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.
by Lynn Nottage
Directed by Catherine Pappas
April 2013
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