Playwright Bess Wohl bagged two of the theater world\u2019s biggest prizes in quick succession earlier this year. In May, she received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for Liberation, which explores a woman\u2019s journey to understand her mother\u2019s role in the feminist movement of the 1970s. A month later, the play won the Tony Award for Best Play. If you missed its Broadway engagement last fall, Liberation<\/a> will have its local premiere at Philadelphia Theatre Company (Oct. 9-25 at the Suzanne Roberts Theatre). Taibi Magar directs a cast that includes Juliana Zinkel, Lee Minora, Campbell O\u2019Hare, and Ciera Gardner. A co-production with Baltimore Center Stage, the production moves to Charm City in January 2027. Look out for my review. <\/p>\n Ensemble members of PTC\u2019s \u2018Liberation\u2019 at their first rehearsal. (Photo courtesy of PTC.)<\/p>\n Suzan-Lori Parks\u2019s 2002 Pulitzer winner Topdog\/Underdog<\/a> is getting a major co-production from People\u2019s Light and the Arden. It\u2019s onstage in Malvern through October 18, and then moves to the Arden\u2019s Arcadia Stage (Oct. 29-Dec. 13) in Old City for the second leg of this first collaboration between the two companies. The production stars Akeem Davis and George McGriff as two brothers bound together by generational trauma, crippling codependence, and the specter of Abraham Lincoln. Audiences who saw Parks\u2019s The America Play at the Wilma earlier this year (here\u2019s the BSR review<\/a>) might be interested to delve deeper into her fascination with the long shadow of the 16th president, and particularly how it impacts contemporary Black lives. The prolific Amina Robinson<\/a> directs. Look out for the BSR review in November. <\/p>\n George McGriff (left) and Akeem Davis in \u2018Liberation\u2019, running at People\u2019s Light and then moving to the Arden. (Photo by Mark Garvin.)<\/p>\n Speaking of collaborations: last year, Azuka Theatre and Simpatico Theatre announced a merger, bringing both companies together under the leadership of Allison Heishman. Their season begins with the premiere of #Charlottesville<\/a> (October 13-November 1), a solo show written and performed by Priyanka Shetty. Actor and writer Shetty came to the United States to pursue an MFA at the University of Virginia, and she was later struck by the open displays of white supremacist violence that befell the city she called home in August 17. Her verbatim piece draws on scores of interviews with city residents in the aftermath of those events. Yury Urnov directs. Look out for a review from Alaina Johns.<\/p>\n Those seeking thrills around Halloween should head out to the suburbs. In Rose Valley, Hedgerow Theatre presents William Goldman\u2019s popular adaptation of Stephen King\u2019s Misery<\/a>, directed by Catharine Slusar (October 14-November 1). Of course, it\u2019s hard to top the iconic, Oscar-winning performance Kathy Bates gave as the unhinged Annie Wilkes, who holds her favorite writer hostage as she demands a satisfying end to her beloved series of romance novels\u2014but Emma Gibson will certainly put her own spin on the role. In a fun twist, prolific local playwright (and occasional actor) Bruce Graham appears as the novelist, Paul Sheldon, who finds himself trapped in a nightmare he could never have fictionalized.<\/p>\n Also later in the month, Philadelphia Artists\u2019 Collective and Theatre Ariel offer a rare opportunity to catch Israel Zangwell\u2019s The Melting Pot<\/a>\u2014one of those important plays more discussed than staged (running October 21-November 8). The title coined the controversial term, and the play chronicles a Russian Jewish immigrant who longs to transform his new homeland into an ideal pluralistic society. Adapted and directed by Theatre Ariel\u2019s Jesse Bernstein, the play draws upon the promises, both real and imagined, in the shadow of this year\u2019s Semiquincentennial celebrations. I\u2019m looking forward to seeing what does and doesn\u2019t resonate for a 2026 audience, and how the production uses the Arch Street Meeting House as a non-traditional performance space. You can look for my review in a few weeks.<\/p>\n![\"Seven](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Liberation-rehearsal-BSR-9-28-26.JPG\")
<\/p>\n![\"McGriff,](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/topdog-underdog-screenshot-BSR-9-28-26.jpg.png\")
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