(Chelsea Update would like to thank Katie Hubbard for the information in this story.)
The Purple Rose Theatre Company (PRTC) recently announced its 27th season of performances, which will feature the Tony Award-winning drama “God of Carnage” and three world premieres by Michigan-based playwrights.
PRTC Artistic Director Guy Sanville describes the upcoming season as “a collection of plays that explore the comedy and tragedy of what mischief, mayhem and magic can happen when our ideals clash with our marriages, friendships, careers, and our world.”
This season the PRTC continues its commitment to producing new works and supporting local playwrights. David MacGregor (“Sherlock Holmes and the Adventure of the Elusive Ear”) is a Detroit-born playwright and screenwriter who graduated from Michigan State University and teaches at Wayne State University. His plays have been performed from New York to Tasmania.
Jeff Duncan (“Willow Run”) is a retired Professor of English at Eastern Michigan University. He is well known in southeast Michigan for plays he has written for the Performance Network including “The Insomniac,” “In the Image,” “Persephone,” and “Where the Hoozah and the Coataway Meet.”
Chelsea-native and PRTC founder Jeff Daniels (“Flint”) has premiered 16 full-length plays at the PRTC, among them “Escanaba in da Moonlight,” “Apartment 3A,” “Across the Way” (2002 American Theatre Critics Association Best New Play Finalist), and “Guest Artist” (2006 American Theatre Critics Association Best New Play Runner-Up).
About the Plays:
“God of Carnage,” written by Yasmina Reza and translated by Christopher Hampton, (Sept. 28 – Dec. 16, 2017)
A playground clash between 11-year old boys throws together two sets of parents for a meeting to resolve the dispute; a civilized get-together that turns swiftly and hilariously into a battle pitting couple against couple, husbands against wives, spouse against spouse. Winner of the 2009 Tony Award for Best Play. Directed by Lauren Mounsey. Contains adult language and content.
“Flint,” a world premiere by Jeff Daniels, (Jan. 18 – March 10, 2018)
For a century or more, generations of men and women in Flint, Michigan earned good pay and benefits manufacturing automobiles and the things that go into making them. Almost overnight everything changed. The people whose dedication and hard work earned them a place in the most prosperous middle class in history found themselves unemployed and adrift. “Flint” is the heartfelt and brutally honest story of two couples struggling to endure and believe in the American dream. Directed by Guy Sanville. Contains adult language and content.
“Sherlock Holmes and the Adventure of the Elusive Ear,” a world premiere by David MacGregor (March 29 – May 26, 2018)
London. December 1888. 221B Baker Street. The notorious and as-yet undiscovered genius Vincent van Gogh presents the master-sleuth Sherlock Holmes with a most unusual case. Aided by his partner Dr. Watson and his paramour Irene Adler, the trio embarks on a rousing adventure. Join the world’s greatest detective as he dashes forth to solve one of the most audacious crimes of the Victorian era. Directed by Guy Sanville. Contains adult language and content.
“Willow Run,” a world premiere by Jeff Duncan, (June 14 – Sept. 1, 2018)
During WWII, the Willow Run Bomber Plant located near Ypsilanti, Michigan was the largest factory under one roof in the world. Some 40,000 employees, mostly women, turned out B-24 Bombers at the rate of one every 55 minutes. Willow Run follows the journey of four of those women who migrated from all over America to find new lives at the plant. Along the way they overcome a multitude of challenges, learn to endure new sorrows, overcome deep-seated prejudices and forge new friendships. Winner of the 2017 Edgerton Foundation New Play Award. Original music by Ben and Jeff Daniels. Directed by Guy Sanville.
Underwriting support:
For the Purple Rose 2016-2017 season comes from the Ford Motor Company Fund, The Hamp Family, Shubert Foundation and Matilda R. Wilson Fund. Media sponsors include Applied Storytelling, ChelseaMich.com, Detroit Performs and Michigan Radio.
Ticket Information:
Regular performances are 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, 3 p.m. Wednesday and Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday. Special discounts are available for the first week of previews and for students, seniors, teachers, veterans/military personnel and groups. Prices range from $22-$46.
Tickets can be purchased for groups of 12 or more starting Monday, June 26 at 10 a.m. PRTC donors of $250 or more can purchase tickets two weeks in advance of general ticket sales, which begin approximately six weeks before each show opens. Tickets are available at the box office, by phone (734) 433-7673 or online at www.purplerosetheatre.org. The Purple Rose Theatre is located at 137 Park St.
About the Purple Rose Theatre Company:
Founded in 1991 by actor, playwright, musician and Chelsea native Jeff Daniels, The Purple Rose Theatre Company is a creative home for original American plays. In the 168-seat theatre, patrons experience an intimate encounter with live theatre. The PRTC also provides an apprenticeship program, performance classes, readings, lectures and tours. It commissions new work from established and early-career playwrights. As a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit professional theatre, the PRTC operates under a Small Professional Theatre agreement with the Actors’ Equity Association.
