Quick hits:
-ENOUGH: Plays against Gun Violence reading on December 14th at 7:30 in the PAC
-Free admission, but donations to Wisconsin Anti-Violence Effort (WAVE) graciously accepted
–Participation signup link for students HERE
We’re smack in the middle of our fall radio play series, and our second of three radio plays, An Evening With Sherlock Holmes, is just a week away. But we’ve got another project coming up this December that we are very much looking forward to!
The project is called ENOUGH: Plays Against Gun Violence. It’s an initiative started by South Milwaukee theater alumnus Michael Cotey, who now works in the midwest (based out of Chicago) as a highly talented theater director and artist.
Here’s some information about the mission of the organization, from its website:
#ENOUGH: Plays to End Gun Violence calls on teens to confront gun violence by creating new works of theatre that will spark critical conversations and incite meaningful action in communities across the country. Our mission is to promote playwriting as a tool for self-expression and social change, harnessing this generation’s spirit of activism and providing a platform for America’s playwrights of tomorrow to discover and develop their voices today.
From Michael:
I launched #ENOUGH in 2019 shortly after the consecutive mass shootings in El Paso, TX and Dayton, OH. By then I had already witnessed a powerful youth movement emerge shortly after the senseless shooting in Parkland, FL the year prior. March for Our Lives, Students Demand Action and other activist groups were organized, passionate, and rightfully angry. Young people took to the streets (and continue to do so) to manifest the change they wanted to see in the world while policymakers continuously failed to rise to the challenge.
I was inspired. The purpose of #ENOUGH became clear: lend our stages to amplify this growing voice so that it continues to be heard.
The “meaningful action” our Thespians have chosen to take with this project is to accept donations for the Wisconsin Anti-Violence Effort (WAVE), a statewide grassroots organization dedicated to preventing gun violence, injuries and deaths through education and advocacy.
The event we’re hosting is on Monday, December 14th at 7 PM in the PAC. Admission is free, but donations to WAVE will be accepted at the door.
The evening will feature readings of seven 10-minute plays written by the winning high school students of a national play-writing competition. These readings are directed by Thespian students Alex Trevithick, Kal Knight, Kaylyn Hipsley, Nathan Kujawa, Shelby Morgan and Shyann McIntosh.
Each of the plays focuses on different experiences with gun violence, primarily in schools, and how that violence affects different communities and demographics.
Below is a quick overview of the short plays we will be presenting.
We hope you will join us on the evening of December 14th for this special event!
MS. MARTIN’S MALAISE By Adelaide Fisher
Ms. Martin is an ordinary high school teacher, trying to deal with the everyday stress and worrying ‘what-ifs’ of 21st century teaching. But when her worst fears come true, and she is forced to make a difficult decision and an even more difficult confrontation, what will she do? And how will she move forward from it?
Directed by Nathan Kujawa
GUNS IN DRAGONLAND By Eislinn Gracen
During a recess like any other, Lilah Gordon and her best friend/imaginary dragon, Toucan, set off on a special adventure to help Lilah earn dragon wings of her own. But things go awry when a mysterious noise from her nearby school compels the duo to embark on the biggest quest they have ever encountered.
Directed by Shyann McIntosh
TOGETHA By Azya Lyons
Imani, Aiyanna, Chayenne, and Aaliyah have just graduated high school and are celebrating at a party in their honor. All seems to be going well until a fatal incident happens, leaving the remaining girls reeling.
Directed by Kal Knight
MALCOLM By Debkanya Mitra
Four individuals tell the story of Malcolm, a Black folk musician whose quest through the Eastern Seaboard to find himself was violently interrupted, painting an evocative picture of the connection shared among strangers through a single life.
Directed by Kaylyn Hipsley
GHOST GUN By Olivia Ridley
Propelled by the urgency of his own decay and desperate to be heard, BLACK BOY delivers his “villain’s monologue” – a parting speech typically delivered to a hero before their death – to his audience held at gunpoint.
HULLABALOO By Sarah Schecter
In this re-imagining of Buffalo Bill’s storytelling and P.T. Barnum’s grandeur, a ringleader explores the fusion of American myth and gun culture through four acts of an incredible spectacle – and a show gone terribly wrong.
Directed by Shelby Morgan
LOADED LANGUAGE By Elizabeth Shannon
When a rumor about a school shooter begins to circulate, Kiersa and her friends must decide what they should do to protect their classmates before it is too late.
Directed by Alex Trevithick
“Becca and Howie Corbett have a picture-perfect family life in the suburbs of New York until a random, tragic accident takes the life of their four-year old son. Soon after, Becca’s younger, irresponsible sister, Izzy, announces that she is pregnant: there will now be a new child in the family. As Becca and Howie grow apart, Becca’s mother, Nat, badgers Becca about her grieving process, and Jason, the young driver who killed their son, continually shows up to ask forgiveness, the group is on a bumpy road to healing with no road map in sight. Rabbit Hole delves into the complexity of a family navigating deep grief, and learning what it means to live a fruitful life when things fall apart.”
