Horizon Theatre kicks off its spectacular 40th season of the best in contemporary theatre with the new comedy The Game, playing June 28 – July 28. Alyssa and Homer are in a marriage that’s hit a glitch. And it’s all due to the massively engrossing online game that’s wreaking havoc on the lives of couples everywhere. When she puts together a support group for other women in a similar situation, the game enters a new level where all’s fair in love and war. Bekah Brunstetter’s (Horizon’s The Cake, NBC’s This is Us, and Broadway’s The Notebook) hilarious and heartfelt comedy brings technology and community together in the most unexpected ways.
The Game tells the story of Alyssa (Jennifer Alice Acker, Horizon’s Roe, Nobody Loves You), whose husband Homer (Chris Hecke, Horizon’s Completeness) has become obsessed with playing The Game, a popular online video game, to the detriment of their marriage. In a last-ditch effort to get him back, Alyssa recruits fellow “gaming widows” on Facebook to join together to find a solution. This eclectic support group includes out-going, Poshmark-loving mom Rhonda (Marcie Millard, Horizon’s The Cake); sweet, elderly Myra (Shannon Eubanks*) who shares crockpot recipes and wisdom; Jen (Michelle Pokopac*, Horizon’s The Wolves), a war photographer whose female partner is going through a tough time; and Cleo (Hope Clayborne, Atlanta Shakespeare school tour) a young pregnant military wife who is new in town. The women bond together to find ways to woo their partners away from the screen and back to their side. In the process, they win new friends and discover new paths in their lives.
The Game was commissioned by PlayMakers Repertory Company in Chapel Hill, North Carolina under Producing Artistic Director Vivienne Benesch. The show received its first public performance on April 10, 2024. The commission project invited playwright Brunstetter to imagine a new comedy inspired by the ancient Greek play Lysistrata in which women go on a sex strike to convince their husbands to stop a war.
With titles like NBC’s This is Us and Broadway’s The Notebook in her repertoire, Bekah Brunstetter is well-versed in storytelling that mixes comedy and drama and tugs at the heartstrings. Her hit play The Cake at Horizon Theatre (starring Marcie Millard, who also appears in The Game) chronicled a Southern baker wrestling with the decision of baking the cake for and attending the wedding of her best friend’s daughter who is marrying a woman. The playwright is well-versed in video games via her husband, from which she drew inspiration for the play. As Brunstetter told BroadwayWorld, “I’ve had to really come to understand why he loves them and the purpose they serve in his life. So, I just thought it would be a great adaptation of Lysistrata because obviously there’s a real war happening in our world right now, but we’ve also got a lot of video games that have brought the concept of war into our domestic spaces.” The result is a play that touches on universal themes of community, friendship and love in the face of ever-evolving technology that can divide.
General admission tickets starts at $30 on Wednesdays and Thursdays and $35 on Friday nights, Saturday nights and weekend matinees. There will be no matinee on Saturday, June 28 and no performance on Thursday, July 4. Prices rise as performances fill up, so patrons are encouraged to order early for the best prices and availability. Students under 25 can get $20 tickets with valid student ID by calling the box office or purchase Student Rush Tickets 30 minutes before show time if seats are available. There is limited accessible seating for those needing mobility accommodations, and it must be reserved by phone. For tickets and more information, visit horizontheatre.com or call the Box Office at 404.584.7450.
Inspired by the beloved film, THE PREACHER’S WIFE is a stirring celebration of community, family, and the power of faith. Featuring an original score by award nominated actor, musician, and writer Tituss Burgess (TV: Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt) and a book by actress, producer, and writer Azie Dungey (TV: Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Harlem, Girls5eva), THE PREACHER’S WIFE will run on The Coca-Cola Stage at Alliance Theatre through June 16. Opening night is Friday, May 24 at 8 p.m.
