Press Release: “Flowers in the Desert” at Cotuit Center for the Arts

Cotuit Center for the Arts presents “Flowers in the Desert,” a play by Donna Hoke, November 7 to 24 in the Black Box Theater. Performances are Thursday through Saturday at 7:30 PM, and Sunday at 2 PM. The play is presented by Jade Schuyler.

After 14 years of marriage, Britt, played by Jade Schuyler, and Joe, played by Paul Schuyler, called it quits, so Joe is surprised when, three years later, Britt asks him to try again. Cheater Joe still loves his ex and their boys, so he’s willing to go along with date-nights and counseling—until he realizes that Britt has a very specific agenda.

The play has been called “passionate, thought-provoking, and extremely truthful.” The New York Theatre Guide wrote, “Hoke’s writing is clever and intellectual.... [She allows] audiences to draw their own feelings based on the human experiences they witness.”

Hoke said in an interview, “Britt and Joe are two people who met, fell in love, made a go of it, and the go didn’t work. How many of us can relate to that? It’s in that resonance that this story lives. If you’ve ever asked yourself ‘what if?’—if you’ve ever feared as Britt does, if you’ve ever wished you could have an amicable relationship with the person you raise your children with, you will understand this story.”

Neither Brit nor Joe are perfect. They are flawed and complicated characters, as most of us are. Their journey of growth and redemption and their efforts to reconnect, to communicate, and to care for each other are funny and touching, and also very real.

“Flowers in the Desert” was a finalist in the inaugural contest of the American Association of Community Theaters in 2013.

Donna Hoke has received numerous nominations and awards for her plays, which include “Brilliant Works of Art” (2016 Kilroys List); “Elevator Girl” (2017 O’Neil, 2018 Princess Grace finalist), “Safe” (winner of the Todd McNerney, Naatak, and Great Gay Play and Musical Contests), and “Teach” (Gulfshore New Works winner).

She has been nominated for both the Primus and Blackburn Prizes, and is a two-time winner of the Emanuel Fried Award for Outstanding New Play (“Seeds,” “Sons & Lovers”). She has also received an Individual Artist Award from the New York State Council on the Arts to develop “Hearts of Stone,” and, for three consecutive years, she was named Buffalo’s Best Writer by ArtVoice.

Tickets are $20, $15 for members. Cotuit Center for the Arts is at 4404 Route 28 in Cotuit. For more information, visit www.artsonthecape.org or call 508-428-0669.

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What:

“Flowers in the Desert,” by Donna Hoke

Where:

Black Box Theater, Cotuit Center for the Arts, 4404 Route 28, Cotuit

When:

November 9 to 24, Thursday through Saturday at 7:30 PM; Sunday at 2 PM

Admission:

$20, $15 for members

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