Dirt Dogs Theatre Reveals 2023-24 Season Lineup

Dirt Dogs Theatre Co. (DDTCo.) continues in the tradition of bringing gritty, thought-provoking stories to the stage with their Season 8 lineup for 2023-2024. The collection of plays explores characters placed in horrifying situations, asking whether they are victims of circumstance or of fate.

Season 8 opens in October with an adaptation of Daphne Du Maurier’s short story, The Birds, written by Conor McPherson, about strangers struggling to survive a pandemic of deadly fowl. In March, life imitates art in Martin McDonagh’s psychological thriller, The Pillowman.  The season concludes in late spring with the regional premiere of Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ Appropriate, in which a group of siblings fights to prevent the sins of the father from becoming their family legacy.

THE BIRDS

Written by: Conor McPherson

Directed by: Curtis Barber

Performance dates: Oct 20 – Nov 4, 2023

When a relentless and deadly slew of birds begins attacking humanity, strangers Nat and Diane find themselves trying to survive together in an isolated cabin.  Soon after, the young and attractive Julia arrives looking for shelter, bringing with her suspicion and distrust. When the duo becomes a trio, paranoia takes hold revealing an inside threat that rivals that of the murderous birds on the outside. Daphne Du Maurier’s 1952 classic short story, and the basis for Alfred Hitchcock’s classic film, is adapted by Conor McPherson and becomes a gripping and unsettling look at human nature in the face of societal collapse.

THE PILLOWMAN

Written by: Martin McDonagh

Directed by: Malinda L. Beckham

Performance dates: March 8 – 23, 2024

In a dark and dingy interrogation room in an unnamed totalitarian state, Katurian is questioned when the gruesome content of his short stories begins to resemble a series of bizarre murders occurring in his town. When the police also take his mentally impaired brother into custody, Katurian must decide how best to protect himself, his brother, and his stories. With echoes of Stoppard, Kafka, and The Brothers Grimm, this dark and provocative tale explores the very nature of nurture.

APPROPRIATE

Written by: Branden Jacobs-Jenkins

Directed by: Ron Jones

Performance dates: May 24 – June 8, 2024

The estranged members of the Lafayette clan have returned to their crumbling Arkansas plantation home to settle the estate of their recently deceased patriarch. As they sort through a lifetime of their father’s junk and hoarded mementos, a disturbing and horrifying discovery surfaces, confronting the family with more than what to do with a house full of stuff.  Can a lifetime of clutter disguise the true nature of what lies beneath?

Subscription packages and individual tickets for DDTCo.’s Season 8 are available now at matchouston.org. More information may be found at dirtdogstheatre.org.