The cast of THE PREACHER’S WIFE includes Rebecca E. Covington as Beverly; NAACP Image Award and Emmy Award winner Loretta Devine (Film: Waiting to Exhale, The Preacher’s Wife; TV: Boston Public, Gray’s Anatomy; Broadway: Dreamgirls) as Marguerite Coleman; Alan H. Green (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) as Joe Hamilton; Jahi Kearse (Ain’t Too Proud) as Deacon Lewis; Davis Matthews as Hakeem; Cameron McCrae as Jeremiah; Wayne Pretlow as Ol’ Mac; Brad Raymond (Film: The Color Purple) as Deacon Johnson; Screen Actors Guild Award and Laurence Olivier Award winner Amber Riley (TV: Glee, Single Black Female, Dancing with the Stars, The Masked Singer, The Wiz Live!, West End: Dreamgirls) as Julia Biggs; Akron Lanier Watson (The Play That Goes Wrong) as Henry Biggs, and Donald Webber, Jr (Hamilton) as Dudley.
THE PREACHER’S WIFE creative team is led by Tony Award-winning Director Michael Arden (Broadway: Parade; Alliance Theatre: Maybe Happy Ending) and award-winning Director and Alliance Theatre’s Jennings Hertz Artistic Director, Tinashe Kajese-Bolden (Regional: Toni Stone, Alliance Theatre: Furlough’s Paradise). The musical’s book is by writer & producer Azie Dungey (TV: Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Harlem, Girls5eva), with an original score by Georgia native and six-time Emmy Award nominee Tituss Burgess (TV: Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt; Theater: Moulin Rouge!).
Other team members include Choreographer Matthew Johnson Harris (Hippest Trip: The Soul Train Musical); Tony nominated Scenic Designer Dane Laffrey (Parade); Scenic Designer Teresa L. Williams (Jaja’s African Hair Braiding); Tony nominated Costume Designer Sarafina Bush (The Who’s Tommy); Tony nominated Lighting Designer Jennifer Schriever (A Strange Loop); Tony nominated Sound Designer Joshua D. Reid (A Christmas Carol); Wig Designer Cookie Jordan (Merrily We Roll Along); and Illusionist Skylar Fox (Fat Ham). James Sampliner (Legally Blonde) serves as the production’s Music Supervisor, Music Director, Orchestrator, and Arranger.
Opening Night is Friday, May 24 at 8 p.m. and runs through June 16. Tickets are available at www.alliancetheatre.org/preacherswife.
AuthentiCity’s Authentic 10 Showcase features 10 new one-act plays over a little more than two hours. Among them, my favorite was “Sugar,” which starred Autumn McNutt and the outstanding Neuma Joy. Their performances truly shined and captivated the audience.
“Introducing Ian” was a close second for me, largely due to Rachel Ballard’s entertaining portrayal of a free-spirited, uninhibited ex-girlfriend. She plays opposite Andre Eaton Jr.’s Emerson, who is navigating how to introduce her to his son, who is on the autism spectrum. Rachel’s performance was a joy to watch when her voice was audible, but unfortunately, there were moments when both she and other actors could not be heard clearly. This was particularly frustrating given the small, intimate setting of the theater, which has only about a dozen rows of seats.
The 10 one-acts are listed below:
CAN I GO NOW by Louise Schwarz
CHRISTMAS TODAY by Rhea MacCallum
DETAIL ORIENTED by Erin Osgood
DIVORCE DURING PANDEMIC by James Carey
INTRODUCING IAN by James C. Ferguson
MOLTING by Michael Towers
OUT AND ABOUT by Ed Friedman
OUT FROM UNDER WITH MARY by Chris Shaw Swanson
SOMETHING IN COMMON by Robin Pond
SUGAR by Jennifer O’Grady
AuthentiCity reviewed over 100 one-act plays before selecting its top 10 for this showcase. The Authentic 10 Showcase runs through Saturday, May 18, at 7:30 p.m. at The Warehouse at Frat Pack Productions, located at 620 Kentucky Street in Scottdale, Ga., just outside Decatur. For more information, visit authenticitytheater.
