Welcome to “Mala”, Rogue Theater Company’s final production of the season. And what a season it’s been! With Covid ever-present and smoke covering our skies for months, we prevailed and presented three stunning productions plus an exceptional Shakespeare offering.
In May, Robin Goodrin-Nordli, KT Vogt, Peter Alzado, and Audrey Cirzan left audiences spellbound in Lucas Hnath’s “A Doll’s House, Part 2”, directed by Caroline Shaffer. This play provoked questions about marriage, gender inequality, and, in often hilarious and insightful ways, the meaning of liberation.
In July, Renée Hewitt, Geoffrey Riley, Mia Gaskin, and Carlos-Zenen Trujillo wowed in “Tiny Beautiful Things”, written by Cheryl Strayed and Nia Vardalos and directed Michael J. Hume. One of our audience members summed it up best, “The play was really powerful, the actors equal to the task, and the audience was moved from laughter to tears and back again.”
We didn’t want another year to go by in Ashland without a Shakespeare offering. The ingenious actor, scholar, and dramaturg Barry Kraft enlightened and amused Bard buffs with musings, insights, and recitations from his three favorite plays: “Romeo and Juliet”, “Julius Caesar”, and “Hamlet”.
We end the season with a piece that is piercingly honest and exquisitely moving. Vilma Silva is positively luminescent in “Mala”, by Melinda Lopez and directed by Penny Metropulos. With Vilma at the helm, Mala brings you into a world that is deeply personal and undeniably universal.
As we plan our 2022 season, we are busy reading thought-provoking scripts that inspire, entertain, and illuminate our common humanity. It’s our commitment to bring you this distinctive genre of theater, and I hope you continue to join us on our journey.
Lights up!
Jessica Sage
