Tag Archives: Falcon Theatre

FALCON THEATRE ANNOUNCES 2022 – 2023 SEASON

Plays Focused on Strength, Resilience and the Endurance of the Human Spirit

(Newport, KY) — Falcon Theatre Producing Artistic Director, Ted J. Weil, announced today the continuation of live, in-person performances when the Newport, Kentucky theatre company opens its 2022-23 Season, presenting a mix of contemporary works and regional U.S. premieres.

The U.S. regional premiere of The Half-Life of Marie Curie by Lauren Gunderson (Silent Sky, The Revolutionists) revels in the strength of female friendship between two fearless scientists during the heights and depths of their careers.

The Half-Life of Marie Curie tells the story of Marie Curie, who won the 1911 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for her discovery of the elements radium and polonium. Within a year of her scientific triumph, she was the object of ruthless gossip over an alleged affair with a married Frenchman, all but erasing her achievements from public memory. Weakened and demoralized by an unrelenting and unforgiving press, Marie joins her friend and colleague Hertha Ayrton, an electromechanical engineer and suffragette, to recover from the scandal at Hertha’s seaside retreat on the British coast, their journey to persevere and heal reveals the strength that can be found in others.

Following a celebrated revival on Broadway, Falcon presents the ground-breaking drama Betrayal by Harold Pinter (The Dumb Waiter, Moonlight). Betrayal is a presentation of human resilience as its three characters navigate the aftermath of their lives following the end of a tumultuous love triangle.

The play begins in the present, with the meeting of Emma and Jerry, whose adulterous affair of seven years has long since ended. Emma’s marriage to Robert, Jerry’s best friend, is now ending and she needs someone in whom to confide. Their reminiscences reveal that Robert knew of their affair all along and, to Jerry’s dismay, regarded it with total nonchalance. In a series of contiguous scenes, the play moves backward in time, from the end of the affair to its beginning, throwing into relief the little lies and oblique remarks that reveal more than direct statements or actions ever could.

Human strength takes center stage in Every Brilliant Thing by Duncan Macmillan and Jonny Donahoe, a heart-wrenching yet humorous play about depression and the lengths we will go to for those we love.

You’re six years old. Mum’s in the hospital and Dad says it’s because she’s “done something stupid”. She finds it hard to be happy. So, you start to make a list of everything that’s brilliant about the world – everything that makes life worth living. In this acclaimed show, a child attempts to cure their mother’s depression by creating a list of the best things in the world. The list grows as they progress from childhood (ice cream) and adolescence (Star Trek), to college (surprises) and marriage (falling in love). But, when life deals a bitter blow, the list proves to be helpful to them in ways that it could never be for their mother. 

The Lifespan of a Fact is based on the stirring true story of John d’Agata’s essay, “What Happens There,” about the Las Vegas suicide of teenager Levi Presley. Written by a trio of playwrights (Jeremy Kareken & David Murrell and Gordon Farrell), this contemporary drama is propelled by human resilience and determination for truth.

What starts professional, quickly becomes profane in this fast-paced play that hurtles through a few crucial days in the lives of a writer, fact-checker, and editor as opposing ideologies collide in a battle of highly intellectual combatants. The clock races as the three characters debate facts, artistic license, and the need to tell a good story as the decision looms whether to publish against an approaching Monday morning deadline that could make or break their struggling magazine – and their careers.

Flyin’ West by Pearl Cleage (Blues for an Alabama Sky, A Song for Coretta) explores the strength and endurance of four African-American women who overcame tremendous odds to make a place for themselves in post-Civil War America.

Set in 1898, Flyin’ West is the story of pioneers of color who took advantage of The Homestead Act, leaving their homes and heading West to build new lives for themselves and their families in the all-black town of Nicodemus, Kansas. Throughout their journey, their sisterhood is challenged in unexpected ways as they face harsh conditions, racism, sexism, and domestic violence. Flyin’ West is a reflection upon how individuals, families, and communities survive together.

Ted J. Weil, Producing Artistic Director, says, “In this poignant time of reflection and rebirth, we wanted to present a variety of stories that highlight the strength, resilience and endurance of the human spirit. The plays we’ve chosen to present do that through many lenses, all with the goal of our audience finding themselves in each compelling story. We are very excited to present a powerful, thrilling and life-affirming season of theatre.”

The 2022 – 2023 Season dates, creative teams, and ticket purchasing information will be available online at falcontheater.net. 

###