Theatre NOVA presents “The Language Archive” by Julia Cho Feb. 3-26

ANN ARBOR: Theatre NOVA, Ann Arbor’s resident nonprofit professional theatre, kicks off the new year with the Michigan Premiere of “The Language Archive” by Julia Cho, which runs February 3 through February 26, 2023.

George is a man obsessed with documenting the dying languages of far-flung cultures. Closer to home, though, language is failing him. He fumbles for the words to say to his wife, to keep her from leaving him. He puzzles over his enamored lab assistant’s words and what they could possibly mean. All while obsessively studying an elderly couple – the last remaining speakers of a language whose culture is already dead. This quirky, romantic comedy explores how language can build entire worlds but is often completely useless.

Directed by Carla Milarch, “The Language Archive” features Rick Sperling, Emily Wilson-Tobin, Monica Spencer, Ellen Finch, and Jeffrey Miller. The production and design team includes Monica Spencer (scenic design), Jeff Alder (lighting design), Krista Brown (costume design), Kennikki Jones-Jones (sound design), and Briana O’Neal (stage manager/props).

For the health, safety, and well-being of our patrons, staff, and artists, COVID safety measures will be in place. All artists and staff participating in the season must be fully vaccinated, and patrons must bring proof of vaccination and wear a mask while in the building. Unvaccinated patrons will not be admitted. This policy is subject to change at any time in accordance with fluctuating local, state, and federal guidelines. Please check our website for our current policy before attending.

Theatre NOVA is located at 410 W Huron St., Ann Arbor, MI 48103. Performances are on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. General admission tickets for plays are $22. In addition, Theatre NOVA continues to make theatre accessible by offering pay-what-you-can tickets for those who need them at all performances.

Tickets, memberships, flex passes, and subscriptions may be purchased online at www.TheatreNOVA.org. Tickets may also be purchased in person one hour before each performance. Seating in the theatre will begin 30 minutes before each performance. There is ample free parking and quick access to the city’s restaurants, bars, bakeries, and coffee shops. New patrons can find Theatre NOVA across Huron Street from Ann Arbor’s YMCA through a parking lot entrance on the north side of the street. For more information, visit www.TheatreNOVA.org.

Theatre NOVA is dedicated to raising awareness of the value and excitement of new plays and new playwrights in a diverse and expanding audience; and providing resources and outlets for playwrights to develop their craft, by importing, exporting, and developing new plays and playwrights.

Julia Cho (Playwright)  – Julia Cho’s plays include DURANGO, THE WINCHESTER HOUSE, BFE, THE ARCHITECTURE OF LOSS, and 99 HISTORIES. Her work has been produced at The Vineyard Theatre, The Public Theater, Long Wharf Theatre, Playwrights Horizons, South Coast Repertory, New York Theatre Workshop, East West Players, The Theatre@Boston Court, Theater Mu, and Silk Road Theatre Project, among others. Honors include the 2005 Barrie Stavis Award, the 2005 Claire Tow Award for Emerging Artists, and the 2004 L. Arnold Weissberger Award. She was also a two-time finalist for the Susan Smith Blackburn Award. An alumna of the Juilliard School and NYU’s Graduate Dramatic Writing Program, Julia also served as a resident playwright at New Dramatists.

Carla Milarch (Director) is a former artistic director of Performance Network Theatre, whose passion for new plays led her to co-found Theatre NOVA. As a dramaturg and director, she has helped bring 25 brand new plays to fully-staged productions, as well as hundreds of plays to staged readings, including those at the Michigan Playwrights Festival, the Fireside New Play Festival, the NNPN National Showcase of New Plays (board member), and the Kennedy Center’s MFA playwrights’ workshop. She served as board president of the Michigan Equity Theatre Alliance. Some awards include “Best Overall Season/Artistic Direction” from the Oakland Press, “Outstanding Contributions to an Ensemble” from The Detroit Free Press, “Most Valuable Performer” from the Oakland Press, and the Between the Lines “Angel” award for outstanding contributions to the LGBT community. Carla’s love and experience for both sides of the stage have taken her from producing theatre at The Barn Theatre in Port Sanilac, Michigan, to co-founding a theatre in Amarillo, TX with her Purchase classmates, to producing theatre in a barn again – this time in the middle of a world-class city.

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