Marin Theatre Company: 2021 Season Brochure

M A R I N T H E AT R E C O M PA N Y MARIN THEATRE COMPANY 2021 SEASON

2021 SEASON The Future of American Theatre is Here at Marin Theatre Company!

MARIN THEATRE COMPANY 2021 SEASON

You will not want to miss this award-winning season!

NOVEMBER 2020 | WEST COAST DEBUT — STREAMING PRODUCTION

American Dreams

by Leila Buck

Co-Production with Working Theater and other national partners JAN/FEB 2021 | WORLD PREMIERE — STREAMING PRODUCTION

The Catastrophist

by Lauren Gunderson

Based on the life and work of Dr. Nathan Wolfe | Co-Production with Round House Theatre (DC) APRIL/MAY 2021 | WORLD PREMIERE — STREAMING PRODUCTION

The Brilliant Mind of Yusef El Musri

by Denmo Ibrahim

Co-Production with Storykrapht Interactive JUNE/JULY 2021 — STREAMING OR PHYSICAL PRODUCTION

TBA SEPT/OCT 2021 | WEST COAST PREMIERE — PHYSICAL PRODUCTION

The Sound Inside

by Adam Rapp

NOV/DEC 2021 | WORLD PREMIERE — PHYSICAL PRODUCTION

Georgiana and Kitty: Christmas at Pemberley

by Lauren Gunderson and Margot Melcon

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MARIN THEATRE COMPANY 2021 SEASON

Six New American Plays. MTC’s 2021 season.

Our team of artists have put in an enormous amount of dreaming, research and theorizing to create a season that launches with three thrilling productions in the digital and virtual realms. I am so proud of the effort that everyone has made to think outside the box, inside the box, through the box and down the rabbit hole to create pieces with visionary formats that match their unique voices and stories. I’m also excited to see what our fourth production will be, a physical or digital manifestation of our new Associate Artistic Director’s vision of theatre. We will introduce you to our new AAD soon, so stay tuned. We are also announcing that our final two productions will be live productions from our Boyer Theatre, hopefully with a combined live and virtual audience so folks who aren’t ready to come back to the theatre can still participate. If conditions don’t permit live theatre in Fall of 2021, don’t worry. We’re going to continue to commission new American work for the virtual realm so we can pivot to keep bringing you the best new American voices. Thank you for staying with us and for believing in our work and in the American Playwright.

— Jasson Minadakis | Artistic Director

Due to COVID-19, season programming and dates are subject to change. All Season 54 advance ticket-holders will be notified at the earliest possible moment of any changes in programming or performance dates that must be made in compliance with county and state health orders, as well as a detailed outline of safety protocols MTC will be implementing upon reopening its doors for physical events.

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AMERICAN DREAMS

MARIN THEATRE COMPANY 2019/2020 SEASON

It’s a game. It’s a show. It’s America!

“Smart, Provocative” — THE PLAIN DEALER

F L

AMERICAN DREAMS From left, Imran Sheikh, Leila Buck, Ali Andre Ali, Jens Rasmussen, and Andrew Aaron Valdez.

MARIN THEATRE COMPANY 2021 SEASON NOVEMBER 10 –15, 2020 | WEST COAST DIGITAL DEBUT ST R E A MI N G P R ODU C T I ON

American Dreams

Written by Leila Buck | Directed by Tamilla Woodard

Co-Production with Working Theater and other national partners American Dreams invites YOU to participate in the newest game show sensation - where you, the audience, decide who wins the ultimate prize: citizenship to “the greatest nation on earth.” Redefining online theater, this is a participatory performance which changes every night.

American Dreams captivates you, while simultaneously exploring how we navigate between fear, security, and freedom; who and what we choose to believe—and how those choices come to shape who we are as citizens, and as a nation.

American Dreams premiered to great acclaim at Cleveland Public Theatre for live audiences. This fall, the show launches as a national virtual theater production. This ground-breaking online tour will "travel" across the U.S., inviting audiences into playful, timely engagement and dialogue around what it means to be a citizen of this country.

