Summary: “Love, loss, litigation, and predatory lending are examined in surprising ways in this uneasy comedy, which wades fearlessly into the endless complexities and contradictions of life in America. Set among the Black and Jewish populations of an imagined time and place that is simultaneously Shakespearean, Reconstruction-era Washington, D.C., and today, District Merchants is a remarkable tale of money, merchandise, and mercy brought to the stage by award-winning playwright and director Aaron Posner.” From Dramatists’ Play Service.

Summary: “Simon is a lifeguard. Finn is terrified of water. Both are adrift, with broken hearts, returning to the tiny beach town of Jupiter and to families who need them. A play about love, karaoke, and the sea.” Playwrights’ Center.

Summary: “ In a pre-industrial, God-fearing community, we see a character known simply as Young Woman tethered like an animal to a village ploughman called Pony William. Although, like everyone else, she is taught to hate the local miller, the woman finds in him a source of emotional release that enables her to escape her husband and articulate her long-suppressed feelings. In that sense, the play echoes Shaw’s Pygmalion and Wesker’s Roots, in that it becomes a play about a woman’s liberation through words.” Michael Billington, The Guardian.

Summary: “Welcome to opening night of the Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society’s newest production, The Murder at Haversham Manor. This 1920s whodunit has everything you never wanted in a Broadway show—a ramshackle set, a leading lady with a concussion, and a corpse that can’t play dead. It’s a classic murder mystery… and it’s a mystery how it ever got to Broadway!” From Broadway.com

Summary: “THE STORY: In 1810, The Venus Hottentot (as she is dubbed)—a young black woman with an enormous posterior—is lured away from her menial job in South Africa to tour the world and make lots of money. Once in England, however, she is sold to a freak show and becomes a star. She shows off her attribute, bringing in crowds and raking in money for the side show owners. Quickly becoming adept at displaying herself and understanding what the people want from her as a freak, she even tries to break out on her own, but can’t quite master that in those social times. Eventually, she is procured by a white doctor who is more than fascinated with her. He falls in love with her and keeps her as his mistress until he is in danger of losing his medical reputation and social standing. Venus, who journeyed to Europe with high hopes, at the end of her short life, was dissected by the man she loved.” From Dramatists Play Service