 | "An extraordinary event . . .
Marcus is an engaging, gently provocative, universal tale. And, yes, it's sweet."
—San Francisco Chronicle
Read the entire review.
|
Marcus is 16 and "sweet." Days before Hurricane Katrina strikes the projects of Louisiana, the currents of his life converge, overflowing into his close-knit community and launching the search for his sexual and personal identity on a cultural landscape infused with mysterious family creeds. The provocative, poignant, and fiercely humorous coming-of-age story of a young gay man in the South, Marcus is the stirring conclusion of The Brother/Sister Plays, which the New York Times called "a new, authentically original vision. It's what people must have felt during productions of the early works of Eugene O'Neill in the 1920s or of Sam Shepard in the 1960s."
Warning: contains adult language and sexual situations
"Bewitching . . . magical . . . poetry that elevates the language of the streets"
—San Jose Mercury News
"Magnificent . . . an extremely talented cast . . . theater doesn't get any better than this."
—KGO Radio
"Lushly lyrical . . . masterful staging . . . formidable performances . . . Marcus couldn't be sweeter." —Marin Independent Journal
"Piercingly poignant and disarmingly funny"
—The Daily Californian
"[McCraney] writes with a passion and urgency that can't be faked."
—The New York Times
"The greatest piece of writing by an American playwright under 30 in a generation or more." —Chicago Tribune
"These are spiritual works that thrum with vitality, whether it's joyous or melancholy, told in vigorous language that artfully folds together slangy vernacular with bursts of haunting poetry." —Variety
Photo by Kevin Berne. Water image by Mattia Valerio.
Prologue*
November 2, 5:30 p.m.
Get inside the artistic process—come early for a preperformance discussion with the director and a member of the A.C.T. artistic staff.
Theater on the Couch*
November 5, 8 p.m.
Join members of the San Francisco Center for Psychoanalysis for an exciting postperformance discussion that explores the psychological aspects of the show and addresses audience questions.
Audience Exchanges*
November 9, 7 p.m.
November 14, 2 p.m.
November 17, 2 p.m.
After the show, stick around for a lively Q&A session with the actors, moderated by a member of the A.C.T. artistic staff.
OUT with A.C.T.
November 10, 8 p.m.
LGBT night at A.C.T. features a catered afterparty and a cast meet and greet. Visit www.act-sf.org/out for more information about how to subscribe to OUT nights.
*Discussions are free for ticket holders. Please note that performance times vary.
Insight into the Play, the Playwright, and the Production
Each entertaining and informative issue of Words on Plays, A.C.T.'s in-depth performance guide series, contains a synopsis, advance program notes, study questions, and additional background information about the historical and cultural context of the play.
Words on Plays is available for purchase in the lobby of the theater during performances or online ($12 each + postage and handling or $5 each for the electronic edition). For more information about how to subscribe to a full or partial season, click here.
Words on Plays Prepared by
Elizabeth Brodersen, Publications Editor
Dan Rubin, Publications & Literary Associate
Michael Paller, Resident Dramaturg
Emily Hoffman, Publications Intern
Zachary Moull, Dramaturgy Intern
Table of Contents
|
1.
|
Characters, Cast, and Synopsis of Marcus; or The Secret of Sweet
|
|
4.
|
Before Marcus: Synopses of The Brother/Sister Plays Parts I & II
|
|
5.
|
American Bayou: An Interview with Tarell Alvin McCraney
by Dan Rubin
|
|
18.
|
Playwright Tarell Alvin McCraney on The Brother/Sister Plays (PDF)
|
|
20.
|
Marcus; or The Secret of Sweet Design Presentation
|
|
23.
|
Creating the Emotional Cocoon: An Interview with Lighting Designer James F. Ingalls
by Elizabeth Brodersen
|
|
28.
|
The Open Secret of Sweet (PDF)
by Emily Hoffman
|
|
30.
|
On the Down Low
by Emily Hoffman
|
|
35.
|
Two-Spirit
by Michael Paller
|
|
38.
|
Place: San Pere, la / Time: Late August (Distant Present)
|
|
40.
|
African Echoes
by Zachary Moull
|
|
44.
|
Questions to Consider / For Further Information . . . (PDF)
|
Adobe Reader is required to view A.C.T. publications.
Production Photos
Click to view larger images from Marcus; or The Secret of Sweet. All photographs by Kevin Berne.
On the A.C.T. Blog
Friday, November 15, 2010
"The Secret of Sweets": An Interview with Marcus' Richard Prioleau
Wednesday, November 19, 2010
An Actor Reflects: Living the Brother/Sister Cycle
posted by Jared McNeill, cast member of Marcus; or The Secret of Sweet
Monday, November 15, 2010
Marcus: The Poster, The Process
posted by Amelia Nardinelli, Senior Graphic Designer
Thursday, November 4, 2010
A New Audience for Marcus
posted by Zachary Moull, A.C.T. Dramaturgy Intern
Buy Tickets