Fat Ham Cast
James Ijames’ Highly Acclaimed Play Reinvents Shakespeare’s Hamlet
Through Identity, Love, Loss, and Self-Acceptance
Directed by Tony Award nominee, Stevie Walker-Webb, with Associate Direction by Dawn M. Simmons
| Fat Ham, the deliciously funny, Pulitzer Prize-winning new play, makes its Atlanta debut at Alliance Theatre following its critically acclaimed Broadway run. Playwright James Ijames has reinvented Shakespeare’s masterpiece, Hamlet, creating what The New York Times calls “a hilarious yet profound tragedy smothered in comedy.” |
| Juicy is a queer, Southern college kid, already grappling with some serious questions of identity, when the ghost of his father shows up at their backyard barbecue, demanding that Juicy avenge his murder. But here’s the rub! Revenge doesn’t come easy to Juicy, a sensitive and self-aware young Black man in search of his own happiness and liberation. From an uproarious family cookout emerges a compelling examination of love, loss, masculinity, pain and joy. |
ATLANTA, March 14, 2024 – The Alliance Theatre is excited to announce its upcoming production, the critically acclaimed new play, FAT HAM. Written by James Ijames and directed by Tony Award-nominated Stevie Walker-Webb, with Associate Direction by Dawn M. Simmons, the 2022 Pulitzer Prize-winner for drama is presented in association with The Huntington Theatre Company and Front Porch Arts Collective, and runs on the Hertz Stage from Wednesday, April 3 through Sunday, May 12, 2024. Opening night is Wednesday, April 10, 2024.
Playwright James Ijames has reinvented Shakespeare’s masterpiece, Hamlet, turning “Hamlet upside down” according to the Boston Globe, and creating what The New York Times calls “a hilarious yet profound tragedy smothered in comedy.” Juicy is a queer, Southern college kid, already grappling with some serious questions of identity, when the ghost of his father shows up at their backyard barbecue, demanding that Juicy avenge his murder. But here’s the rub! Revenge doesn’t come easy to Juicy, a sensitive and self-aware young Black man in search of his own happiness and liberation. From an uproarious family cookout emerges a compelling examination of love, loss, masculinity, pain and joy.
“Bringing FAT HAM to Atlanta is like a homecoming for the story itself,” said Director Stevie Walker-Webb. “Shakespeare’s Hamlet is set in a castle in Denmark. James Ijames’ FAT HAM takes place in a backyard BBQ in the South. Atlanta is the perfect place for a southern premier.”
The cast features James T. Alfred (Off-Broadway: Black Odyssey, National Tour: Jitney) as Rev/ Pap, Thomika Marie Bridwell (The Huntington: Joy and Pandemic) as Rabby, David J. Castillo (Actors’
Shakespeare Project: Edward II, New Repertory Theatre/Boston Center for American Performance, Baltimore) as Larry, Marshall W. Mabry IV (Pittsburgh Public Theatre: A Midsummer Night’s Dream in Harlem, Speakeasy Stage Boston: Once on this Island) as Juicy, Ebony Marshall-Oliver (Broadway: Ain’t No Mo’ and Chicken and Biscuits) as Tedra, Victoria Omoregie (SpeakEasy Stage: Fairview, Actors’ Shakespeare Project: The Bomb-itty of Errors) as Opal, and Lau’rie Roach (Alliance Theatre: Toni Stone and The lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe) as Tio.
The creative team for FAT HAM is led by Tony Nominated Director Stevie Walker-Webb and Associate Director Dawn M. Simmons, and includes Choreographer PJ Johnnie Jr, Dialect Coach Adi Cabral, Sound Designer Aubrey Dube, Fight Director and Intimacy Coordinator Jesse Hinson, Costume Designer Celeste Jennings, Hair and Wig Designer Earon D. Nealey, Illusions Designer Evan Northrup, Scenic Designer Luciana Stecconi, and Lighting Designer Xiangfu Xiao.
