By: Dale King
Like most theater companies around the globe, the Primal Forces acting troupe in Boca Raton had to shut down last year when the coronavirus pandemic forced the local population to wear masks, stay indoors, avoid crowds and basically stop going to entertainment venues.
With vaccines now reaching an abundant population in Florida and the state allowing folks to cut loose from formerly restrictive behaviors, Primal Forces will reopen later this year with a new name, Boca Stage.
“The 2021-22 season — the company’s seventh overall — will present four South Florida premieres, each featuring characters struggling against the system and immersed in compelling situations,” said Artistic Director Keith Garsson.
Known for tackling buzz-worthy topics, the revived and relaunched Boca Stage will draw audiences into an intimate and immersive exploration of Hollywood legends and myths, the criminal justice system, big pharma and children’s rights, he added.
The season kicks off in November, and productions will take place in the Sol Theatre at 3333 N. Federal Highway in Boca Raton, where the troupe performed as Primal Forces for two years.
Tickets are now on sale now for $45 ($50 for Sunday matinees) and an early bird subscription price of $120 will be offered until April 30. After that, the subscription price will be $150.
Subscriptions may be purchased at www.bocastage.org or by calling 1-866-811-4111. Individual ticket sales will start in mid-September. Thursday previews, Friday and Saturday night shows begin at 8 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday matinees will raise the curtain at 2 p.m.
“Every one of us has at some point or another felt powerless against ‘the machine’,” said Garsson. “In the upcoming season, four recent plays express this sentiment through comedy, suspense and some colorful Hollywood history.”
However, Boca Stage will also be completing unfinished business from its previous season that was cut short by the COVID pandemic. The play, Warrior Class, will resume its run in November.
The first show of the new season, The Unremarkable Death of Marilyn Monroe, opens Dec. 3. The show is a well-researched, eye-opening look at the last night of the famed Hollywood icon’s life. Garsson will direct the show that was written by Elton Townend Jones. It runs through Dec. 19.
Next production is Rx, a satirical look at Big Pharma, a story with lots of twists and turns about an industry that makes billions by convincing people that being human is a disease. Rx, by Kate Fodor and directed by Genie Croft, will be presented Jan. 21-Feb. 6, 2022.
Dark pasts and family secrets abound in the next show, Luna Gale, when an overworked social worker is pulled in several different directions as she tries to help an innocent baby. It forces her to make a risky decision with potentially disastrous consequences.
The play, by Rebecca Gilman and directed by Garsson, runs from Feb. 25 to March 13.
The season concludes with Ben Butler, a civil war comedy about real-life army general Benjamin Butler who faces an impossible situation when an escaped slave shows up at his fort in Virginia demanding asylum.
The show, by Richard Strand and directed by Genie Croft, runs from March 25 to April 10.
“Our audiences have made it quite clear that they enjoy the little-known plays with interesting topics” said Garsson. “We’re very lucky that today’s playwrights are providing works that are both relevant and quite different from the standard fare.”