CHAPEL HILL — The Deep Dish Theater Company will open its fifth season with the North Carolina premiere of “Permanent Collection” by Thomas Gibbons. The play, a drama about racial politics and artistic integrity, is directed by Deep Dish Artistic Director Paul Frellick and will run from Thursday, August 25, through Saturday, September 17.
Deep Dish is located in Chapel Hill’s University Mall, located on Estes Drive and US 15-501. Thursday through Saturday performances begin at 8 p.m., with Sunday matinees at 3 p.m. There will also be a special early show at 7:30 on Wednesday, September 14. For reservations and information, call 968-1515. Tickets for all performances are $15, $13 for seniors, and $10 for students. Thursday, September 1 is “Cheap Dish Night,” when all tickets will be $6; no advance reservations will be taken for that performance.
Audience discussions will follow the Sunday performances on August 28 (featuring a conversation with the production’s design team) and September 4 (led by Dr. Chuck Stone and including the actors and director). The Deep Dish Book Selection for this production is “The Color of Water,” by James McBride, and a discussion of the book, free and open to the public, will be led by Evelyn Daniel prior to the performance on Thursday, September 15.
“Permanent Collection” begins with the arrival of Sterling North (played by Byron Jennings II), at his new job as director of the Morris Foundation, an art gallery with a matchless collection of Impressionist paintings. Unexpectedly, he finds some African art in the gallery’s storage department, but when he proposes to display the pieces, he finds himself at odds with Paul Barrow (John Paul Middlesworth), a senior employee of the gallery and a defender of the vision of its founder (David Ring). When a reporter (Katja Hill) gets hold of the story, a firestorm of controversy is ignited that soon engulfs not only the employees of the gallery (Angela Ray and Rosa Williams), but the surrounding community as well.
Playwright Gibbons is the author of a number of plays, including the acclaimed “Bee-luther-hatchee.” The design team for “Permanent Collection” includes Paul Stiller (sets), Judy Chang (costumes), Scott Marlow (lights), Deborah Coclanis and Danny Tauber (sound), and Devra Thomas (properties). Lormarev Jones is the stage manager.
“This play is a hotbed of ideas,” says Frellick, “and the characters all make compelling cases for their individual perspectives. As in the case of the recent controversy that surrounded the renaming of Chapel Hill’s Airport Road, unforeseen issues arise that touch on the most basic of social divides, and the audience may well find themselves caught in the middle.”