Additional production support is provided by Stage Manager R. Lamar Williams, Stage Management Production Assistants Myah Harper and Madeline Conrad, Line Producer Jody Feldman, and Production Management Lead Courtney O’Neill.
“As an artist who has worked all over the world, I know that the audience is the most important scene partner for a play. I’m excited to share this juicy story about family and faith, love and longing,” said Walker-Webb. “This story is full of surprises, and ‘JUICY’ comic bits of family gossip, but ultimately takes you on a journey of celebration and victory as you watch characters become their truest selves. FAT HAM will resonate powerfully in a city with as much heart as Atlanta.”
Get tickets here at the Alliance Theatre.
ATLANTA’S ALLIANCE THEATRE PRESENTS WORLD PREMIERE OF
FURLOUGH’S PARADISE
BY A.K. PAYNE AND DIRECTED BY TINASHE KAJESE-BOLDEN
JANUARY 31 – MARCH 3, 2024
FURLOUGH’S PARADISE MARKS THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ALLIANCE’S INFLUENTIAL ALLIANCE/KENDEDA NATIONAL GRADUATE PLAYWRITING COMPETITION
ALLIANCE WILL ALSO PRESENT THE FOUR FINALISTS OF THE ALLIANCE/KENDEDA NATIONAL GRADUATE PLAYWRITING COMPETITION IN FREE, STAGED READINGS DURING THE THEATER’S ANNUAL FESTIVAL OF NEW WORKS, FEB 5 – 9, 2024
ATLANTA, GA (January 3, 2024) — The Alliance/Kendeda National Graduate Playwriting Competition continues to spotlight the best emerging playwrights with a full production for the competition winner and staged readings for four competition finalists. The 20th competition winner FURLOUGH’S PARADISE is written by a.k. payne, a graduate of the David Geffen School of Drama at Yale, with Direction by Tinashe Kajese-Bolden, Alliance’s Jennings Hertz Artistic Director. FURLOUGH’S PARADISE will have its world premiere on the Hertz Stage at Alliance Theatre Jan 31 – Mar 3, 2024. Opening night is Wednesday, February 7, 7:30 p.m.
FURLOUGH’S PARADISE follows Cousins Sade and Mina, raised like sisters but now leading very different lives, as they return to their childhood town for a funeral. While Sade is on a three-day furlough from prison and Mina experiences a brief reprieve from her career and life on the West Coast, the two try to make sense of grief, home, love, and kinship. But traumas and resentments from the past, both real and surreal, threaten to pull them apart, all as time ticks towards the correctional officer’s impending arrival.
“These characters are fighting for moments,” said Playwright a.k. payne. “Because it’s been taken from them, they are fighting for moments to be in the same room together. A lot of the play is about being present and how we witness each other. How do we share space together. And so, my hope, for audiences, is the same – that they are invited into a chance to share; to share breath and to share air with people, I think that is really special.”
The cast of FURLOUGH’S PARADISE includes Asha Duniani (Synchronicity Theatre: Eclipsed; Tyler Perry Studios: Meet the Browns) as Mina; and Kai Heath (Baltimore Center Stage: Hall in Men on Boats; Kennedy Center: The Play that Goes Wrong) as Sade. Understudies include Cymiah Alexander and Makallen Kelley.
