map • add to calendar • scroll to the end for more sharing options

David Jeremiah and Manson Thomas – photo courtesy PublicWorks Theatre

downloadable press release • right-click to download print-ready photo

Run Dates: March 13-28, 2009
Written By: Beau Willimon
Directed by: Catherine Hopkins

PublicWorks Theatre and the Bath House Cultural Center are proud to present “Lower Ninth’’ a powerful new play inspired by the devastating effects Hurricane Katrina. Written by Beau Willimon, this new drama will be directed by Catherine Hopkins (artistic director of PublicWorks and director of “Lord of the Flies” which made its regional premiere last year at the Bath House) and will feature David Jeremiah (“Top Dog UnderDog and “Rosenkrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead”) and Dallas stage newcomers Derrick Beasley and Manson Thomas. Performances are Fridays and Saturday nights at 8 p.m. with opening night scheduled for Friday, March 13, 2009.

Lower Ninth focuses on the story of two men stranded on a roof after a terrible storm. As Malcom and E-Z struggle to survive, they must battle heat, hunger and their pasts. Ultimately, their only hope for salvation rests with each other.

Beau Willimon has written seven full-length plays that have been developed or performed at venues including Ars Nova, MCC, HERE Arts Center, New Dramatists, and The DR2 Theatre. He is a recipient of the Lila Acheson Wallace Juilliard Playwriting Fellowship and the Lincoln Center Le Compte du Nuoy Award. Lower Ninth was included as part of Arielle Tepper’s 2007 Summer Play Festival and his play Farragut North has been optioned for Broadway by Jeffrey Richards. In addition to his work in theatre, Willimon is currently working on two feature films for Warner Brothers and one for Fox 2000. A resident of Brooklyn, Willimon holds an M.F.A. in playwriting from Columbia University.

PublicWorks Theatre is a new company inspired by new writing and challenging, contemporary adaptations of classic theater and literature. PWT’s mission is to make dynamic, ground-breaking theater in order to inspire informed debate and creativity. We are committed to exploring outreach opportunities and finding new ways to extend social debate through theatre education. PublicWorks (in partnership with Risk Theater Initiative) was last seen at the Bath House in June at the 2008 FIT Festival with its production of William Inge’s “A Murder” and in January 2008 with a regional premiere stage adaptation of “Lord of the Flies.” The critically acclaimed production, with an all-youth cast set in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, played to sold-out houses at the Bath House and attracted a diverse audience of more than 1,000 adults and young people.

LOWER NINTH performances begin March 13 – March 28
Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m.
Tickets are $10-$15 at the door
Tickets online at: www.publicworksdallas.org
214 764 3078