Leila Buck is a Lebanese American playwright, actor, facilitator and educator who has performed and developed her work and others at/with the Public, NYTW, Culture Project, BRIC Arts, Brooklyn Museum, En Garde Arts, Cleveland Public, Cal Shakes, Mosaic Theater at Arena Stage, and the Wilma (Barrymore Award). She has performed and taught theatrical tools for literacy, conflict resolution, and intercultural engagement to youth, educators, aid workers, UN delegates and others across the U.S., Europe, China, Australia and 11 Arab countries.

Her play 1001 Nights (A Retelling), commissioned by Cal Shakes and co-written with director Evren Odcikin, was selected for the 2020 Kilroys List. She is a TCG/Fox Fellow, a member of the Public’s inaugural Emerging Writers Group, a Usual Suspect with NYTW, and teaches Creation and Representation in U.S. Theater at NYU. Subscribe now! marintheatre.org | 415.388.5208

THE CATASTROPHIST

MARIN THEATRE COMPANY 2019/2020 SEASON

How do you plan for a catastrophe?

Virologist Nathan Wolfe and friend.

Photo by Martin Schoeller

MARIN THEATRE COMPANY 2021 SEASON JANUARY 2021 | WORLD PREMIERE ST R E A MI N G P R ODU C T I ON

The Catastrophist

by Lauren Gunderson

Based on the life and work of Dr. Nathan Wolfe

World Premiere Co-Production with Round House Theatre

Directed by Jasson Minadakis How do you plan for a catastrophe? Virologist Nathan Wolfe, one of TIME’s 100 Most Influential People in the World for his work tracking viral pandemics, proposed pandemic insurance years before the novel coronavirus outbreak. No one bought it. Now, in a post-COVID world, we hear his story. MTC Playwright in Residence Lauren Gunderson returns with a time-jumping tale based on the life and work of her husband, Nathan Wolfe.

The Catastrophist is a world premiere, interactive theatrical deep dive into the profundities of scientific exploration and the harrowing realities of facing your own mortality.

Lauren M. Gunderson has been one of the most produced playwrights in America since 2015 topping the list twice including 2019/20. She is a two-time winner of the Steinberg/ATCA New Play Award, the winner of the Lanford Wilson Award and the Otis Guernsey New Voices Award, a finalist for the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize and John Gassner Award for Playwriting, and a recipient of the Mellon Foundation’s Playwright Residency with Marin Theatre Company. She studied Southern Literature and Drama at Emory University, and Dramatic Writing at NYU’s Tisch School where she was a Reynolds Fellow in Social Entrepreneurship. She co-authored the Christmas at Pemberley plays with Margot Melcon, and her work is published at Playscripts, Dramatists Play Service and Samuel French.

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THE BRILLIANT MIND OF YUSEF EL MUSRI

MARIN THEATRE COMPANY 2019/2020 SEASON

His fate lies in your hands.

Mattico David Photo by Charlyn Swarthout

MARIN THEATRE COMPANY 2021 SEASON APRIL 2021 | WORLD PREMIERE ST R E A MI N G P R ODU C T I ON

The Brilliant Mind of Yusef El Musri

Written & Directed by Denmo Ibrahim World Premiere Co-Production with Storykrapht Interactive Some say he was dealt an unfair hand. They called him Mr. Gold. But after he rose to small town fame something strange happened. He blames five-card stud. One trick led to another. Suddenly, he was hunting down the Queen of Hearts. He must’ve lost his mind. No one chases the Queen.

Brilliant Mind is a live digital interactive experiment exploring the immigrant psyche. Choose a portal and chase the narrative. Lure him into submission.

Deviate from the norm. You control his destiny. Inspired by Townes Van Zandt’s iconic tune “Mr. Mudd & Mr. Gold,” discover the secrets of an outsider fighting all odds. Provocative, intimate, and wholly unique, no two performances will be the same. Explore the dark, poetic corners of one man’s mind as he struggles to find his way back to himself.