The creative team of FURLOUGH’S PARADISE is led by Director Tinashe Kajese-Bolden (Alliance: Toni Stone and The Many Wondrous Realities of Jasmine Starr-Kidd) and includes Chika Shimizu (Scenic Design), Shilla Benning (Costume Design), Thom Weaver (Lighting Design), Milton Cordero (Projection Design), Christopher Lane (Sound Design), Julie B. Johnson, PhD (Movement Integration), Laura Morse (Mental Health Consultant), and Ashey Thomas (Dramaturg). Additional production support is provided by Kaylee Mesa (Stage Manager), Samantha Honeycutt (Stage Management Production Assistant), Amanda Watkins (Line Producer), Jayla Dyas (Associate Line Producer), and Lawrence Bennett (Production Management Lead
Interest expense is calculated as the effective-interest rate times the bond’s carrying value for each period. The amount of amortization is the difference between the cash paid for interest and the calculated amount of bond interest expense. Par value, in turn, is simply another term for the bond’s face value, or the stated value of the bond at the time of issuance. A bond with a par value of $1,000 and a coupon rate of 6% pays $60 in interest each year. Note that under the effective interest rate method the interest expense for each year is increasing as the book value of the bond increases. Under the straight-line method the interest expense remains at a constant amount even though the book value of the bond is increasing.
Understanding the tax implications of your bond investments is crucial for effective wealth management. Amortizable bond premiums refer to the portion of the premium paid by an investor for purchasing a bond that is deductible over the life of the bond. DebtBook also offers another acceptable form of the Effective Interest method that takes into account the callability of maturities. In the event a bond is a callable premium bond, there is a higher likelihood that the bond will be called before or at the call date. DebtBook’s Effective Interest Rate to Call method amortizes the premium on these maturities with that likelihood in mind. Since the sales proceeds ($936,815) is less than the bonds’ face value, the bonds were issued at a discount of $63,185.
Calculating Interest Expense, Amortization of Bond Discounts or Premiums, and Interest Payments
If the bond in the above example sells for $800, then the $60 interest payments it generates each year represent a higher percentage of the purchase price than the 6% coupon rate would indicate. Although both the par value and coupon rate are fixed when the effective interest rate method is used, the amortization of the bond premium at issuance, the bond pays a higher rate of interest from the investor’s perspective. Notice that under both methods of amortization, the book value at the time the bonds were issued ($104,100) moves toward the bond’s maturity value of $100,000.
Implementing wealth management strategies that involve diversification, tax efficiency, and interest rate risk management can optimize bond portfolios and enhance overall returns. As we amortize the premium/discount over the life of the bond, the book value is reduced back to its original par amount at the maturity date of the bond. The Effective Interest Rate method compares a bond’s Face Value Stated Interest to the bond’s Book Value Effective Interest, let’s walk through what each of these terms mean and how they are calculated using our Series information pictured below. PwC refers to the US member firm or one of its subsidiaries or affiliates, and may sometimes refer to the PwC network.
Effective Interest Method of Amortization FAQs
The effective interest method is used when evaluating the interest generated by a bond because it considers the impact of the bond purchase price rather than accounting only for par value. CPA examiners will ask a candidate to calculate the “unamortized bond premium or discount”. Note that this amount is referring to the amount of the bond premium/discount that is yet to be amortized. The constant yield method provides a more accurate reflection of the bond’s yield, while the straight-line method is simpler and easier to understand. Investors should consider their specific investment objectives and tax situation when choosing the appropriate method. By doing so, the investor can reduce their taxable income each year by deducting a portion of the bond premium as an amortized expense.
- In the following example, assume that the borrower acquired a five-year, $10,000 loan from a bank.
- The amount of amortization is the difference between the cash paid for interest and the calculated amount of bond interest expense.
- To calculate the amortizable bond premium using the constant yield method, multiply the bond’s adjusted cost basis by its effective interest rate and subtract the annual interest payment.
- Under the effective interest method, the semiannual interest expense is $6,508 in the first period and increases thereafter as the carrying value of the bond increases.
- Including bonds with varying coupon rates, maturities, and credit ratings can help investors achieve a balanced portfolio that takes advantage of amortizable bond premiums while managing interest rate risk.
- Assume that the final payment will be $2,774.99 in order to eliminate the potential rounding error of $1.06.
- The yield to maturity is the total return an investor can expect if they hold the bond until it matures.
