By Jerry Ruiz. Since I arrived here at PlayMakers in August, one of my major projects has been launching our Mobile Shakespeare initiative. This pilot program follows in the tradition of the original Carolina Playmakers and takes inspiration from the incredibly impactful work of Michelle Hensley and her Minneapolis-based theater company, Ten Thousand Things.

Actor Rishan Dhamija, hailing from New Delhi, India, is used to the stage, but he isn’t so used to the audience. “That’s what was surprising when I came here,” he says. He took one look at the audience and thought to himself, “Man! Young people don’t go?!”

It’s the dreariest time of year and we find ourselves in Kingston, NY at a boutique insurance company called The Vallor Group. By boutique we really mean small, recessed, tragically out-of-date, and failing to thrive. Meet the colorful employees of the most recessed corner of them all.

With the upcoming premiere of Molly Smith Metzler’s The May Queen here at PlayMakers, many people are wondering—what exactly IS a “May Queen”?

The following is the transcript of an interview with playwright Molly Smith Metzler about writing The May Queen.

“When you get to be our age,” the late novelist Kurt Vonnegut once noted, “you all of a sudden realize that you are being ruled by people you went to high school with. You all of a sudden catch on that life is nothing but high school – class officers, cheerleaders, and all.” Is it true? Are we doomed to live the lives we created for ourselves in high school?

PlayMakers’ 1977 production of The Crucible gripped audiences then—and still, 40 years later, the play resonates with audiences now more than ever. PlayMakers’ very own David Adamson has actually worked on both productions, as has Mark Phialas. Each of them gave us insight on how the productions compare and contrast with one another, and how The Crucible has managed to retain its vibrancy and relevance throughout the years.

We’re open and running! Wow. Fun!

The company, cast and crew are tight — it feels good to play this play. These days, it even feels like a responsibility! The audience response has been all we’d hoped for…They continue to tell us what the play is, every night. It’s an honor, a privilege, to make this play every night WITH them…(I can’t emphasize enough how much we NEED that audience presence, that participation that truly makes the event happen!)

By Jerry Ruiz

When Producing Artistic Director Vivienne Benesch mentioned to me the possibility of PlayMakers Repertory Company participating in the After Orlando project – which has gained national and international recognition – I felt that it was great opportunity for PlayMakers to show its support for the LGBTQ community. It was also a perfect way to engage with area theater companies, building partnerships with other artistic leaders in the Triangle as fitting of my (relatively new) post as Associate Artistic Director.