We asked the Alley’s artistic staff why they’re excited for this year’s plays. Here’s what they had to say!
Bradley Michalakis, Head of Dramaturgy
Why I’m Excited About Zero Hour
When I sit down with Zero Hour, I don’t feel like I’m reading a play; I feel like I’m peering directly into the life of the writer, in full unvarnished honesty. At the same time there’s an inherent theatricality to this piece, which employs a small ensemble of actors to play all of the characters. This play has allowed me to get to know Tea on multiple levels; it’s the story of her life, viewed through the lens of her irrepressible creativity.
Amber Gray, Resident Artist
Why I’m Excited About The Alley
I partially grew up in third ward, as my family joined a church on Wheeler Avenue shortly after I was born. I was always curious about the surrounding neighborhoods and the people that inhabited them. I am excited for the audience to get a look inside this family’s life, on the alley, and see how much can evolve in a matter of days. Also to mention how a spur of the moment family barbecue can lure all the neighbors out to interact with one another, no matter what conflicts might be arising amongst them.
Rob Melrose, Artistic Director
Why I’m Excited About Wolfie
After directing Sharr White’s Pictures from Home last season, I am so excited to jump right back into his brilliant writing with his newest play Wolfie! Wolfie is an all-out battle between two couples over a dog (or something bigger)? The extremities and absurdities remind me of two other favorite plays of mine: Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, and Yasmina Reza’s God of Carnage. Of course, Wolfie is all Sharr’s own and delves into a very contemporary battle between two generations: Millennials and Boomers.
Brandon Weinbrenner, Associate Artistic Director
Why I’m Excited About Uhuru
Climbing to the peak of Mount Kilimanjaro (Uhuru Peak) is a Herculean, once in a lifetime adventure. Unless of course, you are a Tanzanian tour guide whose brings throngs of tourists on the journey for a living. Mshale is such a guide, painted with much love and complexity by playwright Gloria Majule. Mshale and his crew of unlikely tourists are each on a specific journey to find their own ‘Uhuru’ (which happens to be the Kiswahili word for ‘freedom’). Because of Majule’s playful yet sensitive guiding hand, we find connections in characters who are quite literally mountains away.