This content is for general information purposes only, and should not be used as a substitute for consultation with professional advisors. Multiply the $100,000 by the 5% interest rate and $5,000 is the amount of interest you owe for year 1. Subtract the interest from the payment of $23,097.48 to find $18,097.48 is applied toward the principal ($100,000), leaving $81,902.52 as the ending balance. In year 2, $81,902.52 is charged 5% interest ($4,095.13), but the rest of the 23,097.48 payment goes toward the loan balance. Therefore, the interest rate is constant over the term of the bond, but the actual interest expense changes as the carrying value of the bond changes. Unlike the real interest rate, the effective interest rate does not take inflation into account.
One of my favorite plays, “How I Learned to Drive,” a Pulitzer Prize winner, will run at 7 Stages Backstage Theatre in Atlanta Oct. 12-15.
The play explores important ideas of power and identity in this warped and impactful coming of age tale. Using the metaphor of driving lessons as a lens to dissect issues of sexual abuse, manipulation, and infidelity, “How I Learned to Drive” is an emotional journey about the troubling, conflicted relationship between Li’l Bit and her Uncle Peck. The play moves a-chronologically, following Li’l Bit from her pre-adolescence stage into adulthood, while a Greek Chorus of three brings to life the other personalities surrounding the pair from school peers, to family members, to onlookers.
“How I Learned to Drive” at Authenticity Theater is directed by Brooke-Erin Smith. The cast features Mala Bhattacharya as L’il Bit and Taurean Cavins-Flores as Uncle Peck. Rounding out the cast are Autumn McNutt, Corey J. Finley, and Elizabeth Coats as the ever-present Greek Chorus.
The show runs Thursday, Oct. 12 through Saturday, Oct. 14 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 15 at 2 p.m.
Tickets for upcoming shows are available through Authenticity Theater’s website: authenticitytheater.org.
Authenticity Theater is a non-profit (501c3) semi-professional theater company founded by Sasha and Scott Keefer in 2021. How I Learned to Drive is part of their 2023 season, which also included staged readings of two new works by local writers in the AUTHENTIC ATL series,
featuring Panic in Rugby: The Fall of ‘55 by John Babcock III and Lot Lizzies by Mary Edmonson. The season also featured a staged reading of The Diary of Anne Frank, as well as the AUTHENTIC :10 Showcase, a performance of eight 10-minute plays chosen from nationwide
submissions.
Authenticity Theater chose its name as a representation of their tag line “Real Life, On Stage.”
The company seeks to present works that spotlight some of life’s biggest challenges: topics like mental illness, sexual abuse, addiction, and overcoming trauma.
For more information about the theater company, its mission, and operations, as well as details on how organizations and individuals can participate as show sponsors and advertisers to help further the theater’s mission, please visit authenticitytheater.org.
“The House That Will Not Stand” is just one more outstanding production at Horizon Theatre.
It’s 1836 in Louisiana, the dead body of a formerly well-to-do white man lies dead in his Black family’s living room. Although he had been in a legal loveless marriage to a white woman, he spent most of his time in his other home with his Black placée, Beatrice (Donna Biscoe) and their three teenage daughters. “Placee” stems from the term “placage,” which was an extralegal system in North America by which ethnic European men entered civil unions with Black women who were not slaves.
Now that the man who she lived with and the father of her three daughters is dead, Beatrice plans on inheriting the home. But that and the Black slave who lived with the family are both at risk of becoming the property of the man’s widow.
Beatrice, the richest Black woman in Louisiana, tries to hold onto the family home while trying to prevent her teenage bi-racial daughters from facing the same type of life she led– living with and placating a wealthy white man who ruled the family. Meanwhile, without understanding the repercussions of living life as a placee, her daughters are looking for a wealthy white man like their father who will provide for them in their accustomed fashion.
Playwright Marcus Gardley has written a stellar play and Horizon has a stellar cast.
“The House That Will Not Stand” runs through Aug. 6 at Horizon Theatre.
