Funny, Like An Abortion

by Rachel Bublitz

at The VORTEX

Funny, Like an Abortion is a surreal new comedy, set in the near future in a United States of America where abortion is illegal nation-wide and even saying the word “abortion” is a crime. It’s a comedy, until it’s not. This play contains frank discussions of misogyny, pregnancy, abortion, reproductive rights, privacy rights, and freedom of speech. And there’s juggling and tap dancing. As we in Texas are living with the staggering loss of reproductive freedom and with ominous potential for a national ban, this play is a call to conversation, compassion, education, and action. Funny, Like an Abortion finds truth and humor in a time of absurd circus. 

The VORTEX proudly shares this Rolling World Premiere as part of the National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere with Mile Street Theatre in New Jersey and Cleveland Public Theatre. Funny, Like An Abortion was originally developed with PlayGrounds 25th and 26th Festival of New Works with Jim Kleinmann, Artistic Director (Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco).

The Hispanic/Latino/Latina/Latinx/Latine Vote

by Bernardo Cubría

at Stages

A New Comedy from Houston's Own Bernardo Cubría

University professor Paola Aguilar desperately needs money for—well, we’ll let her tell you. So when the political party offers her a substantial paycheck to help them understand the Hispanic / Latino / Latina / Latinx / Latine vote, she begrudgingly takes the job. Can Paola navigate a room full of clueless strategists and save the election? Or will her journey lead to a bigger victory altogether?

This laugh-out-loud satire from award-winning, Houston-raised playwright Bernardo Cubría explores identity, community, and the hilarious absurdity of the political machine. Don’t miss the world premiere of this thought-provoking, sidesplitting comedy.

The Hispanic/Latino/Latina/Latinx/Latine Vote

by Bernardo Cubría

at Milagro

University professor Paola Aguilar desperately needs money for—well, we’ll let her tell you. So when the political party offers her a substantial paycheck to help them understand the Hispanic/Latino/Latina/Latinx/Latine vote, she begrudgingly takes the job. Can she help these political strategists understand all of the nuances of her community to save the election? Or will her own journey ultimately be more important than who controls the White House?

Content Advisory: This production contains flickering lighting effects

The Hispanic/Latino/Latina/LatinX/Latine Vote is produced at Milagro (Portland, OR) as part of a National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere. Other Partner Theaters are Stages (Houston, TX), TuYo (San Diego, CA) and Fonseca Theatre (Indianopolis, IN). For more information, please visit nnpn.org .

Wipeout

by Aurora Real de Asua

at Gloucester Stage

For her seventy-seventh birthday, Gary knows exactly what she wants: to go surfing. There’s only one problem: She’s never touched the water. But with the help of a hot-rod teenage surf instructor and her two best friends, Gary’s ready to conquer the unknown. Taking place on surfboards in the Pacific Ocean, Wipeout is a septuagenarian surf comedy about what it takes to hang ten.

The Wash

by Kelundra Smith

at Synchronicity Theatre

A Co-Production with Impact Theatre Atlanta

Discover the captivating, untold story of Atlanta's courageous black laundresses who defied oppression and ignited a movement. Just weeks before the International Cotton Exposition swept into the city, these bold women took a stand, demanding the right to set their own wages. The Atlanta Washerwomen's Strike of 1881 marked a pivotal moment in history, showcasing one of the largest interracial labor strikes post-Civil War. 'The Wash' invites you to delve into the intimate and often humorous journey of these ordinary women turned extraordinary fighters who fought the system and won.

OAK

By Terry Guest

at Urbanite Theatre

May 31, 2024 - June 30, 2024

It’s 7pm. Do you know where your children are? It’s snatching season, and town-wide curfew regulations have fostered a culture of fear in the community along Odella Creek. Too many have fallen victim to the freedoms promised by the red-eyed monster...Will cousins Suga, Big Man, and Pickle resist temptation, or become the next names in the morning news? Step into the darkness and experience the terror firsthand in the new Southern Gothic horror, OAK.

