40+ Stage Company to feature 3 plays by local playwrights during 2020-21 season
40+ Stage Company, a non-profit theatre company that presents performances that focus on intergenerational issues and themes, recently announced the play selection for the 2021 – 2022 season. The season opens Sept. 10 with “The Last Romance,” a heart-warming comedy by Joe DiPietro. Local playwright Mark Pirolo’s “Better Days” premiere’s on Nov. 12. This is a poignant drama in two acts about two men struggling to renew their love for one another after a painful and unexpected break.
Nathan Ross Freeman’s acclaimed drama, “The Other Way Around,” opens Feb. 18, 2022. Freeman’s play was very well received when presented in an online version in November 2020. This emotionally charged play focuses on the challenges that two creative, articulate people encounter as they strive to keep their love impassioned and alive after 35 years of marriage.
The next two shows will run concurrently with the first opening during April 22 and the second on April 23. 2022. Each show will be presented twice each weekend over a run of three weekends, the final weekend ending Sunday, May 8. “A Doll’s House, Part 2” by Lucas Hnath will be paired with Grace Ellis’s “Rhonda’s Rites of Passage.” Hnath’s drama tells the story of Nora’s return to husband Thorvald and the consequences after her departure to make her way in a world where women are denied opportunity. Ellis’s play provides a contrasting portrait. Rhonda, having given up a chance at a career as an actor, wants to try again after raising a family and fulfilling the duties of wife and mother for 20 years.
Wendy Wasserstein’s last play, “Third,” will be the final show of the season. Wasserstein’s engaging drama explores how compassion and tolerance temper the communication between generations. “Third” will run for two weekends, opening Friday, June 10. All performances will be presented at the Mountcastle Black Box Theater in the Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts in downtown Winston-Salem.
40+ Stage Company presents performances that that engage and challenge audiences to examine prevailing social values. Our education program aims to offer creative opportunities for seniors and mature adults to challenge and enrich their lives. For more information, visit www.40plusstage.com.
