Becoming American
A phone-support instructor trains Ghanaian recruits to sound American for the few minutes needed to solve callers’ problems.
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A phone-support instructor trains Ghanaian recruits to sound American for the few minutes needed to solve callers’ problems.
A headstrong African-American maid and aspiring actress in 1930s Hollywood navigates her relationship with her white star employer while seeking a film career. Later scenes revisit Vera's legacy through a 1973 talk show and a modern academic seminar.
The story follows a group of formerly incarcerated employees at a truck stop diner, and one man's quest for the perfect sandwich.
Twenty short plays by a group of writers combine into an overarching theatrical narrative commemorating the tenth anniversary of the September 11 attacks.
When her husband takes her money, successful Manhattan publicist Undine is forced to return to her former life in Brooklyn and confront her working-class relatives.
In 1905 New York, Esther, a skilled Black seamstress, saves money to open a beauty parlor while sewing for wealthy women and prostitutes. She exchanges intimate letters with George, a worker on the Panama Canal, while developing a quiet bond with Mr. Marks, the Hasidic fabric shopkeeper. After marrying George, she discovers he deceived her and leaves with her savings; Esther returns to her sewing determined to rebuild her dreams.
In June 1992, the cast members are preparing for rehearsals for Jackson's upcoming Dangerous World Tour; the first show, in Munich, is in two days. Rob, their manager, tells them to get into their places and warm up. Jackson arrives and watches the process, which leads to the opening number ("Beat It"). As Jackson shares his newest ideas with Rob, Rachel arrives with her cameraman, Alejandro, in hopes of getting an interview with Jackson. He sits with Rachel and recounts some of the terrors he suffered as a child and some of the memorable times when Berry Gordy played his family's hits on his Motown label. Jackson also discusses his collaboration with Quincy Jones and recording his albums Off the Wall, Thriller and Bad with Jones. Rob and Nick escort Jackson to the press conference at Radio City Music Hall, where he presents his tour and hopes to raise $100 million for the Heal the World Foundation by Christmas 1993 ("Earth Song" / "They Don't Care About Us"). Jackson proposes new ideas for the tour ("Billie Jean"/"Smooth Criminal"), which Rob and Dave tell him are impractical and that they cannot afford it. Jackson recounts the horrific accident in 1984 when a spark ignited his hair in the making of an advertisement for Pepsi. After listening to Rob's negative feedback, Jackson reminds him of something Quincy said to him, "Keep the faith. Don't let nobody take you down". As the rehearsal continues, Jackson tells Rachel how the songs open up to him. During a break, a commotion breaks out. Rob tries to keep Rachel away from Jackson and doesn't want her near him, but Jackson manages to find her by disguising himself as a cleaner. He explains to her that the disguise is the only way he can be seen in public, which leads to him singing "Human Nature". After the rehearsal, Jackson explains to Rachel how emotional he feels about being loved by fans and about being teased in the newspapers. As Rob comes to check up on him, Jackson recalls when he played at the Apollo Theater with the Jackson 5 and how he wasn't nervous. Rob tells Jackson that everything they created would be remembered for decades, but Jackson replies by asking: "Is it perfect?" ("Man in the Mirror"). Jackson appears on stage, prepared to start the first show of the Dangerous Tour ("Jam (Reprise)", "Black or White" / "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' (Reprise)".
In a Congolese mining town during civil war, Mama Nadi runs a bar serving miners and soldiers from opposing factions while trying to remain neutral. The play examines women's lives amid the conflict and sexual violence, with Mama's establishment caught in the factions' disruption.
A theatrical anthology of short scenes and monologues inspired by Lee Friedlander's photograph of tourists at Mount Rushmore. The playwrights approach the monument from comic to tragic angles, probing patriotism, democracy, and the stories that frame a historical image.