Funny, Like An Abortion

By Rachel Bublitz

at Cleveland Public Theatre

March 20, 2024 – April 7, 2024

Set in a future America where even saying the word “abortion” is a crime, this play is about loyalty, friendship, and value of freedom.

Wipeout

By Aurora Real De Asua

at B Street Theatre

March 20, 2024 – April 7, 2024

Three retired best friends. One hotrod surf instructor. The currents of the Pacific Ocean. What could possibly go wrong? Set on surfboards in Santa Cruz, Wipeout is a poignant comedy about friendship and the unpredictable tides of life.

Kairos

By Lisa Sanaye Dring

at East West Players

April 4 – 28, 2024

Kairos is the story of two people falling in love during a tectonic shift in society. Their nascent relationship is tested by the advent of Prometheus, a procedure that grants immortality to a select few. What happens to commitment, meaning and care when linear time breaks open? At once both a dystopian science-fiction play and a dark-comedy love story, Kairos is a deeply sensitive investigation of two humans whose ideal “happily-ever-after” is terrifyingly outpaced by relentless technological and societal upheaval.

Backwards Forwards Back

By Jacqueline Goldfinger

at Centenary Stage Company

April 4 – 14, 2024

War changes a person forever. When a soldier returns from Afghanistan carrying the ghosts of their tour, they face the decision to seek help for their PTSD. This electric, one-person play explores the transformative power of virtual reality therapy and the journey toward healing and finding strength in vulnerability.

The Last Yiddish Speaker

By Deborah Zoe Laufer

at InterAct Theatre Company

March 29, 2024 – April 21, 2024

In the years following a successful January 6th insurrection, a white supremacist regime has come into power. Paul and his teenage daughter, Sarah, live under the radar in a small town upstate as Christian-passing, despite being Jews who fled New York City. When an ancient Yiddish-speaking woman arrives on their doorstep, Paul and Sarah are forced to decide between fleeing again or fighting for their faith, their heritage and their identity.

Backwards Forwards Back

By Jacqueline Goldfinger

at Unicorn Theatre

March 20, 2024 – April 7, 2024

War changes a person forever. When a soldier returns from Afghanistan carrying the ghosts of their tour, they face the decision to seek help for their PTSD. This electric, one-person play explores the transformative power of virtual reality therapy and the journey toward healing and finding strength in vulnerability.

Wipeout

By Aurora Real de Asua

at Rivendell Theatre Ensemble

February 29, 2024 - March 30, 2024
Now Extended Thru April 14, 2024!

​Three retired best friends. One hotrod surf instructor. The currents of the Pacific Ocean. What could possibly go wrong? Set on surfboards, Wipeout is a poignant comedy about friendship, grief, and the unpredictable tides of life.

Wipeout tells the story of three women staring down the mouth of 70, friends for decades, who throw themselves into their first-ever surfing lesson with the help of a young instructor. As the women learn how to paddle and navigate the currents of the Pacific Ocean, they also learn how to navigate their friendships, their fears, and just how hard it can be to let it all go.

Kairos

By Lisa Sanaye Dring

at Know Theatre of Cincinnati

February 16, 2024 - March 3, 2024

Their story starts as a meet-cute rom-com … and then the whole world changes.

Gina and David’s budding relationship is tested by the advent of a groundbreaking medical procedure that extends lives indefinitely, granting immortality to a chosen few.

As they navigate the initial rush of falling in love, they must also grapple with the question: what happens to love, commitment, and care when mortality is removed from the equation?

This riveting world premiere from Lisa Sanaye Dring (director of 2020’s Alabaster), directed by Rebecca Wear (Mongrel, 2022), is a deeply sensitive investigation of two humans and the idea of “happily-ever-after.”

