DANIEL’s HUSBAND Continues 12th Season for Dezart Performs of Palm Springs: January 10 – 19
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DANIEL’s HUSBAND Continues 12th Season for Dezart Performs of Palm Springs: January 10 – 19
27 December 2019 – Palm Springs, CA: In the script notes for the off-Broadway hit DANIEL’S HUSBAND, playwright Michael McKeever comes straight to the point: “Mitchell Howard does not believe in gay marriage. His partner Daniel Bixby does. Life does what life does, as these two men learn the consequences of their points of view.” That deceptively simple prologue soon unspools into a dramatic presentation that cuts across lines rife with conflicts of gender, family, identity, law, life and death, love and loss. Directed by Darin Anthony, DANIEL’S HUSBAND continues the 12th season for the award-winning Dezart Performs of Palms Springs, January 10 – 19.
“To say it’s a more-than-usual personal experience for me would be an understatement,” said Michael Shaw, founding artistic director for Dezart Performs who married his husband, Clark Dugger, in 2008 during the brief window when it was legal in California before Prop 8.
“For this production, I play the role of ‘Daniel’ so issues of whether to marry or not marry are real for me both onstage and off.”
Rounding out the cast for DANIEL’S HUSBAND are David Youse (Mitchell), Chuck Yates (Barry), Hanz Enyeart (Trip) and Deborah Harmon (Lydia).
DANIEL’S HUSBAND is “a profound look at love and commitment”(The Daily Beast) and a contemporary look at human vs. gay rights. “Daniel’s Husband is a certified small-scale crowd-pleaser, is perhaps most moving in those moments it expands our understanding of family.” (The Los Angeles Times)
After DANIEL’S HUSBAND the season continues with the Pulitzer Prize-winning working class drama SWEAT by Lynn Nottage (February 28 – March 8) and the comedy/drama EVERY BRILLIANT THING written by Duncan Macmillan, with Jonny Donahoe (April 3 – 12).
Dezart Performs, one of the Coachella Valley’s preeminent theatre companies, recognizes that the performing arts enrich the life and culture of a community, promote greater understanding and provoke insightful discussion. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit theatre company, its mission is to provide an artistic home for bold and cutting–edge plays, creating an atmosphere of artistic growth for actors, writers, and directors who uniquely contribute to the diverse theatrical environment in the Coachella Valley.
All performances take place at the Pearl McManus Theater (at the historic Palm Springs Woman’s Club) 314 S Cahuilla Road, Downtown Palm Springs. Tickets may be purchased online at www.dezartperforms.org, or by calling (760) 322-0179. Showtimes are Fridays at 7:30pm; Saturdays at 2pm and 7:30pm; Sundays at 2pm.
12th Dezart Performs Remaining Season & Cast Listing
SWEAT
Written by Lynn Nottage
Directed by Michael Shaw
Drama
February 28-March 8, 2020
Evan – Eddie Stephens
Jason – James Owens
Chris – Cortez Johnson
Stan – Mike Truelock
Oscar – Miguel Arballo
Tracey – Theresa Jewett
Cynthia – Desireé Clarke
Brucie – Cary Thompson
Winner of the 2017 Pulitzer Prize. SWEAT exposes the collapse of the American working class in the new millennium. “Sharp and threatening as a box cutter blade…ferociously engrossing…SWEAT never feels less than authentic—and crucial.” —Deadline.com
It’s the year 2000 in Reading, Pennsylvania and a group of friends go to work at the steel mill and then decompress at the bar like they’ve been doing for over 20 years. But, unbeknownst to them, their lives are about to be uprooted. Their steel mill is making some changes and the blood, sweat and tears of generations of loyal workers don’t seem to amount to much. SWEAT dissects the insidiousness of privilege and entitlement, reminding you that there’s always someone on a lower plane to blame for your troubles, and there will always be someone who stands to profit from your loss.
* * *
EVERY BRILLIANT THING
Written by Duncan Macmillan with Jonny Donahoe
Directed by Deborah Harmon
Comedy/Drama
April 3-12, 2020
Cast:
Narrator – Joel Bryant
“A heart-wrenching, hilarious play…One of the funniest plays you’ll ever see about depression—and possibly one of the funniest plays you’ll ever see, full stop!” —The Guardian
You’re six years old. Mom’s in the hospital. Dad says she’s “done something stupid.” She finds it hard to be happy. So you start to make a list of everything that’s brilliant about the world. Everything that’s worth living for. 1. Ice cream. 2. Kung Fu movies. 3. Burning things. 4. Laughing so hard you shoot milk out your nose. 5. Construction cranes. 6. Me. You leave it on her pillow. You know she’s read it because she’s corrected your spelling. Soon, the list will take on a life of its own. A play about depression and the lengths we will go to for those we love.