HIR, a play about “the classic American family” completely turned inside out, will be coming to Stage West in a five -week regional premiere run beginning Thursday, May 17.
The New York Times called it “A remarkable, audacious, uproarious black comedy with a daring combination of realism and madcap absurdity.”
“You can come and you don’t have to decide how you feel about it…You could actually go to it and say, ‘Oh, it’s talking about these issues. Let me think about these issues for the rest of my life now’,” playwright Taylor Mac said in a news release.
(Note: contains adult themes and strong language. Hir is pronounced “here.”)
Mac is a playwright, actor, singer-songwriter, performance artist, director and producer, who has been referred to by TimeOut NY as “one of the most exciting theater artists of our time.”
Mac’s seventeen full-length plays and performance pieces including HIR have been performed across the globe and have resulted in multiple awards. An alumnus of New Dramatists, Mac is currently a New York Theater Workshop Usual Suspect and the resident playwright at the Here Arts Center.
HIR will be directed by Stage West Associate Producer Garret Storms. Set design is by Clare Floyd DeVries, lighting design by Leann Burns, costume design by Laurie Land, sound design by John Flores, puppet design by Kyle Igneczi, and props/set decor by Lynn Lovett.
HIR will preview Thursday, May 17, at 7:30 p.m. and Friday, May 18, at 8 p.m., and will run through Sunday, June 17. Performance times will be Thursday evenings at 7:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday evenings at 8 p.m., and Sunday matinees at 3 p.m.
An opening night reception will be held Saturday, May 19.
Ticket prices range from $31 to $35, with discounts for the preview performance, and for students, seniors, and military. Food service is available 90 minutes prior to performances (reservations are advised). Reservations and information are available through the Box Office 817-784-9378, or on the website, stagewest.org.
Alongside the production of HIR, Stage West will have three special events (and Post Show Conversations following every HIR performance beginning Sun, May 20):
— We kick this all off with The HIR Happy Hour on Friday, May 11 from 5 to 7. Join us for an introduction to the show from the cast and director. Party Poet Shae Lynn Shaw will be writing custom haiku for you on her vintage typewriter. We’ll have snarky coloring pages provided for your diversion, as always, as well as cheap beer & free snacks. Try our drink of the show The Hir Kir.
— In the tradition of Taylor Mac, Dallas performance artist Brigham Mosley brings drag and drama to Stage West! Mosley’s original premiere Critical, Darling! dismantles the patriarchy and queers up your childhood – a jukebox-musical of the performance-art-sort. Wednesday, Jun 17 at 7:30. brigham-mosley.com