Welcome back to PlayMakers! Campus is buzzing, traffic on Franklin Street is notably worse, and there’s a frenetic, youthful energy about town that can only mean one thing: school is back in session. As I enter my second year as Dramaturgy Fellow for the Department of Dramatic Art and PlayMakers Repertory Company, I find myself reflecting on the year that’s passed, with an enthusiastic eye towards the season to come. Last year featured plays that showcased the complexities of human experiences and connection through a diverse array of voices and genres. The 2024/25 season is much the same but is intentionally united in a mission to interrogate the American dream and democracy from different perspectives across time. In a society where social media and targeted ads allow us to curate our own ideological echo chambers, I believe this season can do what theatre does best: facilitate an opportunity for people from different walks of life to engage with ideas that challenge us, delight us, surprise us, and affirm us of our shared humanity.
Fall at PlayMakers kicks off with Crumbs from the Table of Joy by a contemporary giant in the American theatrical canon, Lynn Nottage. Crumbs explores the American dream through the perspective of a young Black woman in 1950’s New York. Ernestine navigates complicated family dynamics, social and personal adversity, and the trials and delights of girlhood. Crumbs is the third of Nottage’s plays that PlayMakers has programmed in recent history following Intimate Apparel (2016/17) and Clyde’s (2023/24), and if you’ve had the opportunity to see either production, it’s clear as to why PlayMakers keeps revisiting her work.
Next up is What the Constitution Means to Me by Heidi Schreck, a hilarious and heartfelt dive into the history of the Constitution that considers our political history from intergenerational perspectives, and even integrates a live debate at the end of each show! Constitution closes just two days before the upcoming presidential election and is sure to leave patrons both introspective and inspired by the play’s capacity to interrogate history taking care to maintain its sense of humor.
Ushering in the holiday season is PlayMakers new play commission by North Carolina gems, Howard Craft and Mike C. Wiley, The Christmas Case of Hezekiah Jones. Both silly and sincere, Hezekiah is a celebration of Chapel Hill that highlights the integral presence and influence of Black culture and history in the area. A modern and magical tale about a small business staying afloat in an ever-changing economy, Hezekiah is a love letter to local communities and a reminder that grief and joy can coexist.
Each of these works creates an opportunity to explore the tragedies and triumphs inherent to the pursuit of the American dream; a theme that will continue in next spring’s lineup of Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller, Confederates by Dominique Morrisseau, and Little Shop of Horrors by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman. This season is a mashup of tones and perspectives that is diverse in its representation of identities and experiences–an important standard to uphold in any season, particularly one that focuses on America, where seemingly endless opportunity is largely gate-kept on the basis of sex, class, race, and ability. While theatre mirrors our joy and resilience, I am most compelled by its ability to mobilize thought into action. I’m excited to see the conversations and actions our upcoming season will spark in this brilliant community. Cheers to the year ahead!