Denmo Ibrahim is an Egyptian-American playwright and actor named “a tower of strength in the Bay Area theatre scene” by the SF Chronicle. She is a Sundance Institute Theatre Lab finalist, as well as the recipient of awards from The Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Arts and National Endowment for the Arts. Denmo holds an MFA in Lecoq-based Actor Created Physical Theater from Naropa University and a BFA in Acting from Boston University. She is a founding artistic director of Mugwumpin, a resident artist of Golden Thread, and a member of the National Steering Committee for MENA Theater Makers Alliance. www.denmoibrahim.com

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THE SOUND INSIDE

MARIN THEATRE COMPANY 2019/2020 SEASON

Everyone has a story.

Denmo Ibrahim

MARIN THEATRE COMPANY 2021 SEASON SEPTEMBER 2021 | WEST COAST PREMIERE P H YSI C A L P R ODU C T I ON

The Sound Inside

by Adam Rapp

Directed by Jasson Minadakis A brilliant Ivy League writing professor. A talented yet mysterious student. An unthinkable favor. Everyone has a story—the question is how it ends. Penned

by Pulitzer Prize finalist Adam Rapp (Red Light Winter), The Sound Inside takes you behind the ivy-covered walls of Yale, and into New York’s literary haven, Greenwich Village, in this riveting recent Broadway hit starring MTC favorite Denmo Ibrahim (Noura and The Who &The What).

Adam Rapp is the author of numerous plays, which include The Sound Inside (WTF, Broadway), Nocturne (A.R.T., New York Theatre Workshop), Finer Noble Gases (Rattlestick, Edinburgh Fringe, Fringe First Award), Kindness (Playwrights Horizons), The Metal Children (The Vineyard), The Hallway Trilogy (Rattlestick), Blackbird (The Bush, Edge Theatre), Stone Cold Dead Serious (A.R.T., Edge Theatre), and Red Light Winter (Steppenwolf, Barrow Street Theatre), for which he won Chicago’s Jeff Award, an OBIE, and was named a finalist for the 2006 Pulitzer Prize. His playwriting honors include The Helen Merrill Prize, The Benjamin H. Danks Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and the PEN/Laura Pels International Foundation Award.

“ A gripping small-scale mystery...

an astonishing new play!”

— NEW YORK TIMES

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GEORGIANA AND KITTY

MARIN THEATRE COMPANY 2019/2020 SEASON

“A welcome holiday tradition” —LILY JANIAK, SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE

THE WICKHAMS | 2018 Melissa Ortiz, Madeline Rouverol Photo by Kevin Berne

MARIN THEATRE COMPANY 2021 SEASON

NOVEMBER 2021 | WORLD PREMIERE P H YSI C A L P R ODU C T I ON

Georgiana and Kitty: Christmas at Pemberley

by Lauren Gunderson & Margot Melcon

In the final installment of the Christmas at Pemberley trilogy, we follow Mr. Darcy’s younger sister, Georgiana—an accomplished pianist—and Lizzie and Mary’s younger sister Kitty, Georgiana’s joyful, practical confidant. It is Christmastime at Pemberley, and the pair are expecting the imminent arrival of Henry Grey, Georgiana’s secret correspondent. The second half of the play leaps ahead 20 years, and Georgiana is set to premiere a new song on Christmas Eve. Though she’s become a well-respected musician and composer, she never found love. But when the next generation of Bennet girls comes to London with their new friend—the daughter of Henry Grey—she may have a second chance.

Lauren M. Gunderson (see bio on page 7) and Margot Melcon are the coauthors of the previous Pemberley plays, Miss Bennet and The Wickhams.

Margot Melcon is a theatre artist, administrator, and writer. She was the director of new play development at Marin Theatre Company for seven years, where she dramaturged over thirty productions, and administered the company’s two annual new play prizes and commissioning program.

Margot has developed plays with TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, Bay Area Playwrights Festival, Crowded Fire Theater, Shotgun Players, The Ground Floor at Berkeley Repertory Theatre, The Kennedy Center, The New Harmony Project, and The Playwrights’ Center in Minneapolis. She is currently the program executive for promoting culture at the Zellerbach Family Foundation.

Margot is a graduate of Cal State University, Chico.

