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The La MaMa Experimental Theater Club has hosted bold, daring, and socially nascent plays written by some of the best names in theater (Sam Shepard, Amy Sedaris, Phillip Glass) since 1961. For its 2021 fall-winter season, the storied theater company plans to continue this tradition. Some attention-grabbing standouts, per the New York Times, include an Indigenous spin on Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream retooled as Misdemeanor Dream, a dramatic exploration of the Tulsa Race Massacre tied to the domestic tragedy’s centennial anniversary and a vaudeville concert about the history of cannabis.
The latest slate of offerings comes after a considerable period of change and adjustments for La MaMa. The theater company was forced to switch digital streams of plays and performances during a bulk of the Covid-19 pandemic, like nearly all of New York’s cultural institutions, and, at the same time, navigate a three-year, $24 million renovation of its flagship theater at 74A East Fourth Street. All of the announced shows so far will take place at the company’s other two locations, the Ellen Stewart Theater and Downstairs, located at 66 East Fourth Street. The 74A East Fourth Street is expected to reopen with a dramatic new look (including two separate theaters, a cafe and open-air terrace) and its own soon-to-be-announced slate of shows.
The new season will start with a kid-friendly return of the La MaMa Puppet Series running September 27–October 24. Later, the premiere of James E. Reynold’s History/Our Story: The Trail to Tulsa, a multidisciplinary experience unpacking the horror and legacy of the Tulsa Massacre, which runs through December 9-12. Then, in March, the premiere of Misdemeanor Dream will take place. The bold production features 20 Indigenous actors cast in a subversive take on one of Shakespeare’s most famous works.
You can find out more information about the return of La MaMa’s in-person performances and safety measures here.