Listen to this articlePioneer Theatre Company announced their “Play by Play,” a festival of new plays showing over the weekend of June 9 through 11.
Play-by-Play will feature two presentations of Catherine Treischmann’s “The Dust People,” two presentations of “How Can I Help You?” by Kaaron Briscoe, and a one-reading-only presentation of Utah playwright Matthew Ivan Bennett’s “Will It Go Round.”
Due to audience demand, PTC is offering two Play-by-Play Sunday matinees — marking the first time the company has done so.
The schedule for Play-by-Play’s ninth season is as follows:
The Dust People by Catherine Trieschmann
Directed by Shelley Butler
Friday, June 9 @ 7:30 PM | Sunday, June 11 @ 1:00 PM
Johanna is a woman of the land, farming the same plot that’s been in her family for generations. When a young, idealistic couple with big ideas about sustainable energy and wind farms buys the farm next door, she’s convinced they and their ambitious eco-friendly plans won’t last. Their rural community is thrown into chaos by a murder, forcing every resident to reckon with the winds of change.
How Can I Help You? by Kaaron Briscoe
Directed by Lanise Antoine Shelley
Saturday, June 10 @ 2:00 PM | Sunday, June 11 @ 4:30 PM
When busy, working mom; Monica reaches out to her family to help her take care of the household duties, her husband (Greg) instead opts to outsource their contribution. Set in a sci-fi world where corporations touch every part of one’s life, the play explores what it means to be a “strong” Black woman.
Will It Go Round by Matthew Ivan Bennett
Directed by Alexandra Harbold
Saturday, June 10 @ 7:30 PM
A cycle of short stories on civil rights from 1964 to 2020, each a snapshot of people’s lives in Utah. A mixed-race couple is sent to the principal’s office. LGBT students fight for an after-school club. Old estranged classmates reunite after the murder of George Floyd and see how far apart—but still close—they are. A tapestry of scenes showing how far we’ve come, how far we haven’t, and why politics are always personal.
“For nearly a decade, Pioneer Theatre Company has nurtured new play development through the Play-by-Play series. Seeing some of the past works that were first presented to PTC audiences produced in New York and other theatres around the country, reaffirms our excitement in providing a sandbox in which playwrights can play,” said PTC Artistic Director Karen Azenberg. “2023’s lineup is no different. Catherine Treischmann, Kaaron Briscoe, and Utah’s own Matthew Ivan Bennett are three of the most exhilarating voices in the theatre today. And these three plays represent a beautiful cross-section of the contemporary landscape of American theatre.”
All readings will take place on the Simmons Pioneer Memorial Theatre mainstage. Pioneer Theatre Company Season Subscribers pay $5 per reading. Tickets for non-subscribers are $10 per reading or available in a three-play package for $25.
Tickets are now available at PioneerTheatre.org or by calling the PTC Box Office at 801-581-6961. Tickets will also be available during performances of The Prom, which runs from May 12–27.