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MARIN THEATRE COMPANY 2021 SEASON

New Subscription Options Packages for every budget and schedule!

Flexible Season Membership: Don’t want to commit to a set schedule, but still want to receive subscriber savings? We’ve got you covered! Especially heading into a theatrical season where everything’s going to look a little different, we want to make sure you get the same, top notch subscriber experience whether you’re here with us here in the Boyer Theatre or in the comfort of your home.

Due to COVID-19, Jasson and the whole staff have been working hard to re-think our artistic offerings, and we want to make sure you can join us for any and all programming you feel safejoining us for. So we’re keeping it flexible this year!

Your options: 1. Full Season Membership | $240 Committed to MTC as a long-time subscriber? This membership includes access to all virtual events, and one (1) ticket to each socially-distanced live production in the 2020/21 season (ending December 2021)!

2. Full Season Membership For Two | $480 This membership includes access for you and your theatre buddy to all virtual events, and two (2) tickets to each socially-distanced live production in the 20/21 season (ending December 2021)!

3. Partial Season Membership: Virtual Events Only | $75 Not ready to visit us in-person next year? This membership includes access to all virtual offerings in MTC's 20/21 season (ending December 2021)!

4. Partial Season Membership: Live Events Only | $165 Eager to join us back in the theatre in mid-2021? This membership includes three (3) tickets to be used toward any in person, socially-distanced events in MTC's 20/21 season (ending December 2021).

Previously a Fixed Series Subscriber with us? If you normally attend the theatre on a set date, with specific seats, you’re likely a Fixed Series subscriber. This season we will not be offering a Fixed Series option due to the socially-distanced protocols for any live productions. However, if you had a Fixed Series Subscription for our 2019/20 season, we will be holding your seats and date preferences until renewals begin for our 2022 season when it is safe to resume regular seating again..

Please Note. All 19/20 Season Ticket Holders: If you have credits on file from unused tickets due to cancelled performances last season, those will appear on your account and will be automatically applied to any new orders you place this season.

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MARIN THEATRE COMPANY 2021 SEASON MOTHER OF THE MAID | 2019 Sherman Fracher Photo by Kevin Berne

Benefits | Why subscribe?

• SAVE MONEY: Enjoy savings of up to 15% OFF + save on additional single tickets purchased to streaming and live events throughout the season.

• BEST SEATS: Subscribers who purchase a Full Season Membership will be given first access to selecting their socially distanced seats once seating becomes available for our Live Events in Fall 2021.

• LOST TICKET REPLACEMENT: We get it - Fall 2021 is a year away! But should you choose to have your Live Event(s) tickets mailed to you in advance, we offer subscribers complimentary ticket reprinting if those tickets are lost or stolen before your scheduled performance date.

• FIRST TIME SUBSCRIBER? Enjoy 10% OFF any package of your choice! (Limit 4 per household).

Stay Engaged!

Enhance your theatrical experience with these FREE supplemental programs!

• AFTER WORDS: Post-show Q&A’s will be held with members of the artistic team throughout the production run via Zoom! Instructions on how to access these exclusive Zoom chats with our artists will be provided to all ticket holders.

• PRE-SHOW HAPPY HOUR: Exclusive pre-show chats will be held with members of the artistic team once per production run via Zoom! Instructions on how to access these open, informal Zoom chats with our artists will be provided to all ticket holders.

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MARIN THEATRE COMPANY 2021 SEASON

Add a Gift with Your Purchase Today!

During these unusual times, MTC needs your support now more than ever! Your contributions will ensure that MTC can stay nimble and responsive while continuing to produce intimate theatre experiences. From bringing in cultural consultants for productions, to adding extra rehearsal weeks for actors, to purchasing audio and recording equipment, to implementing safe sanitary practices; your donations make a tangible difference in pushing MTC toward a sustainable future. Consider making a tax-deductible gift today and ensure the evolution of impactful theatre!

So Many Ways to Give! marintheatre.org/donate/more-ways-to-give • Monthly Donations This is the most impactful way to contribute toward MTC’s long-term future while taking advantage of donor perk! Become a Friend of MTC Circle- Contributor for as little as $35 a month.

