BALLS™
Stages Repertory Theatre, Houston, Texas
Oct 3 - Oct 29, 2017
59E59 Theaters, New York City
Jan 16 - Feb 25, 2018
BALLS™ is One Year Lease Theater Company’s epic recreation of the 1973 Battle of the Sexes tennis match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs. It is written by Kevin Armento & Bryony Lavery, commissioned and developed by One Year Lease.
Part sport, part disco, all carnival, BALLS™ explodes across time, space and genre— fully embracing the circus atmosphere of the original event, and bouncing the most memorable tennis match of all-time off of the cultural debates it ignited around sexism, women-in-sport, and equality. With these arguments still ongoing and as heated in our political climate now as they were then, BALLS™ is arriving at a perfect time!
True to OYL’s physical and high-intensity approach, the production features a moment-by-moment, shot-by-shot recreation of the entire tennis match in real time!
BALLS™ was commissioned and developed by One Year Lease Theater Company and is a Co-Production between One Year Lease Theater Company & Stages Repertory Theatre
“‘Balls’ approaches King’s fascinating biography with glee and perspective and a tone that’s both light-hearted and cutting throughout the show.”
“There is no question, Balls is a production that comes to play. If by play one means throw down (spiritedly and with a sly giggle) on how women have had to fight, and not always win, the battle for gender progress.”
“A captivating, visceral spectacle from end to end... the physicality of the performance is staggering... it’s a thoughtful inventory of where we are and where we came from in terms of gender equality, and the play is just plain fun.”
“Balls is an innovative play with the most impressive level of technical precision. It’s rife with humor, poking fun at the very concept of the battle of the sexes. Yet it gets reflective in ways I never expected, offering stark criticism and authentic heartbreak that blurs the lines between the gender wars. It’s poignant, physical, and - dare I say - ballsy.”
Cast and Crew
Cast: Danny Bernardy, Donald Corren, Alex J Gould, Danté Jeanfelix, Zakiya Iman Markland, Olivia McGiff, Elisha Mudly, Cristina Pitter, Richard Saudek, Ellen Tamaki
Playwrights: Kevin Armento & Bryony Lavery
Director: Ianthe Demos & Nick Flint
Movement Director: Natalie Lomonte
Sound Design: Brendan Aanes
Set Design: Kristin Robinson
Light Design: Mike Riggs
Costume Design: Kenisha Kelly
Producers: Richard L. Danforth, Cynthia & Ben Guill, Victoria & Alex Lazar, Jane & Dick Schmitt
