Identity, history and choice are themes in Yale Rep’s ‘Bossa Nova’

Issues of personal and racial identity and the pressures of family expectations come to the fore in the next play in the Yale Repertory Theatre’s season, “Bossa Nova” by Kirsten Greenidge.

The play, which won Sundance’s Time Warner Award, runs through Dec. 18. It is directed by OBIE Award winner Evan Yionoulis.

“Bossa Nova” dramatizes the experience of Dee Paradis, a black woman who was raised on the gentle swing of bossa nova and educated at elite, predominately white schools. She has led a life meticulously designed by her elegant and strong-willed mother, Lady. In the split second where she locks eyes with Lady in the mirror before a dinner party, Dee — nearly 30 years old and still torn between her mother’s expectations and a former lover’s ideals of authenticity — comes face to face with a choice that will determine her future.

Greenidge is currently working on a commission from the Yale Rep. Her other plays include “Milk Like Sugar,” “The Luck of the Irish,” “Rust,” “The Curious Walk of the Salamander,” “Sans-Culottes in the Promised Land,” “103 Within the Veil” and “The Gibson Girl.”

Yionoulis is resident director at the Yale Rep, where her productions include “The Master Builder,” “Richard II,” “Black Snow,” “The People Next Door,” “The King Stag,” “Heaven” and “Galileo.” Her other credits include “The Violet Hour” on Broadway and “Seven,” a documentary theater piece about women across the globe who work for human rights. She wrote and directed the short film “Lost and Found” and a new musical, “Redhand Guitar.”

The cast includes Francesca Choy-Kee, Emily Dorsch, Ella Joyce, Tommy Schrider, Malenky Welsh and Libby Woodbridge. Other members of the creative team are scenic designer Ana Milosevic; costume designer Summer Lee Jack; lighting designer Laura J. Eckelman; sound designer Michael Vincent Skinner; dramaturgs Catherine Sheehy and Anne Seiwerath; dialect coach Jane Guyer; and stage manager Lee Micklin.

Performances of “Bossa Nova” are at 8 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, with 2 p.m. performances on Dec. 4, 8, 11 and 18. Opening night is Thursday, Dec. 2. Other special events include “Talk Back” discussions with members of the creative team after the 2 p.m. performance on Dec. 4 and the 8 p.m. performance on Dec. 9. A reception for graduate students begins at 7 p.m. on Dec. 4, and there will be a reception for senior citizens at 1 p.m. on Dec. 8. The 2 p.m. performance on Dec. 11 is open captioned, and the 2 p.m. show on Dec. 18 features audio description.

Tickets are $10-$85 and are available online at www.yalerep.org, by phone at 203-432-1234, and in person at the Yale Rep box office, 1120 Chapel St. Student, senior and group rates are also available.