• Donor-Advised Funds Recommend Marin Theatre Company as a grant recipient from your donor-advised fund.

• Qualified Charitable Distributions Are you over the age of 70 and have an IRA? Consider a direct transfer of funds from your IRA custodian made payable to Marin Theatre Company. This transfer counts toward satisfying your required minimum distribution for the year.

• Gifts of Stock Marin Theatre Company accepts transfers of appreciated stock.

• Corporate Matching Gifts Contact your employer’s human resources department to see if they have a matching gift program. You could double your contribution!

For more info or to donate, contact: (415) 322-6035 development@marintheatre.org

marintheatre.org/donate #REDALERTRESTART | SEPT 2020

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MARIN THEATRE COMPANY 2021 SEASON

MTC Education MTC Education proudly offers classes for students age 4 to adult all year long, designed for fun and growth through the arts for everyone! There is always something going on, and we’d love for you to join our MTC Education family.

• Youth Conservatory Fall and Spring offerings include: Improv (grades 4 and up), Acting (grades 1 and up), private lessons (grades 6 and up), musical theatre (grades 6 and up) and more!

• Workshops and More This season features a selection of one-day classes and workshops on topics like storytelling, acting, and playwriting. Check out our website for current workshops!

• MTC Summer Camp 2021 will include classes and productions for rising K-12 grade students. Visit our website for more information.

For more information or help signing up, contact Education Coordinator Erika March: erikam@marintheatre.org Subscribe now! marintheatre.org | 415.388.5208

MARIN THEATRE COMPANY 2021 SEASON

Thank you to our sponsors!

This season is brought to you in part by the following Executive Producer level and above sponsors: Terry Berkemeier + Lori Lerner | Gage Schubert | Christopher B. + Jeannie Meg Smith | Buffington Miller, Clay Foundation-West | Bob + Paula Reynolds | Melody Wireless Infrastructure | David Catania + Diana Gay-Catania | John + Shelley Chesley | Lauren Gunderson + Nathan Wolfe | Barbara + Jim Kautz | Kathy King + Gerald Cahill | Vera + Ken Meislin |Fred + Kathleen Taylor | Lynn Brinton + Dan Cohn | Suzanne + Mark Darley | Tracy + Brian Haughton | Haughton Family Charitable Fund | Peter + Melanie Maier, The John Brockway Hungtington Fund | Ivan + Lochiel Poutiatine | Matthew Purdon | Stacy Scott+ + Chuck Ciacco | Adobe | Gene + Neil Barth | Gerry Goldsholle + Myra Levenson+ | Kimberly Hughes + Steve Moazed | Kiki Pescatello | Michael + Jean Strunsky, The Ira and Leonore Gershwin Philanthropic Fund | Vickie Soulier | Paul + Sandy Zuber

Special thanks to The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust Subscribe now! marintheatre.org | 415.388.5208

2020/2021 SEASON | Membership Prices & Schedule Choose between a Six-Play Series or a Flex Ticket Anytime Package First-Time Subscribers

* Receive 10% Off

Membership Prices

6-PLAY SERIES

Full Season Membership

$240

Full Season Membership For Two

$480

Partial Season Membership: Virtual Events Only

$75

Partial Season Membership: Live Events Only

$165

* 10% off discount applies to first-time subscribers only. Limit 4 per household.

DIGITAL PERFORMANCE

7/8/2021

9/9/2021

11/18/2021

1-FRI-P

7/9/2021

9/10/2021

11/19/2021

SAT 7:30PM

1-SAT-P

7/10/2021

9/11/2021

11/20/2021

SUN 4PM

1-SUN-MP

7/11/2021

9/12/2021

11/21/2021

Week 2

2-TUE-O 2-WED

THU 7:30PM

2-THU

FRI 7:30PM

2-FRI

SAT 2 PM**

2-SAT-M

SAT 7:30PM

2-SAT-E

SUN 2PM

2-SUN-M

SUN 7:30PM

2-SUN-E

Week 3 Week 4

TUE 7:30PM

3-TUE

WED 7:30PM [1]

