It's a lovely spring weekend in 1935. Eight young society women who support arts education gather at a New England country manor to prepare their yearly fundraising pitch: six are friends from college; two are recent additions to the group; two are former lovers; one now uses a wheelchair for an unexplainable injury; and one is unhappily married and plays dangerous games with her spouse for all to see. We follow them through the house from group conversations to intimate pairs, as they exchange stories of love and loss, pain and friendship, dreams and nightmares.
PLEASE BE ADVISED this production contains simulated gunshots.
Dates & Times:
April 2-4 and April 9-11 at 8:00pm
April 5 at 2:00pm
To purchase tickets: tickets.duke.edu or 919.684.4444
ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT:
A rarely performed but foundational piece of the American theatre canon, "Fefu and Her Friends" is a profoundly influential play by one of our most innovative experimental playwrights, Maria Irene Fornes. Fornes began building her artistic career after immigrating from Cuba in 1945 with elementary school as her only formal education. Originally trained as a painter, she became a fixture in the 1960s New York experimental theater scene. Before she began to feel the effects of Alzheimer’s in the early 2000s, she had written 40 plays, won nine Obie awards, and was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize for her epic piece, "What of the Night?" Her passing in 2018 was marked with a renewed interest in her work, a recognition of her influence as a teacher and mentor. A new website www.fornesinstitute.com chronicles productions of Fornes’ work during the 2019-2020 theatre season.
ABOUT THE PRODUCTION:
This show runs approximately two hours without a formal intermission. During Act 2, patrons will be divided into groups of 15 and guided to four locations in and around the Reynolds Theater stage. Each audience member will have a seat in these locations and each scene will be played four times so each groups’ experience of the story will be unique. There will be a three-minute window between these transitions. Patrons with accessibility needs should notify the Box Office when they purchase tickets. At the start of Act 3, all audience members will return to the main stage area for seating.
POST-SHOW TALKBACKS:
Join us after the shows on April 3 and April 10 for post-show discussions.
*PLEASE NOTE THERE WILL BE NO LATE SEATING FOR THESE PERFORMANCES*
