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#ENOUGH: Plays to End Gun Violence

#ENOUGH: Plays to End Gun Violence

Center Stage Theater & the UCSB Initiative For New & Reimagined Work are proud to participate in the Nationwide Play Reading event #ENOUGH: Plays to End Gun Violence. On December 14, 2020 -- the 8-year remembrance of the shootings at Sandy Hook -- we debuted a virtual presentation of 7 new short plays along with 48 other theatres and schools across the country and abroad.
 
These seven plays were written by high school students and selected by a panel of nationally-recognized dramatists - Lauren Gunderson, Academy Award winner Tarell Alvin McCraney, Pulitzer Prize winner Robert Schenkkan, Tony Award winner David Henry Hwang, and Karen Zacarías - from a group of 184 submissions from twenty-three states and three countries in #ENOUGH’s call for teens to write 10-minute plays that confront the issue of gun violence.
 
The plays - all written by high school students - tackle gun violence through different lenses, from the threat of and anxiety over school shootings, police shooting, community violence, race, and gun culture in American history.
 
Working with 43 Santa Barbara area artists including UCSB and SBCC students, graduates and faculty we are excited to present performances of these seven great plays. The digital productions will be available through our website centerstagetheater.org and will include a post-show conversation.
 
More details on all seven winning playwrights, including bios and headshots, and their plays, can be found online here
 
About #ENOUGH: Plays to End Gun Violence: #ENOUGH: Plays to End Gun Violence is a theatre activism campaign launched by Michael Cotey in 2019. #ENOUGH strives to spark critical conversations and incite meaningful action in communities across the country on the issue of gun violence through the creation of new works of theatre by teens. # ENOUGH's mission is to promote playwriting as a tool of 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. enoughplays.com

The Plays

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 Nicole Zahner
               featuring Aaron Arpon, Johnnie Buhrer, Shirin Enayati, Jordan Finley, Sophie Swezey
               designer Allison McSwain

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 Daniel Blancho

               featuring Armando Garcia, Taylor Kirk, Allyson Nicholas, Verenice Zuniga
               designer Illan Chichportich

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 Jack Richman

               featuring Sheila Correa, Ethan Kim, Alyssa Longwill, Sara Neal, Jonah Spitler, Angel Villalobos, Grace Wilken
               designer Kai Kogo

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 Miriam Dance
               featuring Shekinah Bryant, Kaori Esparza, Maria Lopez, Shanel Ramirez
               designer Kai Kogo

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 Iris Skeen
               featuring Harry Davis, Francis Domingos, Ryan Hollon, Harut Simonian
               designer Sophie Lynd

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.
               directed by Shirley Jo Finney
               featuring Cyrus Roberts
               designer Vickie Scott

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 Natalie Kellogg

               featuring Megan Brown, Alexandra Singleton

The plays premiered Monday December 14th at 7:00 pm (PST) andt will be available for viewing through December 30.  Order your ticket and you will receive a confirmation, and on December 14th you will receive and email with a link to view the video presentation.

Reserve your ticket here.

PERFORMANCE PROGRAM

Tickets are free, but donations are greatly appreciated.  Donate here.

About

Center Stage Theater & the UCSB Initiative For New & Reimagined Work are proud to participate in the Nationwide Play Reading event #ENOUGH: Plays to End Gun Violence. On December 14, 2020 -- the 8-year remembrance of the shootings at Sandy Hook -- we debuted a virtual presentation of 7 new short plays along with 48 other theatres and schools across the country and abroad.
 
These seven plays were written by high school students and selected by a panel of nationally-recognized dramatists - Lauren Gunderson, Academy Award winner Tarell Alvin McCraney, Pulitzer Prize winner Robert Schenkkan, Tony Award winner David Henry Hwang, and Karen Zacarías - from a group of 184 submissions from twenty-three states and three countries in #ENOUGH’s call for teens to write 10-minute plays that confront the issue of gun violence.
 
The plays - all written by high school students - tackle gun violence through different lenses, from the threat of and anxiety over school shootings, police shooting, community violence, race, and gun culture in American history.
 
Working with 43 Santa Barbara area artists including UCSB and SBCC students, graduates and faculty we are excited to present performances of these seven great plays. The digital productions will be available through our website centerstagetheater.org and will include a post-show conversation.
 
More details on all seven winning playwrights, including bios and headshots, and their plays, can be found online here
 
About #ENOUGH: Plays to End Gun Violence: #ENOUGH: Plays to End Gun Violence is a theatre activism campaign launched by Michael Cotey in 2019. #ENOUGH strives to spark critical conversations and incite meaningful action in communities across the country on the issue of gun violence through the creation of new works of theatre by teens. # ENOUGH's mission is to promote playwriting as a tool of 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. enoughplays.com

The Plays

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 Nicole Zahner
               featuring Aaron Arpon, Johnnie Buhrer, Shirin Enayati, Jordan Finley, Sophie Swezey
               designer Allison McSwain

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 Daniel Blancho

               featuring Armando Garcia, Taylor Kirk, Allyson Nicholas, Verenice Zuniga
               designer Illan Chichportich

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 Jack Richman

               featuring Sheila Correa, Ethan Kim, Alyssa Longwill, Sara Neal, Jonah Spitler, Angel Villalobos, Grace Wilken
               designer Kai Kogo

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 Miriam Dance
               featuring Shekinah Bryant, Kaori Esparza, Maria Lopez, Shanel Ramirez
               designer Kai Kogo

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 Iris Skeen
               featuring Harry Davis, Francis Domingos, Ryan Hollon, Harut Simonian
               designer Sophie Lynd

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.
               directed by Shirley Jo Finney
               featuring Cyrus Roberts
               designer Vickie Scott

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 Natalie Kellogg

               featuring Megan Brown, Alexandra Singleton

The plays premiered Monday December 14th at 7:00 pm (PST) andt will be available for viewing through December 30.  Order your ticket and you will receive a confirmation, and on December 14th you will receive and email with a link to view the video presentation.
Reserve your ticket here.

PERFORMANCE PROGRAM

Tickets are free, but donations are greatly appreciated.  Donate here.