Friday, February 10, 2012

Banyan Theater Company announces 11th season

The Banyan Theater Company returns with its 11th season this summer, producing a trio of acclaimed, contemporary plays from June 28 to Aug. 26.

Here's the Sarasota troupe's schedule (with a description of each play provided by The Banyan):

“A Lesson from Aloes” by Athol Fugard, June 28 - July 15

This contemporary classic is set in 1963 in a white district of Port Elizabeth, South Africa. This important play gives a compelling portrait of a society caught in the grip of a police state and the effect it has on individuals. Fugard shows how a nation’s ideology creates either a nurturing or poisonous atmosphere. “A Lesson from Aloes” won the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award in 1981 for Best Play.

8 p.m. June 28, 29, 30; July 4, 5, 6, 7, 11, 12, 13, 14
2 p.m. June 30; July 1, 7, 8, 14, 15

“The Piano Teacher” by Julia Cho, July 19 - Aug. 5

Mrs. K is an elderly widow who lives by herself in a small suburban town. She whiles away her time reminiscing about her late husband and the children she taught long ago as a piano instructor. One day, she finds herself compelled to call her old students, but is it out of loneliness or some other, darker need? As Mrs. K discovers, it may not be what we cannot know that troubles us the most; it may be what we cannot bear to know.

8 p.m. July 19, 20, 21, 25, 26, 27, 28; August 1, 2, 3, 4
2 p.m. July 21, 22, 28, 29; August 4, 5

“Crimes of the Heart” by Beth Henley, Aug. 9 - 26

Warm-hearted, irreverent and brilliantly imaginative, this play teems with humanity and humor as it examines the plight of three young Mississippi sisters betrayed by their passions. Winner of the 1981
Pulitzer Prize and the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award.

8 p.m. Aug. 9, 10, 11, 15, 16, 17, 18, 22, 23, 24, 25
2:00 p.m. Aug. 11, 12, 18, 19, 25, 26

Details: The Banyan Theater Company performs in the Jane B. Cook Theatre at the FSU Center for the Performing Arts, 5555 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. Tickets: A three-show subscription costs $70, a two-show package is $52 and single tickets are $28.50. Information: 941-351-2808 www.banyantheatercompany.com.

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