[NEohioPAL] SEAT OF THE PANTS Announces Summer 2017 Season: ACTS OF DISSENT

[Craig Joseph via NEohioPAL]

During the recent presidential campaign, on Election Night, and in the
months following, one thing has become abundantly clear: there's quite a
bit of discord and dissension in our country. Rallies that turn strident.
Debates that feel more like boxing matches. News programs that feel
increasingly polarized. On both sides, folks protest feeling marginalized,
unheard, fearful for their futures, and more. And it's everyone:
conservatives and liberals, Blacks and Whites, rural residents and city
dwellers, blue collar workers and white collar professionals, men and
women. Lots of talking at or above each other doesn't seem to make any
headway, and our leaders often model gridlock rather than compromise. What
can be done?

The theatre has a long tradition of being the place where battling
political ideologies, conflicting philosphical worldviews, and varying
theologies can be translated into captivating stories and performances.
With just a bit of distance, audience members can watch conflicts they may
have a stake in a bit more dispassionately and with a critical, rational
eye. Sometimes, these conflicts are lightened and made comedic; at other
times, allegory or metaphor soften the rancor; in the best case scenario,
watching a character onstage allows audience members to identify with and
begin to empathize with someone who looks and thinks much differently than
they do.

To that end, Seat of the Pants Productions is proud to present an entire
season of plays that do just this: dramatize and "storify" some of the
conflicts that exist in America today in an effort to move hearts and open
minds, thereby creating an avenue for increased understanding and potential
dialogue.

The plays are:

THAT CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON (a staged reading), by Jason Miller: Pulitzer
Prize winning play about 5 former basketball heroes gathered together to
reminisce about their glory days, bemoan their diminishing status in the
world as white men, and confront some ugly racism from their shared past.

   - Runs May 19-21 at the Founders Hall Theatre at Malone University,
   starring Bob McCoy, Aaron Brown, Michael Laymon, Stuart Hoffman, and Andrew
   Knode


CHESAPEAKE (a one man show), by Lee Blessing: A performance artist
retaliates against a conservative senator who revoked his NEA funding by
kidnapping the senator's dog. But when the artist and the dog die during
the attempt, the unthinkable happens - and the two men have to learn how to
get along.

   - Runs June 9-18 at the Black Box Theater at GlenOak High School,
   starring Craig Joseph


A BRIGHT ROOM CALLED DAY (full production), by Tony Kushner: a story of
artists banding together during the Weimar Republic to resist the Nazis
rise to power - poses some terrific questions about what art can (and
cannot) achieve in contemporary society.

   - Runs July 14-23 at the Black Box Theater at GlenOak High School,
   starring Olivia Wimberly, Justin Edenhofer, Rachel Kall, Natalie Welch,
   Richard Worswick, Moriah Roberts, Andy Simmons, Barbara Howitt, and more


THE CHRISTIANS (full production), by Lucas Hnath: When a pastor announces
to his congregation that he no longer believes in Hell and asks them to
take a more loving and open approach to the world around them, it shakes
the foundations that the church is built upon and creates many avenues for
discussion and dialogue.

   - Runs August 18-27 at a location to be determined, starring Scott
   Stachiw, Meg Hopp, Tom Stephan, Julie Connair, and more


Performances are always Friday and Saturday evenings at 8 PM and Sundays at
2 PM.
And our entire season is kindly underwritten in part by a grant from
ArtsinStark, the county arts council.

WE'D LOVE FOR YOU TO JOIN US! And here are two ways to be a part of the
season!


   1. *THROUGH MAY 15TH, buy a season pass to all 4 shows for the
   discounted rate of $50 at www.actsofdissent.eventbrite.com
   <http://www.actsofdissent.eventbrite.com/>. *You'll purchase your pass
   and then we'll follow up with a call to help you select your exact nights
   for each show.
   2. *OR AT ANY POINT, purchase tickets for individual shows,
   priced anywhere from $5 to $20, depending on the show. *Tickets will
   become available as the summer progresses. At current, you can buy tickets
   for the first show, THAT CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON, at
*www.championshipseason.eventbrite.com
   <http://www.championshipseason.eventbrite.com/>.*
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