Cast:
- Beartrice Albans: DONNA BISCOE
- Makeda: ALIA SHAKIRA
- LaVeuve/Maria Josephine: LATARSHA ROSE*
- Agnes: MARGARET IVEY*
- Odette: TEQUILLA WHITFIELD*
- Maude Lynn: KENEDI DEAL
Actor’s Express continues its 35th anniversary season with the critically acclaimed rock musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch with music and lyrics by Stephen Trask and book by John Cameron Mitchell. Join “internationally ignored” rock singer Hedwig as she searches the world for stardom and love in this groundbreaking musical that has become one of the great cult classics of all time. A rock and roll explosion for anyone who has ever felt like a misfit, Hedwig and the Angry Inch will have you singing along and unleashing your own inner rock star. Hedwig is directed by Quinn Xavier Hernandez and features music direction by Bucky Motter.
According to Freddie Ashley, “I believe that Hedwig and the Angry Inch has transcended its cult classic status to become a cultural touchstone for everyone who falls outside the margins of what society dictates to be ‘normal.’ Hedwig herself has become an almost mythical character onto whom we project our feelings of otherness and our need for completion on our own terms. I am absolutely thrilled to bring her back to the AE stage for the first time in fifteen years.”
Hedwig and the Angry Inch premiered Off-Broadway at the Jane Street Theatre on February 14, 1998, where it ran for over two years. The multi-award-winning film premiered in 2001. When a revival starring Neil Patrick Harris opened on Broadway in 2014, Hedwig and the Angry Inch took home four Tony Awards, including Best Revival of a Musical, and launched a massively successful national tour. Hedwig and the Angry Inch has been performed all over the world with productions spanning every continent, exploring themes of duality, queer identity, and a whole new perspective on what makes someone whole. The Daily News raves that Hedwig and the Angry Inch is “dynamite” and that “this frisky, raunchy fable of love, loss, fury and freedom thrives.”
For the brand new AE production, two different performers will embody the titular role in alternating performances, Christina Leidel (AE’s Lizzie) and Niko Carleo (AE’s Heathers and Urinetown). They are joined by Isa Martinez (Lizzie) as Yitzhak.
Directed by AE newcomer Quinn Xavier Hernandez, this production of Hedwig and the Angry Inch also marks a homecoming for Bucky Motter, who played Yitzhak in both of AE’s previous productions in 2002 and 2015. Motter returns in the capacity of Music Director. Joining Hernandez and Motter on the creative team is choreographer Precious West (AE’s Heathers and Urinetown). The cast will be accompanied by a full rock band that includes JoAnn Pfeiffer on guitar, Gamble on keys and guitar, Dan Bauman on bass, and Jen Hodges on drums.
ABOUT Quinn Xavier Hernandez
Quinn Xavier Hernandez makes their directorial debut with Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Hernandez is also AE’s commissioned playwright, currently working on a full length play called They Them Theirs. a new play commissioning program that focuses on Atlanta-based playwrights with a focus on BIPOC, women and LGBTQ+ playwrights, as well as other writers from other marginalized communities and intersectional experiences. Hernandez has also been a playwright with AE’s Amplify New Play Narrative Podcasts Season 1 “Crossroads’ ‘ and the Virtual Downstage Series. Their Atlanta and regional work includes the Woodstock Arts Theatre, SheATL Summer Theatre Festival, Working Title Playwrights, The Warehouse Theatre (Greenville, SC). Hernandez also serves as the Assistant Managing Director for Working Title Playwrights, the Southeast’s premier new play incubator. Hernandez received their Advanced Playwriting Certificate from the National Theater Institute, BA from Clemson University. You can find them on Instagram and Facebook as@quinnxaviertheatremaker
Hernandez says, “Hedwig has always been an anthem dedicated to the outcasts and misfits. In this production, we’ve really leaned into the way in which Hedwig allows everyone to confront their own preconceived notions about queerness and gender identity. I’m excited for audiences to interact with this iconic show in a totally new way–one that celebrates all things genderqueer, nonbinary, and gender non-conforming.”