The play portrays a meeting between a parole officer and two ex-convicts, and three women who were childhood friends and had worked in the same factory. in Reading, Pennsylvania. There are a group of friends that work for the steel factory, named Tracey, Cynthia and Jessie. Tracey is a middle-aged white woman. She loves to hang out at the bar with her friends and she has a gruff kind of humor. She cannot stand the way Reading has been changing over the years. Her friend Cynthia is a black woman who also loves to hang out with her friends at the bar and is a hardworking woman in the factory. She is on and off with her husband, Brucie, who is addicted to drugs. During the play, Cynthia applies and is hired for a managing job at the plant which causes tension. Jessie, another worker at the factory, is not so happy with how her life has turned out and has a problem with alcohol abuse. This is shown in many of the bar scenes. Stan, the bartender, used to work at the plant, but he was injured in a factory accident. Oscar, the busboy at the bar, is Colombian and is not acknowledged often by the patrons. Some characters use xenophobic slurs towards Latinos and show him that he isn't welcome in the Olstead factory. Jason is a white man who is Tracey's son. His best friend is Chris, Cynthia’s son. They both work at the factory and worry that they will be laid off. They both are arrested for assault and are released eight years later. Nottage shifts in time, switching scenes and showing events of eight years earlier. Variety quotes the bartender, Stan, as warning the other characters that "You could wake up tomorrow and all your jobs are in Mexico", to which the characters respond with lethargy and disbelief. Variety described Nottage as going into "the heart of working-class America". Reviews of the play have described the characters as representing blue-collar workers who voted in Donald Trump as president. The play also examines the disintegration of a friendship, after two of the women – one white, one black – apply for the same management job. The latter character gets the position, but soon the company moves jobs to Mexico. The trade union goes on strike, and company management locks out the workers. The management/worker division begins to separate the friends, and racial tensions separate them further.
The Secret Life of Bees is a stage musical with a book by Lynn Nottage, music by Duncan Sheik and lyrics by Susan Birkenhead. The musical premiered Off-Broadway in 2019 to critical acclaim, winning the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding New Off-Broadway Musical, along with Best New Musical nominations from the Drama Desk Awards, Lucille Lortel Awards, and the Drama League Awards. The musical is set in the 1960s in South Carolina, and tells the story of Lily Owens and Rosaleen, two young women who become friends in the face of adversity, and embark on an adventure of self discovery thanks to the Boatwright sisters, three women they meet who work as beekeepers on a honey farm. The story had previously been adapted as a film of the same name, released in 2008, directed and written by Gina Prince-Bythewood.
A phone-support instructor trains Ghanaian recruits to sound American for the few minutes needed to solve callers’ problems.
A headstrong African-American maid and aspiring actress in 1930s Hollywood navigates her relationship with her white star employer while seeking a film career. Later scenes revisit Vera's legacy through a 1973 talk show and a modern academic seminar.
The story follows a group of formerly incarcerated employees at a truck stop diner, and one man's quest for the perfect sandwich.
Twenty short plays by a group of writers combine into an overarching theatrical narrative commemorating the tenth anniversary of the September 11 attacks.
When her husband takes her money, successful Manhattan publicist Undine is forced to return to her former life in Brooklyn and confront her working-class relatives.
In 1905 New York, Esther, a skilled Black seamstress, saves money to open a beauty parlor while sewing for wealthy women and prostitutes. She exchanges intimate letters with George, a worker on the Panama Canal, while developing a quiet bond with Mr. Marks, the Hasidic fabric shopkeeper. After marrying George, she discovers he deceived her and leaves with her savings; Esther returns to her sewing determined to rebuild her dreams.
