ART News:
SANTA FE — New Mexico Actors Lab will open its 2023 season Wednesday, May 3 with Simpatico, one of the hidden gems of Sam Shepard’s portfolio of quirky dramas.
The play is an homage to his love of horses, the dark underbelly of racing, and the low-life losers who inhabit it. The production will run through Sunday, May 21.
As with many of Shepard’s works, the plot hinges on the shift of power between two close friends whose shady pasts haunt their lives. Lab veteran actors Geoffrey Pomeroy and Hania Stocker face off under the direction of NMAL Artistic Director, Nicholas Ballas, who had the curious pleasure of getting to know Shepard in the less than literary setting of one of Ballas’ Santa Fe bars in the 1980’s, the aptly named Lone Wolf Café.
“What attracted me to SIMPATICO,” Ballas said, “was the appearance of one of Sam Shepard’s most interesting women, Cecilia. Like an iconic femme fatale of classic film noir works, she dominates the action, even in her absence. She is a fully developed character who powerfully dispels the oft-repeated assessment that there are no strong women’s roles in Shepard.”
Cecilia will be played by another of the Lab’s core company, Joey Beth Gilbert. Rounding out the cast are Jody Hegarty Durham and Melissa Christopher.
Over the course of his prolific career, former Santa Fe resident Shepard garnered eleven Obie awards, a Pulitzer, and a Palme d’Or for his writing and an Oscar nomination for his acting.
Tickets are now on sale at the NAML website or at www.tix.com/ticket-sales/
Season passes for all five of the 2023 shows are available for $150. Special VIP membership is $250. Individual tickets are $35, with students and two preview performances (May 3 and 4) costing $15. All performances will be held at NMAL’s permanent home, the Lab Theater at 1213 B Parkway Drive in Santa Fe, one block from Meow Wolf. Performances are 7:30 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday.
