Welcome to the Shotgun Players 2019 Season
We invite you to a year of passionate and invigorating theatre! Yes, being a subscriber requires a spirit of adventure and risk but it also comes with the following promises:
- Every Shotgun artist is 100% committed to their craft and the project’s vision. They choose theatre because life is too short to not love what you do.
- Since 1992 we have remained deeply committed to theatre that feels welcome, relevant, and affordable to our entire Bay Area family. That means some stories will touch you more profoundly than others. But variety is the spice of life. So let’s get spicy!
- A great experience at the theatre includes space for you to engage with us. Whether it’s a post-show discussion or a smile at the box office, we want you to feel seen and heard. Let’s make theatre a radical act of community!
KILL THE DEBBIE DOWNERS! KILL THEM! KILL THEM! KILL THEM OFF!
March 21–April 21, 2019
From Anton Chekhov’s Three Sisters
Translated by Paul Schmidt
A new theatre piece directed by Mark Jackson & Beth Wilmurt
A newly devised theatre piece inspired by Chekhov’s Three Sisters. Live music, movement, and text creates an original exploration of Chekhov’s lasting themes of memories fading, revolutions looming, and visions of the future beckoning. There will be laughter through tears, a gun in act one, and the end of an era.
“In 100 years, how will people look back on our time?”
Far, Far Better Things
April 26–May 19, 2019
Written by Geetha Reddy
Directed by Katja Rivera
A co-production with TheatreFIRST
Presented at Live Oak Theatre in Berkeley
Inspired by Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities, Geetha Reddy’s new play tells the story of two women—a Latina domestic worker and a young South Asian doctor—separated by class, race, and the unspoken rules of modern womanhood. See what happens when these two women strive to balance their responsibilities to their children, to themselves, and to each other.
“I think you aren’t giving yourself enough credit for what you have done on your own.”
Kings
May 16–June 16, 2019
Written by Sarah Burgess
Directed by Joanie McBrien
New member of congress, Sydney Millsap, sees how money corrupts politics, and she’s on a mission to do something about it. Just imagine how a career senator and two ambitious lobbyists react to her efforts! Kings is a whip-smart political satire that will inspire you to change the system. And vote.
“A republic doesn’t work unless its people believe in its power. And why should Americans believe in their power at this point?”
Kill Move Paradise
July 5–August 4, 2019
Written by James Ijames
Directed by Darryl V. Jones
Winner of the 2018 Kesselring Prize
This award-winning play takes the Elysium of Greek antiquity and flips the script. Inspired by recent events, the play is an expressionistic buzz saw through the contemporary myth that "all lives matter.” Ben Brantley of the New York Times writes: “Kill Move Paradise radiates an urgent and hypnotic theatrical energy.”
“Show them who you are. Why you matter.”
The Flick
August 22–September 22, 2019
Written by Annie Baker
Directed by Jon Tracy
Winner of the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for Drama
In a suburban movie house we meet three employees: Sam, a white man in his 30s who still lives with his parents; Rose, a young white woman struggling to be cool; and Avery, a young black man and film trivia genius. Race, class, and the universal quest for intimacy are intricately interwoven in this understated slice of Americana. “Funny, heartbreaking, sly, and unblinking.” –The New York Times
“And the answer to every terrible situation always seems to be like, Be Yourself, but I have no idea what that fucking means.”
Elevada
October 17–November 17, 2019
Written by Sheila Callaghan
Directed by Susannah Martin
We meet a couple on their first date. One has a wild scheme to sell his personality to the highest bidding corporation. The other has cancer. Despite these obstacles, they make plans to meet again. Elevada explores family ties, friendship, and romance under the most unlikely circumstances. Expect to be whisked off your feet with Callaghan’s incisively witty tale.
“You’re fearless. Even if it’s unlikely or a terrible idea, or whatever. You are a force of nature.”
Vinegar Tom
December 6, 2019–January 5, 2020
Written by Caryl Churchill
Directed by Barbara Damashek
If witches have so much power, then why are they always poverty-stricken? Vinegar Tom is a wild mash-up of desperate women living in 17th century society with modern musical numbers connecting the tale to our own troubled times. This is Churchill at her best: raw, satirical, political, and mad as hell!
“If I only did have magic, I’d make them feel it.”
