CLYDE’S

A fiery, sandwich-slinging social commentary by two-time Pulitzer Prize winner, Lynn Nottage, Ensemble Theatre presents the Australian premiere of the Tony Award-nominated Broadway comedy, Clyde’s, this May.

Director Darren Yap will give audiences food-for-thought, exploring the economic and social ensnarement of the formerly incarcerated kitchen staff of Clyde’s truck stop diner.

Fresh out of options, with nowhere to else to turn, Clyde’s staff are on a mission to reinvent both the perfect sandwich, and their lives. At the whim of their tyrannical boss, played by Nancy Denis (STC’s Blithe Spirit & A Raisin the Sun), the team must learn to “leave the pain in the pan” and dream a little.

“Clyde’s is a play that’s based in America, in the middle of god-knows-where, where the staff are hungry for redemption,” said Denis. “Clyde is a boss lady. She doesn’t really care how you want to do things – it’s her kitchen, her way.”

Led by the mysterious sandwich sensei Montrellous, (Charles Allen), will the team be able to shoot their shot and transcend their past mistakes, or will Clyde’s incessant mind games burn their aspirations to a crisp?

“I’m so excited for Australian audiences to experience Lynn Nottage’s masterpiece that is Clyde’s for the very first time!” said the Artistic Director of Ensemble Theatre, Mark Kilmurry.

“With American ex-prisoners facing the highest rates of unemployment of any group Clyde’s is not just a comedic treat, but a work of extreme relevance today – as well as being brilliantly funny Clyde’s will have you leaving the theatre thinking about the play for a long time. Don’t miss.”

Debuting just in time for International Burger Day on Sunday 28 May 2023, this witty yet poignant production will have people coming back for seconds.

Lynn Nottage is a playwright and a screenwriter, and the first woman in history to win two Pulitzer Prizes for Drama. Her plays have been produced widely in the United States and throughout the world.

Recent work includes the book for MJ The Musical (Broadway), the libretto for the Intimate Apparel Opera (LCT), and CLYDE’S (Broadway, 2ST, Goodman Theater), and co-curating the performance installation The Watering Hole (Signature Theater).

Past work includes Sweat, Ruined, the book for The Secret Life Of Bees; Mlima’s Tale; By The Way, Meet Vera Stark; Intimate Apparel; Fabulation, Or The Re-Education Of Undine; Crumbs From The Table Of Joy; Las Meninas; Mud, River, Stone; Por’knockers; and Poof!

She has also developed This Is Reading – a performance installation in Reading, Pennsylvania. Ms. Nottage is a member of the Theater Hall of Fame, and the recipient of a MacArthur “Genius Grant” Fellowship (among other awards). She is also an Associate Professor at Columbia University School of the Arts, and is a member of the Dramatists Guild.

Director: Darren Yap | Featuring: Charles Allen, Gabriel Alvarado, Nancy Denis, Aaron Tsindos, Ebony Vagulans | Set & Costume Designer: Simone Romaniuk | Lighting Designer: Morgan Moroney | Composers & Sound Designers: Max Lambert & Roger Lock | Dialect Coach: Linda Nicholls-Gidley | Intimacy, Movement & Fight Director: Nigel Poulton | Stage Manager: Lauren Tulloh | Assistant Stage Manager: Jessica Law | Costume Supervisor: Monica Smith | Costume Assistant: Alexis Worthing | Playwright: Lynne Nottage