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2011/2012 world premiere commission! When Hetchman's hat goes missing, and his wife also disappears, his best friend does his best to get Hetchman out of his armchair to hunt for them. But it takes an otherworldly influence to finally get Hetchman out of his chair. "Tip o' the hat to Yee's wacky theatrical fable" from Chad Jones, former Oakland Tribune editor Full review Critic's Choice, North Bay Bohemian: "charmingly weird...part love story, part fairy tale" Full reveiw "A contemporary Yiddish-lite fable...a work of abundant delight" Bay Area Backstage An absurdist tale of family secrets, true love, and missing hats from rising star Lauren Yee, featuring a friendly, neighborhood monster, a woman on a quest, and a man who just needs a hug. with dramaturgy by Nakissa Etemad EXTENDED! Now playing through December 11th 2010/2011 Two Sisters and a Piano by Nilo Cruz Performing at 888 Fourth Street (at Lootens), San Rafael Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Nilo Cruz's beautiful play about two sisters living under house arrest in Cuba just as the Soviet Union begins to fall apart. "Cruz's tightly constructed study of incarcerated sisters...provides the spine for an authentic study of oppression that bends but never breaks the human spirit." —Variety. Two sisters who speak out against a repressive regime are imprisoned. Set in Cuba in 1991, as the Soviet Union is disintegrating, this beautiful play by Pulitzer Prize winner Nilo Crus weaves a poetic tale of two passionate sisters in their very personal sotry to retain hope, and even their identity, whil living under house arrest. Directed by Ann Brebner 'Sisters' Riveting: Four Stars! Marin Independent Journal "The older sister, Maria Celia, is played with restraint and indomitable confidence by Critic’s Circle Best Actress winner Dawn Scott. Scott won the respect of Marin theatergoers last year with her sensitive portrayal of the lead role in “Intimate Apparel,” and she gives another finely nuanced performance here. The younger sister, Sofia, is a musical artist whose spirit is bruised by the restrictive life she is forced to lead. Jeanette Harrison of San Rafael portrays her character with an impulsive, impatient and sensual quality that is a joy to watch." --MarinScope Newspapers Award-winning playwright/director Octavio Solis: "There is nothing more complicated than a world in which one falls in love with their captor, and in AlterTheater's nuanced production of Nilo's play, four talented performers beautifully walk the line between danger and sensuality, between imprisonment and inner release." "The music Sofia plays on the piano echoes her confinement and her inner need to be free as does the music in Maria’s poetic words. Indeed, there is a lyrical quality in the language of all the characters" --David Kashimba “A rich, delicious, multilayered torte of a play…It’s like watching a performance in your living room—an experience as visceral as intellectual for the audience” --Fourth Street Style "The acting, as always at AlterTheater, is first rate" --Pacific Sun The Changer by Robert Ernst. Alternative theater icon and Blake Street Hawkeyes co-founder Robert Ernst (Catherine’s Care) returns to AlterTheater with his latest creation, to be developed in workshop over six months. Bob’s last project with AlterTheater was nominated for Best New Script from the Bay Area Critics’ Circle. The Changer Robert Ernst brings his music-infused vision to a San Rafael storefront: The Changer explores how a man trapped by circumstances creates his own reality and ultimately transforms into hero or villain. A new piece about the mortgage crisis, multiple personalities, and love in rush-hour traffic. Robert Ernst is the co-founder of Berkeley's famed Blake Street Hawkeyes, a center of the Bay Area's alternative theater scene in the 1970s and 1980s (and where Whoopi Goldberg developed her first solo show). The winner of multiple awards, Bob was nominated for a Bay Area Critics Circle Award for Best New Play for Catherine's Care, which AlterTheater premiered in 2007.
