NBC 5 and Stage West invite you to experience “HIR” (pronounced “here”) May 17 through June 17 at the Stage West Theatre.
Picture if you will, the classic American family: a son in the military, a tomboyish daughter, a typical housewife mom, a Joe-the-Plumber father. But in Taylor Mac’s subversive and outrageous comedy, this archetypal group gets completely turned inside-out in a 5-week regional premiere run at Stage West.
Isaac is a former soldier, dishonorably discharged after three years with the Mortuary Division, where he picked up body parts. And now, longing for something familiar, stable, and safe, he returns home. But while he’s been gone, the home-and-family he remembers have taken a hard left turn. His sister, Max, is in transition to become his brother, taking hormones and using the gender neutral pronouns “ze” and “hir”. His difficult father Arnold has had a stroke, and sits on the couch in a nightgown and make up. And his mother, on a mission to upend the old regimes, joyously frees herself from order and chores with total abandon. As Isaac endeavors to restore structure to a household that he does not recognize, the family is forced to confront what it is to live in a new world when one is stuck in the past.
With “HIR,” Taylor Mac has taken that staple of the American stage - the family drama, made famous by the likes of Arthur Miller, William Inge, Sam Shepard, and Eugene O’Neill, among others - and has tilted its axis and dipped it in glitter. It’s absolutely a one-of-a-kind theatrical experience!
The New York Times called it "A remarkable, audacious, uproarious black comedy with a daring combination of realism and madcap absurdity."
Taylor Mac (who uses “judy”, lowercase sic, not as a name but as a gender pronoun) is a playwright, actor, singer-songwriter, performance artist, director and producer. Mac has been called “a critical darling of the New York scene” by NY Magazine, and “one of the most exciting theater artists of our time,” by TimeOut NY. Judy’s work has been performed at New York City’s Lincoln Center, The Public Theatre and Playwrights Horizons, Los Angeles’s Royce Hall, Minneapolis’s Guthrie Theater, Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre, the Sydney Opera House, Boston’s American Repertory Theatre, Stockholm’s SodraTheatern, the Spoleto Festival, San Francisco’s Curran Theater, and MOMA, and literally hundreds of other theaters, museums, music halls, opera houses, cabarets, and festivals around the globe. Judy is the author of seventeen full-length plays and performance pieces including “HIR” (placed on the top ten theater of 2015 lists of The New York Times, New York Magazine, and Time Out NY), “The Lily's Revenge” (Obie Award), “The Walk Across America For Mother Earth” (named One of the Best Plays of 2011 by The New York Times), “The Young Ladies Of” (Chicago’s Jeff Award nomination for best solo), “Red Tide Blooming” (Ethyl Eichelberger Award), “The Be(a)st of Taylor Mac” (Edinburgh Festival’s Herald Angel Award); in collaboration with Mandy Patinkin, Susan Stroman and Paul Ford, Mac created “The Last Two People On Earth: An Apocalyptic Vaudeville.” Mac is the recipient of multiple awards including the Doris Duke Performing Artist Award, a Guggenheim Award, the Herb Alpert Award in Theater, the Peter Zeisler Memorial Award, the Helen Merrill Playwriting Award and an Obie. An alumnus of New Dramatists, judy is currently a New York Theater Workshop Usual Suspect and the resident playwright at the Here Arts Center.
“HIR” is directed by Stage West Associate Producer Garret Storms, who most recently directed their production of “Like a Billion Likes.” Returning vet Isaac will be played by Blake McNamara, last seen at Stage West as Woodnut in “The Nether,” with Bob Hess, recently seen as Mr. Bennet/Charlotte in the WaterTower Theatre production of “Pride and Prejudice,“ as Arnold. Making their Stage West debuts will be Cara Statham Serber, acclaimed for her role as Marilyn Nesbitt in “Superman” for Dallas Theater Center, as Paige, and Zander Pryor, noted for his performance as Oliver in “The Tribute Artist” for Uptown Players, as Max.
Set design is by Clare Floyd DeVries, with lighting design by Leann Burns. Costume design by Laurie Land, sound design by John Flores, puppet design by Kyle Igneczi, and props/set decor by Lynn Lovett.
“HIR” will preview Thursday, May 17, at 7:30 and Friday, May 18 at 8:00, and will run through Sunday, June 17. Performance times are Thursday evenings at 7:30, Friday and Saturday evenings at 8:00, with Sunday matinees at 3:00. The opening night reception will be Saturday, May 19. Ticket prices range from $31 to $35, with discounts for the preview performance, and for students, seniors, and military.
Additionally, Stage West will be holding Post Show Conversations following every “HIR” performance beginning Sunday, May 20. Food service is available 90 minutes prior to performances. Reservations are advised. Reservations and information are available through the Box Office at 817-784-9378, or via www.stagewest.org.
(Note: contains adult themes and strong language)
“HIR” by Taylor Mac
Presented by Stage West
821 W. Vickery Blvd.
Fort Worth, Texas 76104
817-784-9378 (STG-WEST)
www.stagewest.org
Preview: Thursday May 17 at 7:30 PM
Friday May 18 at 8:00 PM
Regular Run: May 19 through June 17
Thursday evenings at 7:30PM
Friday & Saturday evenings at 8:00 PM
Sunday matinees at 3:00 PM
Opening Reception: Following the performance Saturday, May 19.
Ticket Prices:
Preview tickets: (1st two shows only): $17
Regular tickets:
$35 Fri and Sat nights
(Seniors 65+ and members of the military $29)
$31 Thurs nights and Sun matinees
(Seniors 65+ and members of the military $25)
Students/Under 30s $17
