'It’s to build that buzz': PlayMakers Repertory Company kicks off 2024 season

Tucked under a quiet grove of trees at the edge of UNC’s campus, PlayMakers Repertory Company buzzed with excitement on Saturday afternoon as community members gathered for the theater’s annual season kickoff. 

This season’s kickoff, called the “2024 PlayMakers Convention,” featured food trucks, live entertainment, theatrical demonstrations and other activities for returning PlayMakers subscribers and new visitors alike. The event mimicked the structure of a political convention, with event pamphlets reading: “none of the politics, all of the drama.”

Hannah LaMarlowe, the associate director of marketing at PlayMakers, said that this year’s event was inspired by the collection of performances which will be featured in this year’s season, all exploring and interrogating the American Dream. 

Each of the shows in the upcoming PlayMakers season had a table with different activities ranging from crafts to a lively “hot take debate.” Attendees could cast votes for their favorite tables. 

For PlayMakers, the highlight of the season kickoff is the opportunity to connect with attendees and to invite a new audience to potentially join the PlayMakers community. 

“It’s to build that buzz, but also for people to really get to know us as people,” LaMarlowe said.

Jeff Aguiar, the director of engagement and education with PlayMakers, said that the major way PlayMakers engages with the community is through the art itself, so inviting people to experience their shows is important. This engagement also is important at the start of the school year, when new students and their family members might be exploring theater at UNC, he said.

“We also invite our subscribers in who are a mix of people, whether they be former students in the form of alumni or retired faculty members, current faculty members, current staff — all sorts of people that have journeyed with us, attending our main stage shows,” Aguiar said.

PlayMakers is a professional theater company in residence at UNC, working closely with the Department of Dramatic Art within the College of Arts and Sciences. Consequently, it has a multilayered engagement with the community and attempts to foster dialogue, Aguiar said.

In a commitment to make theater accessible, UNC students can attend PlayMakers shows for $10, though prices are typically in the $20-$70 range for adults. 

Vivienne Benesch, the producing artistic director with PlayMakers, said that theater is an artistic medium where people can truly come together in an increasingly digital world. She also said one of her responsibilities is to curate a thoughtful season.

“It’s like putting together a great journey, or a great meal, like the different tastes you want in a great meal,” Benesch said. “So I’m always looking for, first of all, what are great and important stories that feel like they resonate today. Then I look for different styles to tell stories.” 

LaMarlowe said that even people working in administration at PlayMakers, like herself, are still artists and storytellers, and the season kickoff allows attendees to engage with that storytelling. For example, they were encouraged to ask questions and learn about this season’s upcoming productions. 

For Benesch, theater can use storytelling to engage with relevant issues better than any other art form. 

“My favorite part of the theater is that you can really have a transformational experience at the theater in the tiniest way or in a sort of soul shifting way, and so that’s kind of what I love,” she said. “We’re in a year of consequence, and I really believe that art and the theater in particular has a role to play in that.”

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CORRECTION: adult tickets to PlayMakers shows are typically within the $20-$70 range, not the $50-$70 range