Theater 150 Presents: Solo Series 2010!

Bananas!

Written and performed by Sloan Robinson with accompaniment by Aeros Pierce

         Bananas is a one-woman theatre cabaret based on the life of Josephine Baker. Baker overcame the limitations by the color of her skin, to become one of the world's most versatile entertainers, performing on stage, screen and recordings. Josephine Baker's story as been told and re-told but Robinson's unique intimate portrayal gives us an opportunity to see the human side of this artist.
         Bananas! A Day In The Life of Josephine Baker" premiered in 2008 at Vintage Hollywood in Los Angeles. After a successful eight month run with rave reviews, "Bananas!" moved to the Village Theatre in Lucy Florence Cultural Center in 2009. The play received the NAACP Theatre Award for Best Music Director and Costume Design along with a Nomination for Best Female Performer. The play was invited and performed at the 2009 National Black Theatre Festival in Winston Salem, North Carolina and the National Black Theatre Circuit Black History Festival in Harlem, New York

March 5th and 6th at 8pm, March 7th at 2pm

Penelope

Written and performed by Ellen McLaughlin. Music by Sarah Kirkland Snider


         A woman's ex-husband appears at her door after an absence of 20 years, suffering from brain damage. A veteran of a modern war, he doesn't know who he is and she doesn't know who he's become. While they wait together for his return to himself, she reads him 'The Odyssey,' and in the journey of that book, she finds a way into her former husband's memory and the terror and trauma of war.

March 12th and 13th at 8pm, March 14th at 7pm

The Common Air

Written by Alex Lyras and Robert McCaskill. Performed by Alex Lyras

The Common Air links six distinct characters during the mother of all delays at JFK airport. The reason is unknown, and a game of "Telephone" ensues in an effort to find the truth.

         The 1st character, an Iraqi Cabbie, has a winning idea for a reality show which he pitches to his passenger (the 2nd character), an Art Gallery Owner.
         The Gallery Owner is struggling with a long buried personal issue: to return or not to the relationship he abandoned seven years ago. Two martinis have made him spill his dilemma to a Corporate Attorney, the 3rd character.
         The sleep deprived Attorney evokes the reality show, Nanny 911, to illuminate the point that "following the rules" is for children. He imparts his rapid fire, ethically grey advice to the 4th character, a hipster DJ.
         DJ PJ is in the throws of his own crisis: a lawsuit over the sampling a client's music. PJ's point of view is challenged by a west Texas Philosophy Professor, the 5th character.
         The Professor is fighting a custody battle for his eleven-year-old son, via cell phone, with his soon-to-be-ex-wife. He presents his argument with a sinister mix of logic and irrationality to the 6th character; an Iraqi-American trying to get home from Baghdad.
         The Iraqi-American brings us full circle as he articulates his journey to the Cabbie from the top of the show. His arrival in the Middle East began with a government-catering contract to feed US Troops and ended in recruitment to a Shia terrorist organization.
         The Common Air is a comedic/dramatic exploration of the perpetually changing narratives we arrive at and depart from in trying to make sense of life's ever-evolving present tense. What happens when the cell phones and laptops lose their charge? When weԲe forced to revert to non-high-speed communication? Are we even capable anymore, or have our brains devolved into hard drives that crash at the slightest wave of turbulence?

March 13th and 14th at 2pm, March 19th and 20th at 8pm, March 21st at 7pm

Bent to the Flame - A Night with Tennessee Williams

Written and performed by Doug Tompos
Directed by Michael Michetti

         Although Tennessee Williams never met the poet Hart Crane, his devotion to Crane and his poetry was one of the deepest of his life. Winner of the award for “Outstanding Solo Show” at the 2007 NY International Fringe Festival, Doug Tompos’s provocative and intimate protrayal offers a unique glimpse into the young Tennessee Williams – the desires and demons that shaped him, and the muse who inspired yet nearly destroyed him.
         

“Mesmerizing…riotously funny… a remarkable piece of theater.” NYTheatre

         “Tompos comes so close to Williams’ essence that it is nothing short of astounding… Don’t you dare miss it!” Theatremania.

         A provocative and often humorous portrait, Bent to the Flame offers a deeper and deeper revelation of both men's lives as the playwright dares to bend to his creative muse.

March 20th and 21st at 2pm, March 26th and 27th at 8pm, March 28th at 2pm

For more information on schedules and tickets, visit Theater 150's box office