The School for Scandal, by Richard Sheridan
Directed by Alan Duda
The Rude Mechanicals in Residence at The Greenbelt Arts Center
Sir Peter Teazle can’t get a break. His young wife wants fun and luxury, and his rebellious ward is in love with the wrong man: not the well-regarded Joseph, but his spendthrift brother Charles. As the brothers’ rich uncle comes to town, all characters are tested, and gossip and double entendres fly wild. From the ambitiously constructed set to live video segments, The Rude Mechanicals push artistic and technical boundaries in this tribute to 80s television. Says the director Alan Duda, “If you remember the 80s, you’ll like this show!”
August 23–September 7, 2024
Magic of Words: An Edgar Allan Poe Mentalism Show
Written & performed by Alex Zavistovich
Have you ever talked about a book you read with someone who has also read it? You come to a part you both love, and for a minute you’re transported to that place. You’ve made a real mental connection; you’re sharing the same energy.
It’s like magic.
October 18-19, 2024
The Importance of Being Earnest: A Trivial Comedy for Serious People, by Oscar Wilde
Directed by Stephen Cox / Produced by Alan Duda
Absolutely hilarious comedy from the supremely witty pen of Oscar Wilde. It skewers the exaggerated, prim manners of Victorian society and the follies of ascribing too much importance to fanciful surface ideals.
November 1-16, 2024
The Seagull, by Anton Chekhov
Directed by Melissa Schick
The Rude Mechanicals in Residence at The Greenbelt Arts Center
The Rude Mechanicals are known for concept Shakespeare, but concept Chekhov? Well that’s not something people do. Or is it? Our next production of The Seagull transports these drama queens of the Russian theatre in the late 1800s to the American music industry of the late 1900s. 1979 to be exact. In this production we aim to explore how the revolutionary revamping of theatre that occurred during Chekhov and Stanislavski’s era bears similarities to the way the birth and rising popularity of punk rock revolutionized music in the late 1970s. Come and witness new forms in music taking shape.
Constantine is a tortured songwriter involved in founding the punk rock movement in the late 1970s. He’d love nothing more than to prove his worth to his rich and famous but cold and withholding mother, the famous diva, Arkadina. Constantine is in love with Nina, a young aspiring singer who wants to make it big. Nina is a little star struck by the wildly successful Trigorin, who is dating Arkadina. Masha, the gothiest goth who ever gothed, is in unrequited love with Constantine and soothes the pain of unreturned love with substance abuse and witty denial. Medviedenko the schoolteacher is in unrequited love with Masha. Everyone at Sorin’s estate is clearly very, very happy.
January 24-February 1, 2025
No Laughing Matter by Jeff Dunne
Directed by Jeff Dunne
A comedian leaves his home in Russia to start anew. In his way to getting a job as a busboy in a local diner, the FBI mistake him for a spy. Ultimately it is the diner staff who find the true spy.
February 21-March 9, 2025
Tick, Tick… Boom! an autobiographical musical by Jonathan Larson
Directed by Margo McCready
Jon is an aspiring musical composer struggling to find success in the industry approaching his 30th birthday. He contemplates whether he should continue to struggle doing what he loves or follow the paths of his girlfriend Susan, choosing family as a means of stability, or his best friend Michael, changing careers to find stability. This autobiography of Jonathan Larson, best known for creating “Rent”, was made into a movie in 2021
March 21-April 12, 2025
Much Ado About Nothing, by William Shakespeare
Directed by Shirley Long
The Rude Mechanicals in Residence at The Greenbelt Arts Center
Beatrice and Benedick are bitter exes who can’t stand each other. Hero and Claudia find love at first sight. The Prince just wants to play cupid. And the vengeful Don Jon is bent on ruining everyone else’s lives just because he can. Will the villain get his way, or – even in this day and age – does love really conquer all? Set in today’s world, with updated characters and incorporating modern technology, the Rudes present a contemporary spin on one of Shakespeare’s greatest and most beloved comedies.
May 9-17, 2025