QUICK TAKES - July 2, 2009

New plays by Lisa Kron and Danai Gurira, as well as the U.S. premiere of a play about Kenneth Tynan starring Malcolm McDowell, are highlights of the Kirk Douglas Theatre’s upcoming 2009-10 season. The lineup features three full productions supplemented by an expanded roster of special programming.

The three productions represent a decline from four shows presented in 2008-09. Last month, CTG laid off one-tenth of its staff as a result of declining ticket sales and a drop in donations. But CTG artistic director Michael Ritchie said the shortened lineup had nothing to with the company’s recent financial problems.

The West Coast premiere of Gurira’s “Eclipsed” will open the season in September. Directed by Robert O’Hara, the drama is set in 2003 during Liberia’s civil war.

Kron’s play will have its world premiere at the Douglas in March. The as-yet-untitled drama tells the story of a writer’s confrontation with her own personal limitations during the 2000 presidential election.

“Tynan,” based on the life of the British theater critic, will open in May and star McDowell in the title role. The Douglas’ production will be the play’s American premiere.

-- David Ng