Betty’s vacation is in danger of being ruined, and Betty herself seems to be falling apart. Is there really a laugh track playing? Death, destruction, pandemonium—it’s all with Betty at her seaside retreat.

  Frantic to save their tiny sewing factory and their jobs, five full-figured Mexican-American women dash to meet unachievable production deadlines. Set in East L.A., this hilarious story reveals the hopes of Ana, the youngest worker, who aspires to escape the barrio through a college education andto achieve fame as a writer. Eventually, Ana learns to appreciate her work and the women who do it. After writing a moving essay, she is awarded a journalism fellowship that will help her realize her dreams and take her to New York City.
[Durang is among] “the ranks of America’s liveliest living playwrights.” —New York Times “I want … to be a catalyst in the artistic renaissance of Boyle Heights.” —Josefina Lopez
February 19—March 27, 2010
Sun.Matinees: Feb. 28; Mar. 7, 14, 21
  April 9—May 15, 2010
Sun. Matinees: Apr. 18, 25; May 2, 9
Spin Butter   Violet Hour
Drama by Rebecca Gilman   Dramatic Comedy
by Richard Greenberg
African-American student Simon Brick is the victim of a racial assault at small Belmont College in Vermont. College administrators respond by presenting a politically-correct forum and by paying hypercritical “lip service” to racial equality. More incidents against Simon occur and Dean of Students Sarah Daniels is asked to prepare a ten point plan to resolve campus prejudice. She soon learns that she cannot flee from her past and is forced to examine her own deep prejudice against minorities.
  Moving into a decrepit Manhattan office in 1919, John Pace Seavering has money to publish one book. But he has two manuscripts and several problems. Best college friend Danny McCreary has submitted a text so long it arrives in three crates. Danny must publish now or lose his love, the heiress Rosamond Plinth. John’s own secret mistress, popular black jazz singer Jessie Brewer, wants him to publish her autobiography. On top of everything, John’s assistant finds a strange machine in the anteroom that spews out stacks of paper. The information on these pages tosses John’s aspirations into disarray.
“… a play that … demands to be experienced, reflected upon, and, digested.” —John Simon, New York   “May just be Greenberg’s finest …” —Variety
May 21—June 26, 2010
Sun. Matinees: May 30; Jun. 6, 13, 20
  July 2—August 7, 2010
Sun. Matinees: July 11, 18, 25; Aug. 1
On Verge   Boston Marriage
Comedy Adventure by Eric Overmyer   Comedy By David Mamet
Three pre-feminists boldly undertake an adventurous safari exploring the wildest of jungles, the highest of mountains, and—to their surprise—Terra Incognita. Victorian ladies all, Mary, Anna and Alex spin into the peculiar landscape that is the future. Our heroines bravely confront each “artifact” of Terra Incognita including household utensils and various mechanical devices. A rear-view car mirror provides an enigmatic message: “Objects in mirror may be closer than they appear.” Whatever could it mean?   “Women of fashion” Anna and Claire have long lived together as they cling to the edge of upperclass society. As Anna becomes mistress to a wealthy man who bestows upon her an expensive emerald, Claire becomes infatuated with a respectable young woman and asks the jealous Anna to arrange an assignation. As the two women exchange acidic insults, Claire’s youthful inamorata unexpectedly appears and both heroines’ futures—and the valuable emerald—are put at risk.
“… a thoroughly serendipitous theatrical journey.”
—The New York Times
  “Devastatingly funny … exceptionally clever … demonstrates anew [Mamet’s] technical virtuosity and flexibility.”—The New York Times
August 13 — September 18, 2010
Sun. Matinees: Aug. 22, 29; Sep. 5, 12
  September 24—October 30, 2010
Sun. Matinees: Oct. 3, 10, 17, 24
Lion In Winter   L Inishmore
Drama by James Goldman   Comedy by Martin McDonagh
King Henry II of England and his wife Eleanor of Aquitaine have three sons: Richard, Geoffrey, and John. Henry wants his kingdom to stay united after his death; each son wants to be sole ruler. England faces eventual revolution. As Henry favors youngest son John and Eleanor the eldest, Richard, the truce between these extraordinary and competitive parents disintegrates. Meanwhile, middle son Geoffrey finds room to maneuver to win the crown. This play was the basis of the Oscar-winning film starring Peter O’Toole and Katharine Hepburn.   A member of an IRA splinter group, Padraic regularly dispenses violence. The death of his only friend, the cat Wee Thomas, however, breaks his heart. While in the care of his father, the mangled cat is found at a roadside. Padraic’s father musters enough courage to phone his son with news that the pet is “off his food.” In the wait for Padraic’s return, a replacement to impersonate Wee Thomas is made with an orange cat and black shoe polish. Upon learning of his real cat’s demise, Padraic seeks retribution against the presumed killers. Confusing the situation is the arrival of members of a rival IRA group who are set upon assassinating Padraic. Chaotic violence results in a stage awash in blood and strewn with body parts. Does a happy ending await those still intact?
“… contemporariness [of] the characters ... makes it highly entertaining for a modern audience.”
—San Diego North County Times
  “Gasps and laughter fill the house simultaneously.”—San Francisco Chronicle
November 5—December 11, 2010
Sun. Matinees: Nov. 14, 21, 28; Dec. 5
  January 7—February 12, 2011 Sunday Matinees: Jan. 16, 23, 30; Feb. 6, 2011 *Subject to availability of rights.
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