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Now thru Nov 20.
Double your donation. Now thru Nov 20.
Theater that ignites.
Your donation will be on stage in March!
Combustible Company’s Kym Longhi and Penumbra Theater’s James Craven team up to re-imagine Alfred Uhry’s play Driving Miss Daisy from the chauffeur Hoke’s point of view.
With insightful writing and acting from James Craven, the signature physical direction of Kym Longhi and an immersive multi-media staging — the world of Atlanta, Georgia in the mid 20th century comes to life in a vivid portrayal. Uhry’s play was inspired by the actual experiences of his family and their interactions with their black driver Willie Coleman. While the play has enjoyed enormous success, it fails to tell the complete story.
Written from a white man’s perspective, it is at best a naïve understanding of the complicated dynamics of race relations. At worst it misguidedly erases the experience of its black character. Miss Daisy calls Hoke her friend, but can they be friends if she fails to see his life for what it really is? Waking Miss Daisy brings us the complete story of how how racism affects all of us. It reminds us to never forget that, with a performance you’ll never forget.
We use the actor’s physicality to create visceral performances that spark the imagination and ignite conversation.
By drawing upon the imaginative and expressive power of the actor’s body we seek to explore the human psyche to create performances that allow audiences to derive new meaning from spoken and unspoken language.
We seek to tell universal human stories by innovative means to spark the imagination and help audiences better understand themselves and the world around them.
Remembering a play about remembering
An Iliad by Lisa Peterson and Denis O’Hare
September 2025 — The Southern Theatre
Directed by Kym Longhi, with Nick Miller as The Muse and Erik Hoover in a tour de force performance as The Poet. An Iliad is a modern-day retelling of Homer’s classic. Poetry and humor, the ancient tale of the Trojan War and the modern world collide in this captivating theatrical experience. The setting is simple: the empty theater. The time is now: the present moment. The lone figure onstage is a storyteller—possibly Homer, possibly one of the many bards who followed in his footsteps. He is fated to tell this story throughout history.
Remembering Rachel
We are deeply saddened by the recent passing of one of our beloved collaborators, Rachel Nelson. As a composer and actor, Rachel was central to the creation of our 2016 work, Bluebeard’s Dollhouse. In addition to her many talents and wonderful creativity, Rachel brought a deep sense of care to our work that transformed the space and inspired all of us.
In 2013 Rachel also created her memoir musical THE URBAN HERMIT, which toured nationally. This coming-of-age story about coming out, sobering up, and street busking was directed by Beth Margolis Brooks, founding member of the MB Adaptors Theatre Company. As Rachel’s studies in Margolis Method were foundational to her creative and performing process, please also consider making a donation to the Margolis Method Training Center.
Rachel brought us the depth of human experience in all of her performances along with an irresistible sense of joy. We are grateful for the gifts that she shared with us and we will miss her greatly.
“An enthralling theatrical experience, unique and classical at the same time.”
— John Townsend