Plus special guests following the show! Sunday March 20th: Funny, a trunk show written and performed by Denmo Ibrahim Inspired by a true story, FUNNY A TRUNK SHOW looks at the baggage we carry when we leave our homeland in search for the American Dream. Funny, moving, and undeniably real. Denmo is an Egyptian-American actor and playwright based in San Francisco. She has performed for A.C.T., Aurora Theatre, Huntington Theatre, and the Vineyard Playhouse. Denmo has been nominated for a Joseph Jefferson Award for “Best Actress in a Lead Role”. Original commissions include new work for Theatre of Yugen, foolsFURY, Shotgun Players, Golden Thread, Root Division, 111 Minna Gallery, and EXIT Theatre. Her writing has been generously supported by Zellerbach, Gerbode, and Theatre Bay Area. She is a graduate of Boston University’s Acting Program and holds an M.F.A. in Lecoq-Based: Actor Created Physical Theatre from Naropa University. She has studied commedia dell’arte with Antonio Fava at the International Stage in Italy, acrobatics with Mirco Ferri, and intensive training with Giovanni Fusetti’s clown pedagogy. Denmo co-founded the SF performance company, Mugwumpin. Her solo play, FUNNY I A TRUNK SHOW is touring throughout the U.S. in 2011. Sunday, March 27th Solo Performer Open Mic, featuring performers hand chosen by Bob Ernst (are you a solo performer who'd like an open mic slot?) plus a limited number of performers chosen at the door. Saturday Night Music Series: Join us for live music after the show! Saturday, March 19th: singer/songwriter Will McCandless Saturday, March 26th: Smooth Toad Saturday, April 2nd: Smooth Toad Intimate Apparel by Pulitzer-Prize-winning playwright Lynn Nottage, directed by Associate Artist Ann Brebner. Starring AlterTheater Artists Dawn Scott (After the Fall), fresh from her MFA program at the National Theatre Conservatory/Denver Center, and Jeanette Harrison.and AlterTheater's newest associate artist Rebecca Frank, with Matt Jones, Nick Sholley (After the Fall, Sex Parasite), and Erica Smith (Thirst) Winner, Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle, Best Actress for Dawn Scott! 2009/2010 May 7th through May 30th The first professionally produced play by renowned British playwright Caryl Churchill is a searing dark comedy that skewers the hunger for ownership and what it means to be the master of your belongings--from houses bought and sold in gentrifying neighborhoods to the hearts of the people you love. The Horses Imagination and desire collide in this comedy about family, love, and getting older. It's Marv's 75th birthday, and he's more interested in taking a road trip with a fun-time gal than in the perfect cake his wife Lois is icing. Directed by Tracy Ward, with dramaturgy by Jayne Wenger Read More about the Making of The Horses, AlterTheater's first-ever commissioned play, written specifically for our company! North Bay Bohemian raves: "first-rate work...a lyrically written comedy-drama-mystery-fantasy that defies categorization, alternately baffling and then charming its audience." Read the full review 2008/2009American Whup-Ass A once-ballyhooed candidate for Senate rapidly freefalls until he's challenged to a wrestling match on national television. In between lifting weights and training sessions with the Iron Buddha, he's ducking talk show hosts and trying to save the planet (or at least the state of Nevada) from toxic sludge. What's a good ole boy to do? Are you American enough to watch? Boo-Yah! Starring: Will Marchetti*, Mick Mize, ZZ Moor, Marty Pistone*, Jack Powell*, Paul Santiago* The critics love it! San Francisco Tribune: "Don't miss it!" American Whup-Ass "promises to kill you with laughter" Esta farsa es muy creativa e imaginativa; Paúl Santiago en su rol del general Mayhem es un maestro, se llevaria la medalla de oro, si estuviésemos en las olimpiadas...American Whup-Ass es una obra muy divertida, no cesara de reír, se lo garantizamos. Muy recomendable para todos." 2007/2008Hard Laughter Starring Lindsay Benner*, Jeffrey Bihr*, Rio Codda, Zac Jaffee, Hannah Rose Kornfeld, Laura Lowry*, Frances Lee McCain* Thirst by Dyke Garrison Starring Sheila Balter*, Jeanette Harrison, Craig Jessup*, Will Marchetti*, Erica Smith 2006/2007 Catherine's Care by Robert Ernst After the Fall by Arthur Miller Directed by Jessica Heidt Named the Number One theatrical event of 2006 by The North Bay Bohemian! 2005/2006 Summerland by Brian Thorstenson "If you only see one play for the rest of your life, make it Summerland. It truly satisfies." San Francisco Bay Times Smortasbord of Shorts II Cuddle Time by Keely Madden, directed by Ann Brebner 2004/2005 Inaugural Season: Sex Parasite by Jessica Goldberg What the critics said:
Smorgasbord of Shorts, The Note by Aren Haun A Gentler Place by Jeff Carter Tape by Stephen Belber Smorgasbord of Shorts, Plus, experience an urban couple’s struggle to belong when they move to a small town to raise their children in the World Premiere of San Francisco playwright Jeff Carter’s “A Gentler Place,” which received second place in the 2003 Kernodle Playwrighting Competition at the University of Arkansas. Smorgasbord of Shorts also includes the minimalist 10-minute play “The Note” by Aren Haun, who attended the College of Marin and whose plays have been produced at Venue 9, the Exit Café, and at the presigious Humana Festival Explore a reunion among three high school friends in “Tape” by Stephen Belber, whose latest play Match appeared on Broadway.
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