Pictured: Jen Silverman

A Red Orchid Theatre announced its 27th season today, opening in October the with the world premiere of “Grey House” by Ensemble Member Levi Holloway, directed by Ensemble Member Shade Murray. The Chicago premiere of “Do You Feel Anger?” by Mara Nelson-Greenberg follows in January, directed by Ensemble Member Jess McLeod. The season concludes with the Chicago Premiere of “The Moors” by Jen Silverman, directed by Marti Lyons in April.

“We strike out this season with new artists in our house. I am incredibly excited about the ways in which these new voices will deepen conversation, spark discovery and provoke action,” said Artistic Director Kirsten Fitzgerald. “With all three of this season’s plays we examine the houses we—or in some cases others—have built and demand that we ask, ‘do we want to continue living and operating in these structures?’ This conversation could not be more immediate and with each play the question is explored quite differently; with the ghost story that is ‘Grey House’ gazing through the lens of reparation, ‘Do You Feel Anger?’ a horrifying and hilarious reflection and ‘The Moors’ via revolution. I am honored that each of these playwrights and directors has chosen to do this work at A Red Orchid and I look forward to the many questions, conversations and revolutions ahead.”

Subscriptions are on sale now and can be purchased by calling the box office at 312-943-8722 or visiting aredorchidtheatre.org.

A Red Orchid Theatre’s 2018-2019 Season (descriptions from the press release):

The World Premiere of
“Grey House”
By Ensemble Member Levi Holloway
Directed by Ensemble Member Shade Murray
October 10 – December 1, 2019

After a brutal car wreck in the mountains of Oregon, a young couple seeks shelter from a blizzard in a small cabin. But the cabin’s seemingly innocent inhabitants: four children and their minder, quickly start to expose the couple’s secrets, unmake everything they know about themselves, and hurl them towards a potentially sinister destination. ‘Grey House’ is a new horror play about the gravity of the past, and the cruel inevitability of its pull.

The Chicago Premiere of
“Do You Feel Anger?”
By Mara Nelson-Greenberg
Directed by Ensemble Member Jess McLeod
January 16 – March 8, 2020

Sofia was recently hired as an empathy coach at a debt collection agency—and clearly, she has her work cut out for her. These employees can barely identify what an emotion is, much less practice deep, radical compassion for others. And while they painstakingly stumble towards enlightenment, someone keeps mugging Eva in the kitchen. An outrageous comedy about the absurdity—and the danger—of complicity in a world where some people’s feelings matter more than others’.

The Chicago Premiere of
“The Moors”
By Jen Silverman
Directed by Marti Lyons
April 23 – June 14, 2020

On the wind-blown desolate moors two spinster sisters and their mastiff scheme to wrest their destinies from the savage land around them. When a governess is summoned and a moor-hen drops in, all three are forced to ask what price they might pay for love. Inspired (perhaps) by certain 19th-century gothic romances, and the sisters who wrote them, this savage comedy disrupts the conventions of visibility.