RIFT, or White Lies

By Gabriel Jason Dean

at Luna Stage

February 8, 2024 - March 3, 2024

Two brothers--one a progressive novelist, the other a convicted murderer and high-ranking member of a white supremacist prison gang–are united through their traumatic childhood. Now adults, these men navigate the edges of their brotherly bond. Are they truly so different? Is it possible to love someone whose beliefs you hate? RIFT is a story of estrangement, ideological divide, and the fight to change our world.

The Messenger

Written by Jenny Connell Davis

at Palm Beach Dramaworks

December 8, 2023 - December 24, 2023

A meditation on the connections between past, present, and future, and on the choice between speaking up and speaking out regardless of the consequences or remaining silent for the sake of self-preservation. Inspired by the life of Hungarian Holocaust survivor Georgia Gabor, the play interweaves her story with that of a young American woman facing racial discrimination in this country in 2020.

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The Berlin Diaries

Written by Andrea Stolowitz

at Theatre Lab

November 18, 2023 - December 10, 2023

The great-grandfather of Oregon Book Award-winning playwright Andrea Stolowitz kept a journal for his descendants after escaping to New York City in 1939 as a German Jew. Following the complicated lure of genealogy, Stolowitz goes back to Berlin to bring the story of her unknown ancestors out of the archives into the light. The record keeps as many secrets as it shares; how do people become verschollen, lost, like library books? 

After joining us with this play for the 2018 Playwright’s Forum, award-winning playwright, Andrea Stolowitz returns to The Lab for a full production! In this complex, contemporary drama about the search for home, fragmented heritage and Jewish diaspora, two performers scintillate between characters and locations at the border of reality and memory and the intersection of national history and private lives. 

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Snow Fever

Written by Robert Caisley

at B Street Theatre

November 15, 2023 - December 24, 2023

They’re running low on food, the toilet’s busted, and the jukebox is on the fritz. But come hell or high snowfall, a small band of co-workers and malcontents are determined to make this Christmas at The Wet Whistle (a backwater Montana bar) nothing like the last. Will everything work out? Will everything fall apart? Only determination and karaoke can save this holiday party!

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Funny, Like an Abortion

Written by Rachel Bublitz

at Mile Square Theatre

October 18, 2023 - November 12, 2023

Monroe finds herself knocked up, and since abortions are illegal in the United States, she throws a surprise abortion party with her best friend Jade. Monroe prepares over twenty at home abortion options for them to sort through, neither will walk away until they select the best of all of these terrible options. But that’s not all! Come on down for juggling, a tap-dancing number, and a horrific view at what our future may hold. A comedic two-hander in one scene.

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WELCOME TO MATTESON!

written by Inda Craig-Galván

directed by Dawn Monique Williams

A suburban couple hosts a welcome-to-the-neighborhood dinner party for their new neighbors — a couple recently relocated from Cabrini Green, Chicago's roughest housing project — and it's anything but welcoming. A dark comedy about reverse gentrification and how we deal with the "other" when the other looks just like us. Written by Inda Craig-Galván and directed by Dawn Monique Williams.

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WELCOME TO MATTESON!

Written by Inda Craig-Galván

Directed by Congo Square Theatre Artistic Director Ericka Ratcliff

Congo Square Theatre

A dark comedy by Inda Craig-Galván, WELCOME TO MATTESON! follows two Black couples over the course of a dinner party; one couple has lived in the Chicago suburb of Matteson for years, the other has just moved in after being forcibly relocated from the Cabrini-Green housing projects. A uniquely Chicago story, the play explores universal themes of gentrification, housing justice, and inter-class relationships. 

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American Fast

by Kareem Fahmy

at InterAct Theatre

June 2-25, 2023

Directed by Seth Rozin with Zaina Dana
A college basketball sensation is set to compete on the biggest stage, the women’s college basketball tournament. But this year’s competition coincides directly with Ramadan, and the brash and ambitious star player must reconcile her competitive fire with her family’s faith. What does it mean to be Muslim in an increasingly secular America?

