Theatrical Outfit Adds Blood Knot to 2009–10 Season Line-Up of Plays
(Atlanta, GA) Announced last March, the upcoming 2009-10 Season of plays at Theatrical Outfit at the Balzer Theater at Herren’s, has been revised and expanded. The official subscription season opener in August, 2009, will be Cotton Patch Gospel, written by Tom Key and Russell Treyz with music and lyrics by Harry Chapin. Cotton Patch Gospel replaces KING, a musical adaptation of the life of Dr. Martin Luther, King, Jr., which was removed due to scheduling conflicts.
An exciting addition to the line-up of plays is the special July, 2009, presentation of Athol Fugard’s Blood Knot, co-produced by Theatrical Outfit and Kenny Leon’s True Colors Theatre Company and starring Tom Key and Kenny Leon, who last performed the piece together in 1998; the three-week run will coincide with the National Black Arts Festival.
The August, 2009 production of Cotton Patch Gospel will mark the first time Tom Key will direct another actor in the leading role for which he has received national recognition. He has chosen to “pass the torch” of playing Matthew and twenty-two others (including Jesus and Jud, the Cotton Patch equivalent to Judas) on to Daniel May, most recently seen on the Theatrical Outfit stage acting and singing in the dual roles of George and Bob in Tent Meeting of which The Sunday Paper’s Bert Osborne said, “Just when I thought I’d seen (and heard) everything comes the sight (and glorious sound) of Daniel May singing.”
Key, Executive Artistic Director of Theatrical Outfit remarks, “I can’t imagine a stronger way to usher in our 33rd season than this classic Fugard piece and the rousing American roots musical Cotton Patch Gospel.” On Blood Knot, Key continued, “Kenny Leon and I are both Artistic Directors, and I believe one of our most important responsibilities is to know when a certain story, comic or tragic, needs to be a part of the public discourse. When Kenny looked me in the eye last winter and said, ’It’s time for us to do Blood Knot again,’ I knew he was right.”
Regarding Cotton Patch Gospel, Key explains that since its Off-Broadway premiere in 1981, “It is still one of the most produced musicals in America. Harry Chapin’s score still resonates more profoundly than ever. Habitat for Humanity and Koinonia Partners, both inspired by Dr. Clarence Jordan, author of the Cotton Patch paraphrase of the New Testament on which the play is based, are still going strong. So, I am thrilled to be sharing my personal vision of the work with a whole new mix of some young talent fresh to the material and some who have performed the show with me since the 1990’s. This production will, of course, be grounded in the stories and music the audiences have come to love while taking on a whole new sensibility of how the Gospel translates to the 21st Century. I think no matter what our religious backgrounds are, we would all agree that now is the time for some good news.” News of this production is already generating interest in a national tour.
Theatrical Outfit’s 2009-10 play offerings also include three musicals, a comedy-adventure, the world premiere of a comic drama by Atlanta playwright Janece Schaffer, and a novel in dramatic form by Cormac McCarthy and are, chronologically, as follows:
Blood Knot; written by Athol Fugard. Acting powerhouses Tom Key and Kenny Leon reprise their acclaimed 1998 roles as half-brothers, one white, the other black, in 1960s South Africa in this searing masterpiece about the corrosive effects of Apartheid and the inextricable familial ties that bind.Recommended for ages 12 and up, for adult themes and language. July 10 – Aug. 2, 2009.
Cotton Patch Gospel; written by Tom Key and Russell Treyz with music and lyrics by Harry Chapin. This gem of musical theater adapts Clarence Jordan’s “Cotton Patch” versions of the gospels of Matthew and John for the stage, transplanting the story of Jesus into the mid-20th century American South and considering what might have happened had Jesus been born in Georgia. Directed by Tom Key; it is co-produced with Third Coast Productions and Georgia Ensemble Theatre. Recommended for all ages. Aug. 12 – 30, 2009.
Around the World in 80 Days; adapted by Mark Brown from the novel by Jules Verne. The original “Amazing Race,” this comedy-adventure, set in 1872, is a high-spirited romp through different continents, cultures and time zones that puts one man’s life and fortunes at risk. Recommended for all ages. Oct. 14 – Nov. 8, 2009.
Amahl and the Night Visitors; composed and written by Gian Carlo Menotti. Haunting and vivid musical interpretations capture the humble life of a crippled child and his impoverished mother and describe one mesmerizing evening when traveling magi from the East mysteriously seek rest with them; this is a co-production with Georgia State University School of Music. Recommended for all ages. Dec. 13 – 23, 2009.
Brownie Points; written by Janece Shaffer. This new comic-drama by the popular Atlanta playwright masterfully mirrors modern families and society through the multi-cultural mayhem of a girls’ club camp-out in the north Georgia mountains. Recommended for ages 12 and up, for adult language. Feb. 3 – 28, 2010.
The Sunset Limited; a novel in dramatic form written by Cormac McCarthy. A startling encounter on a New York subway platform leads two strangers to a dilapidated tenement where a life or death decision begs the existential question: is there light at the end of the tunnel? Recommended for ages 16 and up, for adult themes and language. March 17 – April 11, 2010.
Blues in the Night; a musical revue conceived and originally directed by Sheldon Epps. Tony-nominated, this scorching compilation of full-out blues songs interweaves stories of life and love through the unrivalled tunes and lyrics of Bessie Smith, Duke Ellington, Johnny Mercer, Harold Arlen, and more. Recommended for ages 16 and up, for adult themes and language. April 28 – May 23, 2010.
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About Theatrical Outfit
Theatrical Outfit entertains, educates and enlivens our audiences by producing classic and contemporary theater with an emphasis on work indigenous to the culture of the American South. The themes of spirituality and racial understanding are particularly resonant in our culture, and we are committed to giving them dramatic voice in the heart of downtown. Founded in 1976, Theatrical Outfit is dedicated to Atlanta-based artists of national caliber.
Theatrical Outfit is a not-for-profit 501 (c) 3 organization supported by private and public funding, along with ticket sales revenue. Major support is provided by the Fulton County Commission through the Fulton County Arts Council, the City of Atlanta Office of Cultural Affairs, Metropolitan Atlanta Arts Fund, the Georgia General Assembly through the Georgia Council for the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
