Signature Theatre announces 2016-2017 Season

Signature Theatre has now revealed its upcoming 2016-2017 season at off-Broadway's Pershing Square Signature Center. The following productions have been announced:

At THE ALICE GRIFFIN JEWEL BOX THEATRE:

Suzan-Lori Parks' comic-drama The Death of the Last Black Man in the Whole Entire World, directed by Lileana Blain-Cruz, will begin performances on 25 October 2016.

Synopsis: "A woman tries to feed her husband a fried drumstick. Dragons roam a flat earth. The last Black man in the whole entire world dies again. And again. Careening through memory and language, Parks explores and explodes archetypes of Black America with piercing insight and raucous comedy. A riotous theatrical event, The Death of the Last Black Man in the Whole Entire World hums with the heartbeat of improvisational jazz."

Following this, will be the world premiere of a New Play by Will Eno, which will begin performances on 7 February 2017.

Will Eno completes his Signature residency with a world premiere production, which follows the extended Signature runs of 'Title and Deed' and 'The Open House.'

At THE IRENE DIAMOND STAGE:

Kicking off the season here will be "Master Harold" ... and the boys, written and directed by Athol Fugard, which begins performances on 18 October 2016.

Synopsis: "In a small tea shop in South Africa, two black men and a young white boy joke and dance together, defying the brutalities of apartheid through their joyous love. But festering issues of family, race, and power are not so easy to ignore, and a single phone call can trigger catastrophe. 'Master Harold' ... and the boys reveals the profound personal consequences of oppression."

Next up, Signature will stage the world premiere of Everybody, written by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins and directed by Lila Neugebauer, which will begin performances on 31 January 2017.

This modern riff on one of the oldest plays in the English language promises to be just as unique as 'Gloria,' 'An Octoroon' and the award-winning Signature production of 'Appropriate.'

Finally, playwright Suzan-Lori Parks returns with Venus, directed by Lear deBessonet, which begins performances on 25 April 2017.

Synopsis: "Leaving her home in southern Africa for a better life, Saartjie Baartman became a star on the 19th Century London freak show circuit for the size of her posterior. This Obie Award-winning play gives vibrant life to the story of Baartman's journey to London, her rise to fame as the 'Hottentot Venus' and her eventual love affair with a French scientist. Inspired by the true story of Baartman, Venus is a wild carnival, bursting with humor and heart while examining the paradox of love."

At THE ROMULUS LINNEY COURTYARD:

Annie Baker's The Antipodes, directed by Lila Neugebauer, will begin performances on 4 April 2017.

Pulitzer Prize-winner Annie Baker returns for the second production of her Signature residency with a world premiere play.

Signature Theatre has also announced the first production of its 2017-2018 season:

Suzan-Lori Parks' The Red Letter Plays: In the Blood and F*cking A, directed by Jo Bonney, will be staged at a yet-to-be confirmed venue within the Pershing Square Signature Center.

Synopsis: "Remixing The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne's seminal masterpiece, The Red Letter Plays tear open notions of gender and hypocrisy with poetic honesty and exhilarating wit. In the Blood's Hester La Negrita is a penniless mother of five condemned by the very men who loved her. F*cking A's Hester Smith is an abortionist, forced to ply her trade to save her own son. Performed together for the first time, with a shared cast and director, the two plays form a thrilling and powerful indictment of the way we live now."

Casting, additional creative team information and further dates for all the productions of the 2016-2017 season will be announced in the coming months.