Here's a look at what's coming up for Ion Theatre, after its 2008-09 season opens tonight with the first of two Neil Labute plays (running through Nov. 1):
“U.S. Drag” (Nov. 22 to Dec. 21): Ion's Claudio Raygoza calls Gina Gionfriddo's play a “very acerbic, very twisted, very fun kind of dark comedy.” It's the San Diego premiere of this story about two young Manhattan women, a serial killer and assorted oddball characters.
“The Cripple of Inishmaan” (Feb. 26 to April 11): Ion's staging of Martin McDonagh's “The Pillowman” earned strong reviews earlier this year. “Inishmaan” (another local premiere) is the Irish playwright's somewhat lighter tale of an outcast vying for a part in a Hollywood film.
“The Labyrinth of Desire” (April 19 to May 23): Ion teams with Moxie Theatre to stage Caridad Svich's comedy of romance and intrigue.
“6” (June 6 to July 11): Raygoza is writing this ambitious, world-premiere “cyber-play,” a three-part piece to be performed live as well as broadcast on the Web. “It's an experiment,” he says. “We're stretching the boundaries of maybe what theater can do.”
– JAMES HEBERT