American Fast

by Kareem Fahmy

at City Theatre

April 29 - May 21, 2023

College basketball superstar Khady is about to carry her team through the NCAA Women’s Championships, but when March Madness coincides with Ramadan, Khady lies to her devout mother about holding her fast. When her mother goes public with the story of Khady’s devotion to both Ramadan and basketball, Khady finds herself the heroine of young Muslim women. Kareem Fahmy’s world premiere production questions family, faith, and what it means to win at all costs.

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can i touch it?

Written by Francisca Da Silveira
Directed by India Nicole Burton

at Cleveland Public Theatre

April 20, 2023 - May 13, 2023

Shay Solomon’s got a lot going on between trying to find funding for her daughter to go to college, trying not to fire an opinionated rogue employee who happens to be her niece, and dealing with the white banker who’s trying to touch her hair—that is, her Black beauty supply store which is on the brink of foreclosure in the midst of ongoing neighborhood gentrification.

can i touch it? takes an often-humorous look at the politics of the Black hair care industry while prompting a dialogue about the inequities that entrepreneurs face within a community on the verge of forced change.

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Refuge

co-created by Satya Jnani Chávez & Andrew Rosendorf, Translations by Mari Meza-Burgos

at Theatre Lab

Previews: April 6 & 7, 2023

Run: April 8-23, 2023

Original music, artistic puppetry, and magical realism allow this bilingual tale to tackle the immigration crisis through a beautiful, unique lens. Chronicling the harrowing journey of one young Honduran girl as she crosses the US border into the inhospitable, barren land of Texas, Refuge is an exploration of empathy and of America – who we are and who we say we are.

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Eden Prairie, 1971

by Mat Smart

Butterfly Effect Theatre of Colorado

April 6-29 at the Dairy Arts Center
Opening Night: Saturday, April 8

In Mat Smart’s Eden Prairie, 1971, two young people reconnect on the historic night of the Apollo 15 moon landing, in spite of a world that conspires to keep them apart. When a young draft dodger steals back home to Minnesota to deliver an unusual message to a former high school classmate, both discover more about who they are and what they believe. Join BETC for this love story set in the heart of America. 

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Backwards Forwards Back

by Jacqueline Goldfinger

Directed by Brendan Ragan

March 24 - April 23, 2023

When a soldier returns from war carrying the ghosts of his tour, he’s faced with a sobering decision: address his alarming PTSD with Virtual Reality therapy, or risk losing access to his family forever. Can this new technology re-calibrate the brains and bodies of wounded soldiers? 

This electric, vivid, one-man drama studies the power of healing and finding strength in vulnerability. 

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Co-created by Satya Jnani Chavez and Andrew Rosendorf
Translation by Marialuisa Burgos

With an original score and dynamic puppetry, this bilingual production follows a teenage migrant’s journey across the difficult and mystical desert on their quest to find a new life in America.

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by SIENA MARILYN LEDGER

Aaron is a transitioning man, and Luna is a 12-year-old girl with a deep passion for outer space. Together in the lobby of an oncology unit, they learn how to wait as they navigate their changing bodies and circumstances within the expanse. This tale of unlikely friendship proves that the universe can offer beauty and meaning in the smallest of interactions.

"I would highly recommend Man and Moon to any discerning theatre lover who is looking for a play they can discuss and ponder afterwards." —UTBA

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January 3 - January 29, 2023
Portland Center Stage: Ellyn Bye Studio

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by Kareem Fahmy
directed by Chip Miller

An ART commission and launch of the Rolling World Premiere, American Fast centers on a top-ranked college basketball star leading her team into the Final Four. Khady Salama, a 21-year-old college basketball sensation, is set to compete in March Madness, which this year falls during Ramadan. Her religious mother expects her to fast—even on game days. As the tournament unfolds, Khady becomes a role model for young Muslim women everywhere, except she’s lying about fasting. Winning at all costs will force Khady to grapple with her faith and confront some uncomfortable truths about who she’s meant to be.