ShowBizRadio

Port City Playhouse in Alexandria, Virginia, has released their planned 2014-2015 season:

• Black Hole, Early Fall 2014
• In the Next Room (or the vibrator play), Late Fall 2014
• Shining City, Late Winter/Early Spring 2015
• Stick Fly, Late Spring 2015

Port City Playhouse provided these descriptions of each play:

An intense drama dealing with the themes of loss and grief, control and compulsion, love and forgiveness, Black Hole focuses on estranged family members coping with their mother’s recent death, their father’s hoarding, and their own feelings of resentment and the need for spiritual comfort.

In the Next Room, Sarah Ruhl’s comedic examination of sexual repression in the Victorian era, gives new meaning to the word electrifying. Dr. Givings, an enlightened physician in late 19th century New York, uses a wonderful, new, electric-powered device to treat the “hysteria” of his female patients brought on by sexual frustration. It takes a while for the doctor to realize that his wife is suffering from a similar complaint and that treatment sometimes requires the human touch.

Set in contemporary Dublin, Shining City is a quiet and haunting tale in which the hint of a ghost story overlays a study of all-too-human relationships. A mild, seemingly rational man comes to a psychiatrist for help. Since his wife’s death in a car accident, he has been frightened by seeing and hearing her ghost and has had to leave his house and check into a hotel to escape it. The therapist tries to rid his patient of his fears while dealing with his own personal issues.

Lydia R. Diamond takes a wry but affectionate look at the unique experiences and attitudes of upper-income African-Americans in Stick Fly. The LeVay family – father, two adult sons with their girlfriends, and the housekeeper’s daughter, who is filling in while her mother is ill – gathers at their home on Martha’s Vineyard for their annual summer holiday. Personality clashes and revealed secrets make this anything but a relaxing family vacation.

More information may be found at the Port City Playhouse web site. Schedule is subject to change due to performance rights conflicts or other issues. Specific dates of performances and auditions are yet to be announced.