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On Thursday, July 22, our "outsiders" series closes on "The Road to Mecca" (1984), by South African playwright Athol Fugard. In a remote region of South Africa, Miss Helen has transformed her house into a dazzling but controversial work of art. Her pastor wants her moved to an old-age home; her young friend from Cape Town hopes to keep her independent. The New York Times called "The Road to Mecca" "overwhelming" & "cathartic," Fugard's "career summation." "Hypnotic" (New York Post), "spiritually exhilarating" (USA Today), "The Road to Mecca" confirms Fugard as "the greatest active playwright in the English-speaking world" (Time magazine).
Our meeting will feature Jim Petosa, artistic director of Olney Theatre, where Jim's production of "The Road to Mecca" opens August 27. In 1996 Jim received a Helen Hayes award for directing "Jacques Brel"; in 1998 his script for "Look! We Have Come Through!" was nominated for Outstanding New Play. Jim's previous Footlights appearances include "Shadowlands" (1996), "Becket" (1997), & "Racing Demon (1998).
We will meet at Delray Vietnamese Garden, 4918 Del Ray Ave., a few blocks N of Bethesda metro. Take both up escalators, turn left onto Old Georgetown Rd., walk up to Del Ray Ave. & turn right. Drivers can find cheap parking lots & garages on Cordell Ave., Del Ray Ave., & Old Georgetown Rd. Dinner begins at 6:30 & our discussion at 7:30.
Make reservations by calling 202-638-0444 or e-mailing [email protected]. Start on
"The Road to Mecca" in NW DC at Backstage Books, 2101 P St., SuperCrown, 11
Dupont Circle, & for a special discount at Olsson's, 1307 19th St., & Politics
& Prose, 5015 Connecticut Ave.
At 2 p.m. Sunday, August 29, Footlights will attend "The Road to Mecca" at the Olney Theatre, 2001 Olney-Sandy Spring Rd. (MD-108), between Georgia & New Hampshire Avenues in Olney, MD. We'll have maps at our July meeting. Tickets are $19 & include a group discount & a post-performance cast discussion. Mail your check, payable to Footlights, by August 5 to Robin Larkin, 5403 Nibud Ct., Rockville, MD 20852 (240-669-6300 & [email protected]). August 5 is also the refund deadline. After August 5, call the box office (301-924-3400) for regular-priced tickets. For carpooling e-mail [email protected] or contact Robin before August 5.
As the millennium turns, Footlights turns to plays about time: the future & the past, "Looking Forward, Looking Back." The future begins on Monday, September 13 with a farcical fantasy about rebellious robots, "R.U.R." (1921), by Czech playwright Karel Capek. A "murderous social satire" (New York Herald), "fanciful, witty yet compassionate" (Cambridge Guide to Theatre), "R.U.R." brings a light touch to such major millennial challenges as animal rights, irresponsible science, & the moral status of new lifeforms. Our meeting will feature director John Spitzer, artistic director of Fraudulent Productions, whose "R.U.R." we will attend at the DC Arts Center, 2438 18th St., NW, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, September 25. Tickets are $13. Mail your check, payable to Footlights, to Robin Larkin, 5403 Nibud Ct., Rockville, MD 20852.
Sunday, August 29: "The Road to Mecca," Olney Theatre
Monday, September 13: "R.U.R.," Luna Books
Saturday, September 25: "R.U.R.," DC Arts Center
Tuesday, October 19: TBA
Wednesday, November 17: "Communicating Doors," Delray Viet Garden
Sunday, November 21: "Communicating Doors," Round House Theatre
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