Strand Theater is proud to announce its Season 14 show lineup!
Blood Countess
10/22 – 11/6, 2021
By Kelleen Conway Blanchard
Directed by Erin Riley
The life of Countess Elizabeth Bathory- the historical noblewoman accused of bathing in young girl’s blood so she could live forever young becomes a supernatural tale both creepy and creepily funny in the hands of the playwright of Kelleen Conway Blanchard. Bathory, the Hungarian Countess fabled to be one of the inspirations behind vampire lore, is rumored to have killed anywhere from 60 to 600 young woman and bathed in their blood to preserve her youth. This fictional account follows the countess from her happy marriage to the fierce warrior Ferenc to her conviction and death bricked up within the walls of her castle. Along the way it explores her possible motivations for the gory and sadistic murders of which she stands accused. Landing solidly on the dark side of dark comedy, Blood Countess still employs plenty of Kelleen Conway Blanchard’s trademark humor and linguistic gymnastics. This historical horror story is filled with dead birds, headless soldiers, eel pies, and pailfuls of blood.
A Civil War Christmas: An American Musical Celebration
12/3-12/19, 2021
By Paula Vogel
Directed by Caitlin Bouxsein
It’s 1864, and Washington, D.C. is settling down to the coldest Christmas Eve in years. In the White House, President and Mrs. Lincoln plot their gift-giving. On the banks of the Potomac, a young rebel challenges a Union blacksmith’s mercy. In the alleys downtown, an escaped slave loses her daughter just before finding freedom. This play with music by Pulitzer Prize–winner Paula Vogel intertwines many lives, showing us that the gladness of one’s heart is the best gift of all. This is an all ages show and will delight history buffs and holiday lovers alike.
Mary-Kate Olsen is in Love
2/11-2/27, 2022
By Mallery Avidon
Directed by Emily Hall
Grace is 27, married to her high-school sweetheart, makes good money, and should be way happier than she is. But her husband lost his job and now all he does is play Xbox and smoke pot and Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen might be her best friends but maybe they only like her because she’s their new target demographic. Or maybe…they’re actually going to save her. A funny play about sad people.
Black Super Hero Magic Mama
3/25 – 4/10, 2022
By Inda Craig-Galvan
Directed by Aladrian C. Wetzel
Sabrina Jackson cannot cope with the death of her son by a white cop. Rather than herald the Black Lives Matter movement, Sabrina retreats inward, living out a comic book superhero fantasy, played out on stage. The greatest superpower is a mother’s love. In a comic book world from the mind of a 14-year-old boy, Sabrina becomes superhero Maasai Angel to take on her arch villains. Enter Lady Vulture, Human Hyena and more. Compared to the pain of her real world, this battle is child’s play.
AAPI Women’s Voices Theater Festival
May 6 – May 22, 2022
Collaboration with Asian Pasifika Arts Collective (APAC)
The AAPI Women’s Voices Theater Festival will be an open call for 10-minute plays based on a list of required elements and an overall theme chosen by the selection committee. Only women playwrights of AAPI ethnicity are eligible to submit their work. Information on the logistics of how, when, and what to submit will be forthcoming in 2022 and the search for plays will be nationwide. The mission of the festival is to highlight the new works of AAPI women and bring their stories to the stage.
For more information, go to the website.
