Black Box Season
Welcome to the 2026/27 Season in the Stonzek Studio Theatre
The Black Box Series offers a unique selection of plays featuring the works of nationally and internationally established playwrights whose subjects or themes are both thought provoking and relevant to today’s world. All works selected and presented in the series make perfect use of the Playhouse’s 60 seat Stonzek Studio Theater, an intimate setting which provides the audience with a personal and visceral theatre going experience. The focus of the series is on the story, writing and acting of a chosen work with very basic technical arrangements.
Showings
The Nether
November 5 – 15, 2026
2026/27 Black Box Season
By Jennifer Haley
The Nether is a virtual wonderland that provides total sensory immersion. Just log in, choose an identity and indulge your every desire. But when a young detective uncovers a disturbing brand of entertainment, she triggers an interrogation into the darkest corners of the imagination. Winner of the 2012 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, The Nether is both a serpentine crime drama and haunting sci-fi thriller that explores the consequences of living out our private dreams
In a near-future world where immersive virtual realms offer total escape, The Nether follows a detective drawn into a disturbing online domain where fantasy and crime collide.
As her investigation unfolds, a tense interrogation exposes the darkest corners of human desire, raising urgent questions about morality, identity, and the limits of accountability. Winner of the 2012 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, The Nether is a gripping blend of crime drama and sci-fi thriller that lingers long after the final moment.
“As a parable for where we’re headed on that big old highway in the digital sky, The Nether exerts a viselike grip, while taking you down avenues of thought you probably haven’t traveled yet.” – The New York Times
“The Nether is a gripping and deeply disconcerting look at the Internet and its role in one of the most disturbing issues of our times.” – The Telegraph
Copenhagen
February 4 – 14, 2027
2026/27 Black Box Season
By Michael Frayn
In 1941, physicists Werner Heisenberg and Niels Bohr meet in Nazi-occupied Denmark under mysterious circumstances—once collaborators, now on opposite sides of a world at war.
In Copenhagen, they revisit that fateful encounter beyond time, searching for what was said—and why. This gripping, Tony Award–winning drama explores memory, morality, and the uncertainty at the heart of human intention.
“Invigorating and ingenious… An electrifying work of art.” – The New York Times
“The word ‘tremendous’ is often used but seldom deserved. In this case it is. Copenhagen is an intellectual and theatrical tour de force.” – London Times
A Bright New Boise
April 29 – May 9, 2027
2026/27 Black Box Season
By Samuel D. Hunter
In the fluorescent-lit break room of a craft store in Idaho, A Bright New Boise follows a group of employees searching for connection, meaning, and a sense of belonging.
When a new hire arrives carrying secrets—and a hope for redemption—their lives begin to intertwine in unexpected ways. Blending humor with quiet poignancy, this heartfelt play explores faith, family, and the fragile human need to believe in something more.
“A humorous and touching exploration of faith and family.” – NYTheatre.com
“This clear-eyed comedy will lift your heart.” – Time Out New York