by August Wilson 

Directed by Marilyn Yoblick

Nov. 23, 24, 25, 29, 30, Dec. 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 2012
Tickets: $17 Online / $20 at Door / Thurs 2-for-$25



Interwoven stories of the black experience in 1970s Pittsburgh, brought to life in the setting of a gypsy taxicab company and its denizens ... a son returns to his father after years in prison ... a young couple with a child struggles for mutual understanding ... older and wiser men strive to impart their knowledge of the world to others.  Beautifully rendered slice of life ... about those struggling with life's choices - touching, involving, lyrical.

by George Bernard Shaw

Directed by Barbara Mills

Feb. 1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 9, 10, 14, 15, 16, 17, 2013

NOTE: Post-performance Talk-Back rescheduled...A 'Meet the Cast and Director' Q & A session will be held following the performance on FRIDAY, FEB. 15th.
All attendees at the performance are welcome to stay and join in the discussion.

Tickets: $17 Online / $20 at Door / Thurs 2-for-$25

Mother and daughter, equally strong-willed, collide in their differing world views in Victorian England.  A classic work by the master of wit and wisdom, and champion of social reform, this play deftly depicts the universal conflict between the generations as well as the mores and morals of society of the period.  Written in 1893, this witty and delightfully provocative piece retains its freshness and relevance in today's world.

This provocative comedy of morals and ideas, set in late Victorian England, is the author’s scathing critique of the restrictions placed upon women by society of the time.  It is also a portrayal of generational conflict – a study of two strong women, mother and daughter, each determined to hold to their respective world views and life choices.  The story transpires over a weekend during which young Vivie Warren, freshly graduated from Cambridge after a lifetime of boarding schools and only brief family visitations, finally gets to know her mother, Kitty, a woman of questionable reputation who has lavishly financed her daughter’s superior education and place in respectable society.  The unfolding action propels the two women into an inevitable confrontation and reckoning with the past, culminating in a climax of shocking and passionate drama.

Regularly at the center of discourse on the moral, economic, and social issues of his day, George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) left the world an enormous body of literary work, including sixty-three plays, over a dozen of which are today recognized as classics.  A good many of his writings invited controversy, but Mrs. Warren’s Profession provoked more than its fair share of dissension.  Written in 1893, the play was immediately banned from public production by Britain ’s Lord Chamberlain on account of its subject matter.  Upon premiering on the American stage in 1905 the play was literally halted in mid-performance by New York ’s Police Department, who cited the entire company for disorderly conduct!  The first public presentation in London took place in 1925, by which time mores had caught up with thematic content.  After wide acceptance as a great work, and many decades of revivals on both sides of the Atlantic, this delightfully witty and biting piece has assumed its rightful position as a tract for all times, retaining its freshness and relevance in today’s world.

by Lynn Nottage 

Directed by Catherine Pappas

Apr. 12, 13, 14, 18, 19, 20, 21, 25, 26, 27, 28, 2013
Tickets: $17 Online / $20 at Door / Thurs 2-for-$25

You’ll want to be sure to put this multi-award winning play on your theatrical to-do list.  In the story, set during the seemingly endless horrific civil conflict raging in today’s Democratic Republic of the Congo, shrewd businesswoman Mama Nadi runs a bar and brothel near a mining town, her place at once a ‘neutral zone’ for rebel and government soldiers looking for a good time, and a refuge for the scarred and suffering women she both profits from and protects.  As the action unfolds and warring factions battle it out, women driven to the limits of what the human spirit can bear struggle simply to survive.  Based on true reports of conditions endured by those caught in the hell of war, this play affords a haunting portrayal of compelling and resilient characters and draws the onlooker into a narrative which grabs attention and doesn’t let go.  In the words of the critics:  “Strong and absorbing ... raw and genuine agony pulses within ... a clear-eyed celebration of endurance ...” – The New York Times; “... a richly stirring and complex drama ... including generous doses of humor.” – The New York Post.           

Lynn Nottage (b. 1964) studied at Yale School of Drama, where she earned an M.F.A. in playwriting in 1989.  Over the past two decades she has authored nearly a dozen plays that have enjoyed wide recognition.  A singular honor was bestowed upon Nottage in 2007, when she was named a MacArthur Fellow (AKA the “genius grant”), which solidified her status as a major voice in theatre.  “Ruined” premiered in 2008 at The Goodman Theatre in Chicago and went on to production at Manhattan Theatre Club in New York City , where it ran for eight months, through a record nine extensions.  The play, awarded the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, won the Drama Desk and Outer Critics’ Circle Awards for Outstanding Play, and the Obie Award for Best New American Play. 

Two other plays by Lynn Nottage have been produced at The Stagecrafters: “Intimate Apparel” in 2008 and “Mud, River, Stone” in 2011.

by Woody Allen 

Directed by David Flagg

Jun. 14, 15, 16, 20, 21, 22, 23, 27, 28, 29, 30, 2013
Tickets: $17 Online / $20 at Door / Thurs 2-for-$25


ALL THOSE WOMEN – WHAT WOULD BOGEY DO?

            Allan Felix, who has just been dumped by his wife, is desperate to connect with another woman and dreams of a really BIG romance.  Problem is, as he struggles to find an ideal partner in love, his neuroses, awkwardness, and insecurity with the opposite sex keep getting in the way.  A movie buff and professional film critic, Allan has this thing about Humphrey Bogart, embodiment of machismo, epitome of cool ... so he tries to tap into some of Bogart’s technique. As Allan muddles through real-life set-ups and let-downs, failed dates and panic attacks, Bogey indeed comes to his rescue – lurking in the shadows offering helpful pointers, zingers, words of wisdom, and ... hope.  Play It Again, Sam is an endearingly funny and keen-witted saga about love, sex, and neuroses.  One typical critical reaction: “Hilarious ... a cheerful romp. ... audaciously brilliant ...” – The New York Times.

              Woody Allen (b. Allan Stewart Konigsberg, 1935) has enjoyed renown for over five decades as consummate comedic satirist, playwright, and cinematic auteur.  During his career as writer and performer, he has created upwards of forty feature films, which have collectively garnered multiple awards and distinctions in this country and abroad.  Through his early work Allen perfected the neurotic, angst-ridden, fretful intellectual persona that has become his trademark.  Play It Again, Sam opened in New York on February 12, 1969, featuring Allen himself, along with Diane Keaton and Tony Roberts, and it ran for 453 performances. The three performers reprised their roles in the movie version in 1972.  A hit on stages on both sides of the Atlantic, Play It Again, Sam has enjoyed numerous revivals in the U.S., Great Britain and elsewhere over the decades.

            The play was produced at The Stagecrafters in June of 1979.