ABOUT Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Music and Lyrics by Stephen Trask
Text by John Cameron Mitchell
Directed by Quinn Xavier Hernandez
Musical Directed by Bucky Motter
Choreographed by Precious West
July 20-August 19, 2023 at Actor’s Express
Hedwig and the Angry Inch begins previews July 20 and opens July 22. Performances are Wednesday through Saturday at 8 PM and Saturdays at 12 AM. Tickets start at $20 and may be purchased online at actors-express.com or by calling 404-607-7469.
Actor’s Express continues its 35th anniversary season with Jesus Hopped the ‘A’ Train by Pulitzer Prize-winning American playwright Stephen Adly Guirgis. At Rikers Island, a frightened young inmate confronts complex issues of faith when he crosses paths with a charismatic serial killer, a sadistic guard, and a jaded public defender. This potent play will hit you where you live and make you question what happens when God’s justice differs from man’s. “Guirgis’ benchmark prison drama about faith and humanity remains as potent as ever in the two decades since its premiere, surely earning its place among great American classic plays” comments Artistic Director Freddie Ashley on why he chose to present this play.
Jesus Hopped the ‘A’ Train is a powerful drama that explores the crisis of faith, identity and the search for redemption. This play challenges audiences to reflect on forgiveness, resilience and the American Justice system.
Jesus Hopped The A Train premiered in 2000 at the LABrynth Theatre Company in a production directed by Philip Seymour Hoffman, followed by a London production at the Donmar Warehouse in 2002 that was nominated for the Olivier Award for Best New Play of 2003. The Evening Standard raved, “This pumping, pounding, pulsing play blazes.” The New York Times called Jesus Hopped the ‘A’ Train “Fire-Breathing…a probing, intense portrait of life behind bars.”
This ensemble cast features five Atlanta actors, including AE vets Luis R.Hernandez (The Crucible, The Motherfucker with the Hat and Six Degrees of Separation) and Cara Mantella (Angels in America, Significant Other and Mauritius). Making their Actor’s Express debuts are Sekou Laidlow (Alliance Theatre’s Toni Stone), Jacob York (Shakespeare Tavern’s Twelfth Night)and Cristian Gonzalez (True Colors’ Between Riverside and Crazy). Acting Apprentice Andrew Randolph rounds out the cast. The production is directed by Eric J. Little (AE’s Neat and The Brothers Size).
According to Artistic Director Freddie Ashley, “Stephen Adly Guirgis is a giant among American playwrights. He weaves vivid language with muscular storytelling, creating plays that pack a huge emotional wallop. Jesus Hopped the ‘A’ Train is one of his very best and has become a modern American classic while still feeling very much of the present moment.”
ABOUT Stephen Adly Guirgis
Stephen Adly Guirgis is an American playwright, screenwriter, director, and actor. His play Between Riverside and Crazy won the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. He is a member and a former co-artistic
director of New York City‘s LAByrinth Theater Company. Guirgis has produced plays both on an Off- Broadway as well as in the UK.
Guirgis’ play The Motherfucker With the Hat was nominated for seven TONY Awards and premiered on Broadway in 2011. Produced at AE in 2012, this production featured Luis R. Hernandez who will be playing Valdez in Jesus Hopped the ‘A’ Train.
PERFORMANCE DATES & TICKETS
Previews: Thursday-Friday, June 8-9, 2023 at 8:00 PM
Opening Night: June 10th, 2023 at 8:00 PM
Regular Performances: June 8- July 2nd, 2023
Wednesdays-Saturdays at 8:00 PM (Sunday, June 11th, additional evening performance at 7:30 PM)
Sundays at 2 PM
Purchase tickets online at actors-express.com or by calling 404-607-7469.
Group pricing is available. For info, email ti*****@ac***********.com.
