Undermain Theatre

UNDERMAIN THEATRE: From the Basement

Modern Classics and Thought-Provoking New Words Highlight A Season of Solace 

World altering events, climate change, floods, wars, approaching the age of thirty—life can be a deluge of disorder and upset. Yet inside this world of uncertainty, perhaps we can find solace together, through the communal experience of theater. For its 42nd season Undermain Theatre explores these relationships where we find commonality and companionship as the disasters that befall us slide into absurdity. 

The season begins with one of Sam Shepard’s most highly regarded early works, Action, where a quartet of friends seek refuge together from a world forever changed by an unnamed cataclysm by preparing a holiday dinner. Though Thornton Wilder is better known for his other Pulitzer Prize winning play Our Town, it was just four years later that he won another Pulitzer Prize for The Skin of Our Teeth. Using the conceit of modern life and biblical references, Wilder deconstructs the cozy normalcy of American suburbanism along with conventions of theatre to show the resiliency of a family befallen with disasters and war. 

Continuing with Undermain's commitment to producing programming from recipients of the Katherine Owens/Undermain Fund for New Work again this year, the theater will present a new comedy by this year’s recipient Gracie Gardner. Undermain opened the last season with her funny but touching portrayal of high school competitive fencing, Athena. Saturn Return brings the same wit and emotional poignancy to the story of high school friends reuniting as they approach their thirties. Closing Undermain’s 42 season is Jane Wagner’s award-winning one-woman comedy, The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe. Originally written for her partner Lily Tomlin, this bold comedy explores the American experience through a parade of characters, their stories and foibles and the universe in which they live. Featuring Undermain Company member, Marianne Galloway, this production has a limited run in June.

This season Undermain will also present a reading of a developing work by Katherine Owens/Undermain Fund for New Work recipient Jarrett King. St. Miles follows a Black family coping with the loss of a young man to police violence. As the mother of Miles pushes for his canonization to sainthood, the family struggles with finding a way to come together in their grief. King, who penned last season's hit production of Box, reunities with director Jiles R. King Jr to bring this thought=provoking story to Dallas audiences.

 

Our Needs

As we face uncertainty in governmental funding alongside other non-profits in our industry and beyond, institutional and individual donors become more important than ever as we plan our programming for the 42nd season. Communities Foundation of Texas is using the slogan “Do Good Y’all” for this year’s Giving Day Campaign. Some of the best ‘good’ you can do is support the local non-profits you care about to ensure they can continue bringing important work to the community. We hope that includes Undermain Theatre!