Performance dates: May 16 – 31, 2025
HOUSTON, TX — Dirt Dogs Theatre Co. (DDTCo.) closes out its ninth season with
Bug, the cult thriller by Pulitzer Prize winner Tracy Letts. Co-directed by Malinda L. Beckham and Curtis Barber, this tense, award-winning play examines the terrifying power of belief and the psychological fallout of seclusion.
ABOUT THE PLAY
Agnes is a lonely waitress with a fondness for isolation. Peter is a Gulf War drifter. As an unexpected love affair develops in a seedy Oklahoma City motel room, mysterious bugs begin to take over their space. Are they simple pests or could they be the result of military experiments? The couple's fears soon escalate to paranoia, conspiracy theories, and twisted psychological motives that disrupt any attempt at normalcy.
ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT
Tracy Letts is the author of the plays
Killer Joe and
Man from Nebraska, named one of
Time Magazine’s Top Ten Plays of 2003. He is an ensemble member of the Steppenwolf Theatre Company. His appearances there include
Homebody/Kabul,
The Dazzle,
Glengarry Glen Ross,
Three Days of Rain and
Picasso at the Lapin Agile. Film appearances include
Guinevere,
U.S. Marshals and
Chicago Cab. Television appearances include
The District,
Profiler,
The Drew Carey Show,
Home Improvement, and
Seinfeld. Tracy made his directing debut at the Lookingglass Theatre Company with Glen Berger’s play
Great Men of Science, Nos. 21 & 22.
ABOUT THE DIRECTORS
Malinda L. Beckham, Artistic Director and Curtis Barber, Artistic Associate for Dirt Dogs Theatre Co., take the helm as directors of Bug. Beckham directed Blackbird, Race, The Pillowman, Coyote on a Fence, A Steady Rain (in 2016 and 2022), The Boundary (world premiere), Glengarry Glen Ross, The Exonerated, the streaming production of Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992, and co-directed A Lie of the Mind. Barber has directed the DDTCo. productions of The Birds, Misery, and The Revolutionists. In addition, he directed Corner Store, Sunny, and The Unknown in the annual Student Playwright Festival and most recently performed in The Pillowman as Michal.
Rounding out the creative team are Mark Lewis on scenic design,
John Baker on
lighting design,
Michael Mullins on sound design,
Malinda L. Beckham on set decoration,
Samantha Hyman on costume design,
Adina Opalek as intimacy director,
Kyle Clark as fight director,
Trevor B. Cone as production manager,
Barbara Alicea-Aponte as production stage manager, and
Valerie Lerma Puente as assistant stage manager.
Bug features a Houston-based cast consisting of
Callina Anderson as Agnes,
Kyle Clark as Peter,
Jeff Featherston as Gerry,
Curtis Barber as Dr. Sweet, and
Maggie Maxwell as R.C.
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DETAILS
CALENDAR LISTING
Theatre/Performing Arts
WHAT
Bug
WHO
Written by Written by Tracy Letts
Directed by Malinda L. Beckham (77077) and Curtis Barber (77005)
Featuring:
Role Actor (ZIP) Previous DDTCo. credits
Agnes White Callina Anderson (77551)
Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992 (Maria)
Peter Evans Kyle Clark (77023)
The Pillowman (Ariel),
Coyote on a Fence
(Bobby Reyburn)
Gerry Goss Jeff Featherston (77429)
Appropriate (Bo),
The Birds (Nat),
August: Osage County
(Bill Fordham),
Glengarry Glen Ross (Richard Roma),
Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992 (Bill Bradley),
The Eight:
Reindeer Monologues (Dasher)
Dr. Sweet Curtis Barber (77005)
The Pillowman (Michal),
Coyote on a Fence (Sam Fried),
The Eight: Reindeer Monologues (Cupid),
Talk Radio
(Bernie/Ensemble)
R.C. Maggie Maxwell (75460) Dirt Dogs debut
WHEN
May May 16 - 31, 2025
PERFORMANCES
Opening night
Friday, May 16, 2025 (followed by a champagne reception)
Evenings
8pm | Fridays & Saturdays, May 16, 17, 23, 24, 30 & 31
7:30pm | Thursdays, May 22 & 29
7:30pm | Monday, May 19
Matinees
2pm | Sundays, May 18 & 25
Approximate run time
One hour, 40 minutes (one intermission)
WHERE
MATCH – Midtown Arts & Theater Center Houston
Matchbox 3, The John P. McGovern Theater, 3400 Main St., Houston, TX 77002
BOX OFFICE
713.521.4533 |
https://matchouston.org/events/2025/bug
TICKETS
Single tickets, $30
Matinees and Industry Mondays are “Pay What You Can”
PRESS CONTACT
Trevor B. Cone, Executive Director
trevor@dirtdogstheatre.org
713. 561.5113
ABOUT DIRT DOGS THEATRE CO.
Dirt Dogs Theatre Co. creates multi-faceted theatrical productions that enrich and entertain audiences, inspire artists, and honor playwrights. It was established in 2015 by Houston theatre veterans, Trevor B. Cone, Malinda L. Beckham, and John Baker. Dirt Dogs collaborates with Houston artists and playwrights to provide an opportunity for new works to be seen, and previously produced ones to breathe new life.
www.dirtdogstheatre.org.
