Take Me Out A Play

"A funny and troubling look at athletes and identity . . .Take Me Outis a dynamic, involving play." Donald Lyons,New York Post Darren Lemming is the star center fielder for the champion New York Empires. An extraordinary athlete, he fills both his fans and his teammates with awe at his abilities and his presence on the field and off. When he makes the matter-of-fact announcement that he's gay, he throws his team into turmoil and confusion, while he also emboldens his closeted accountant, Mason Marzac, to come to terms with his own sexualityand to fully experience the pure joy of watching great athletes play a sport as well as it can be played. But Darren's announcement brings to the fore the confused and twisted hostilities of the Empires' brilliantly talented but deeply racist and homophobic pitcher, Shane Mungittfrom whose rage tragic consequences ensue. The American premiere ofTake Me Outtook place at the Public Theater in New York City in September 2002. It will move to the Walter Kerr Theatre on Broadway in February 2003. Richard Greenbergis the author ofThe Dazzle,Everett Beekinand several other plays. He is an associate artist at the South Coast Repertory and a member of the Ensemble Studio Theatre. He lives in New York City. Tony Award Winner Pulitzer Prize Finalist Winner of the Drama Desk Award Winner of the Lucille Lortel Award Winner of the Outer Critics Circle Award Winner of the New York Drama Critics Circle Award Darren Lemming is the star center fielder for the champion New York Empires. An extraordinary athlete, he fills both his fans and his teammates with awe at his abilities and his presence on and off the field. When he makes the matter-of-fact announcement that he's gay, he throws his team into turmoil and confusion, while also emboldening his repressed business manager to come to terms with his own sexualityand to fully experience the pure joy of watching great athletes play a sport as well as it can be played. Most of all, however, Darren's announcement brings to the fore the confused and twisted hostilities of the Empires' brilliantly talented but deeply racist and homophobic pitcher, Shane Mungittfrom whose rage tragic consequences arise. Pulitzer Prize Finalist "Mr. Greenberg brings his gymnastic verbal skills to bear on the subject of the all-American pastime . . . An enchanting and enchanted take on baseball . . . [It is] the story of Darren Lemming, a god among baseball players and the star of a team called the Empires, who sets off a complicated chain of ultimately tragic events when he publicly announces that he is gay. This allows Mr. Greenberg to consider . . . big, big subjects like sexual and racial prejudice, moral responsibility, public versus personal identities and the inability of people to ever truly know one another."Ben Brantley,The New York Times "Extravagantly smart, touching and engrossing . . . An enormously enjoyable workas eloquently verbal as it is delightful [and] physical."Linda Winer,Newsday "Exhilarating . . .Take Me Outmarvelously demonstrates [that] the spirit can be lost and sometimes found."John Lahr,The New Yorker "Mr. Greenberg brings his gymnastic verbal skills to bear on the subject of the all-American pastime . . . An enchanting and enchanted take on baseball . . . [It is] the story of Darren Lemming, a god among baseball players and the star of a team called the Empires, who sets off a complicated chain of ultimately tragic events when he publicly announces that he is gay. This allows Mr. Greenberg to consider . . . big, big subjects like sexual and

Richard Greenberg is the author of The Dazzle and several other plays. He lives in New York City.

“Greenberg intoxicates us with his words in the same way he’s intoxicated by the game. [Take Me Out] achieves a lyrical power to match the beauty of . . . either a sublime piece of music or an exquisitely made double play. Or both.” —Charles Isherwood, Variety