PlayMakers Repertory Company recently revealed its lineup of mainstage shows for the 2023-2024 season, which includes two regional premieres, a world premiere and a timeless classic.
“In planning for this upcoming season, we were really thinking about our audiences — both new and returning — and making PlayMakers a ‘can’t miss’ destination for fun and fabulous entertainment,” says Producing Artistic Director Vivienne Benesch. “The 23-24 season is full of thrills, chills and great, diverse stories that will bring incredibly exciting artists to Chapel Hill to work alongside our nationally recognized resident company.”
The season begins in September with the regional premiere of Lynn Nottage’s critically acclaimed play, Clyde’s. Set in a greasy spoon, formerly incarcerated kitchen staff are on a quest to create the perfect sandwich, which becomes a metaphor for how they choose to show up in the world and reshape their lives.
In October, audiences will be treated to a sleek thriller from the overlord of psychodrama and suspense, Stephen King. Inspired by King’s novel and film of the same name, William Goldman’s smart stage adaptation of Misery promises to keep not only “constant readers” on the edge of their seats.
For the holidays, PlayMakers will revive one of Shakespeare’s most profound and wittiest plays, Much Ado About Nothing.
“The last time our company produced Much Ado About Nothing was in 1986,” said Benesch. “So, we thought it was high time to revive it in our signature style, which is fresh, fun and full of transformation.”
Following Much Ado About Nothing, in January 2024, is a mystery show that Benesch isn’t ready to announce yet, but teases PlayMakers is one of the first regional theaters in the country to produce it.
Ken Ludwig’s adaptation of Agatha Christie’s stylish Murder on the Orient Express pulls into Chapel Hill in the spring of 2024, followed by the highly anticipated world premiere of Bekah Brunstetter’s play The Game.
Brunstetter is an award-winning writer (This is Us) and a University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill alum. The Game marks Playmakers’ first commission under its @PLAY new works initiative, which Benesch says is part of the company’s commitment to developing “important new work for the American stage.”
PlayMakers Repertory Company’s subscription packages start at $120 for all six shows. Individual tickets will go on sale this July. For more information visit the company’s website..
About PlayMakers Repertory Company
PlayMakers Repertory Company is North Carolina’s premier professional theater company, based in the department of dramatic art in UNC’s College of Arts and Sciences. For more than 45 years, PlayMakers has produced relevant and courageous work that tells stories from and for a multiplicity of perspectives and creates transformational impact in our immediate and extended communities. PlayMakers has been named one of the “best regional theatres in America.”