In June 1992, the cast members are preparing for rehearsals for Jackson's upcoming Dangerous World Tour; the first show, in Munich, is in two days. Rob, their manager, tells them to get into their places and warm up. Jackson arrives and watches the process, which leads to the opening number ("Beat It"). As Jackson shares his newest ideas with Rob, Rachel arrives with her cameraman, Alejandro, in hopes of getting an interview with Jackson. He sits with Rachel and recounts some of the terrors he suffered as a child and some of the memorable times when Berry Gordy played his family's hits on his Motown label. Jackson also discusses his collaboration with Quincy Jones and recording his albums Off the Wall, Thriller and Bad with Jones. Rob and Nick escort Jackson to the press conference at Radio City Music Hall, where he presents his tour and hopes to raise $100 million for the Heal the World Foundation by Christmas 1993 ("Earth Song" / "They Don't Care About Us"). Jackson proposes new ideas for the tour ("Billie Jean"/"Smooth Criminal"), which Rob and Dave tell him are impractical and that they cannot afford it. Jackson recounts the horrific accident in 1984 when a spark ignited his hair in the making of an advertisement for Pepsi. After listening to Rob's negative feedback, Jackson reminds him of something Quincy said to him, "Keep the faith. Don't let nobody take you down". As the rehearsal continues, Jackson tells Rachel how the songs open up to him. During a break, a commotion breaks out. Rob tries to keep Rachel away from Jackson and doesn't want her near him, but Jackson manages to find her by disguising himself as a cleaner. He explains to her that the disguise is the only way he can be seen in public, which leads to him singing "Human Nature". After the rehearsal, Jackson explains to Rachel how emotional he feels about being loved by fans and about being teased in the newspapers. As Rob comes to check up on him, Jackson recalls when he played at the Apollo Theater with the Jackson 5 and how he wasn't nervous. Rob tells Jackson that everything they created would be remembered for decades, but Jackson replies by asking: "Is it perfect?" ("Man in the Mirror"). Jackson appears on stage, prepared to start the first show of the Dangerous Tour ("Jam (Reprise)", "Black or White" / "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' (Reprise)".
In a Congolese mining town during civil war, Mama Nadi runs a bar serving miners and soldiers from opposing factions while trying to remain neutral. The play examines women's lives amid the conflict and sexual violence, with Mama's establishment caught in the factions' disruption.
A theatrical anthology of short scenes and monologues inspired by Lee Friedlander's photograph of tourists at Mount Rushmore. The playwrights approach the monument from comic to tragic angles, probing patriotism, democracy, and the stories that frame a historical image.
The play portrays a meeting between a parole officer and two ex-convicts, and three women who were childhood friends and had worked in the same factory. in Reading, Pennsylvania. There are a group of friends that work for the steel factory, named Tracey, Cynthia and Jessie. Tracey is a middle-aged white woman. She loves to hang out at the bar with her friends and she has a gruff kind of humor. She cannot stand the way Reading has been changing over the years. Her friend Cynthia is a black woman who also loves to hang out with her friends at the bar and is a hardworking woman in the factory. She is on and off with her husband, Brucie, who is addicted to drugs. During the play, Cynthia applies and is hired for a managing job at the plant which causes tension. Jessie, another worker at the factory, is not so happy with how her life has turned out and has a problem with alcohol abuse. This is shown in many of the bar scenes. Stan, the bartender, used to work at the plant, but he was injured in a factory accident. Oscar, the busboy at the bar, is Colombian and is not acknowledged often by the patrons. Some characters use xenophobic slurs towards Latinos and show him that he isn't welcome in the Olstead factory. Jason is a white man who is Tracey's son. His best friend is Chris, Cynthia’s son. They both work at the factory and worry that they will be laid off. They both are arrested for assault and are released eight years later. Nottage shifts in time, switching scenes and showing events of eight years earlier. Variety quotes the bartender, Stan, as warning the other characters that "You could wake up tomorrow and all your jobs are in Mexico", to which the characters respond with lethargy and disbelief. Variety described Nottage as going into "the heart of working-class America". Reviews of the play have described the characters as representing blue-collar workers who voted in Donald Trump as president. The play also examines the disintegration of a friendship, after two of the women – one white, one black – apply for the same management job. The latter character gets the position, but soon the company moves jobs to Mexico. The trade union goes on strike, and company management locks out the workers. The management/worker division begins to separate the friends, and racial tensions separate them further.
The Secret Life of Bees is a stage musical with a book by Lynn Nottage, music by Duncan Sheik and lyrics by Susan Birkenhead. The musical premiered Off-Broadway in 2019 to critical acclaim, winning the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding New Off-Broadway Musical, along with Best New Musical nominations from the Drama Desk Awards, Lucille Lortel Awards, and the Drama League Awards. The musical is set in the 1960s in South Carolina, and tells the story of Lily Owens and Rosaleen, two young women who become friends in the face of adversity, and embark on an adventure of self discovery thanks to the Boatwright sisters, three women they meet who work as beekeepers on a honey farm. The story had previously been adapted as a film of the same name, released in 2008, directed and written by Gina Prince-Bythewood.