3-WED

THU 7:30PM

3-THU-E

FRI 7:30PM

3-FRI

SAT 2PM**

3-SAT-M

SAT 7:30PM

3-SAT-E

SUN 2PM

3-SUN-E

TUE 7:30PM

4-TUE

WED 7:30PM [1]

4-WED

THU 1PM** [p]

3-THU-M

THU 7:30PM

4-THU

FRI 7:30PM

Brilliant Mind

VIRTUAL EVENT TICKETS AVAILABLE FROM APRIL 19 – MAY 2, 2021

1-THU-P

FRI 7:30PM

VIRTUAL EVENT TICKETS AVAILABLE FROM JANUARY 25 – FEBRUARY 28, 2021

THU 7:30PM

TUE 7:30PM [i]

Catastrophist

VIRTUAL EVENT TICKETS AVAILABLE FROM NOVEMBER 10 ­– 15

PREVIEWS

Week 1

Series code

WED 7:30PM [1]

Dreams

LIVE PERFORMANCE

Day & Time

TBA

Sound Inside

Pemberley

7/13/2021

9/14/2021

11/22/2021

7/14/2021

9/15/2021

11/24/2021

7/15/2021

9/16/2021

*

7/16/2021

9/17/2021

11/26/2021

7/17/2021

9/18/2021

11/27/2021

7/17/2021

9/18/2021

11/28/2021

7/18/2021

9/19/2021

11/28/2021

7/18/2021

9/19/2021

11/29/2021

7/20/2021

9/21/2021

11/29/2021

7/21/2021

9/22/2021

12/1/2021

7/22/2021

9/23/2021

12/2/2021

7/23/2021

9/24/2021

12/3/2021

7/24/2021

9/25/2021

12/4/2021

7/24/2021

9/25/2021

12/5/2021

7/25/2021

9/26/2021

12/5/2021

7/27/2021

9/28/2021

12/6/2021

7/28/2021

9/29/2021

12/8/2021

7/29/2021

9/30/2021

12/9/2021

7/29/2021

9/30/2021

12/10/2021

4-FRI

7/30/2021

10/1/2021

12/10/2021

SAT 2PM**

4-SAT-M

7/31/2021

10/2/2021

12/11/2021

SAT 7:30PM

4-SAT-E

7/31/2021

10/2/2021

12/12/2021

SUN 2PM

4-SUN-M

8/1/2021

10/3/2021

12/13/2021

*Due to Thanksgiving, we will not have a Thursday, November 25th, 2019 performance for Christmas at Pemberley.

Performance dates & showtimes subject to change.

Program Key:

[i] OPENING

[1] WED PRE-SHOW TALK AT 7PM

[p] PERSPECTIVES

MOTHER OF THE MAID | 2019 Scott Coopwood Photo by Kevin Berne

COVER PHOTO: NOURA | 2020 Denmo Ibrahim

NONPROFIT U.S. POSTAGE PAID STRAHMCOM

MARIN THEATRE COMPANY 397 Miller Avenue Mill Valley, CA 94941

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Photo by Kevin Berne

2 0 21 S E A S ON NOVEMBER 2020 | WEST COAST DIGITAL DEBUT— STREAMING PRODUCTION

American Dreams by Leila Buck JAN/FEB 2021 | WORLD PREMIERE — STREAMING PRODUCTION

The Catastrophist by Lauren Gunderson

Based on the life and work of Dr. Nathan Wolfe

APRIL/MAY 2021 | WORLD PREMIERE — STREAMING PRODUCTION

The Brilliant Mind of Yusef El Musri by Denmo Ibrahim JUNE/JULY 2021 | STREAMING OR PHYSICAL PRODUCTION

TBA SEPT/OCT 2021 | WEST COAST PREMIERE — PHYSICAL PRODUCTION

The Sound Inside by Adam Rapp NOV/DEC 2021 | WORLD PREMIERE — PHYSICAL PRODUCTION

Georgiana and Kitty: Christmas at Pemberley by Lauren Gunderson & Margot Melcon