Hello Friend,
Our time together is finite.
We know this – when we fall in love, when we make friends, when we become parents. Relationships expand our worlds, but increase our vulnerability and what we have to lose – exponentially so with parenting. We want our children to be safe and happy, but cannot prevent them from experiencing life.
In Romeo & Juliet: A Requiem, which opens next week, there is a notable absence: the children. We encounter the surviving adults one year after the young lovers' untimely deaths, unintentionally caused in an attempt to keep them safe. In the course of the play, these grieving parents piece together the story and relive the courtship of their children while they struggle to make sense of their own part in the tragedy.
Across the country, we are experiencing our own collective loss of youth. I think of the parents of the victims of Parkland, of Sandy Hook, of Columbine (19 years ago today); of Trayvon Martin’s parents, of Michael Brown’s, of Jordan Edwards’. What can we see of ourselves in the remaining Montagues and Capulets, the Friar and the Nurse? What divisiveness, hatred, fear, do we perpetuate, intentionally and unintentionally, that makes our young people more vulnerable? How do we honor lives gone too soon without normalizing these losses? How can we prevent such tragedy, individually and collectively? How will we demand more, now, beginning with ourselves?
With
care,
Marcie Bramucci,
Director of Community Investment
Samantha Reading and Zak Berkman teamed up as co-creators in the
reimagining of this six-actor, 90-minute re-telling of the classic tale. Stepping
into the roles of both surviving adults and the children they have lost are
long-time company members and People’s Light favorites Teri Lamm, Stephen
Novelli, Jeanne Sakata, Graham Smith, Marcia Saunders,
and Brian Anthony Wilson.
The cast of Romeo & Juliet: A Requiem at play with swords.
Thanks to Assistant Technical Director Dylan Jamison for this new view of the space!
Surrounding Romeo & Juliet: A Requiem
Engagement
AfterWORDS Join us for facilitated discussions with the cast following Thursday evening performances, beginning 5/10.
SCOOP on Wednesdays Resident Dramaturg Gina Pisasale hosts a member of the artistic team for a lively and informal conversation in the Haas lobby. Join us for a light bite at this freshly re-imagined pre-performance program, beginning 5/2. Tickets just 5 bucks, and now available online.
Relaxed Performance May 27th at 2pm
A live theatre experience that invites and encourages individuals with (but not limited to): Autism, ADD, ADHD, Dementia, and sensory sensitivities to all take part in the joy of live theatre. Find more info about accommodations made at relaxed performances here.
Audio Description & a Sensory Tour May 27th at 2pm
The pre-performance sensory tour allows patrons the opportunity to experience key props and costume pieces up close. You can register with the box office at 610.644.3500 to participate in the tour, which begins at 1:15pm.
Open Caption performances will be 5/16 at 2pm & 7:30pm and 5/20 at 2pm. These performances feature an LED screen above the stage that displays dialogue in real-time. If you are interested in Open Caption services, please notify the box office when reserving your tickets so we can seat you in the ideal section.
Assisted Listening Devices, as well as T-Coil compatability, are available at the box office to enhance your experience of the performance.
Large Print Programs are always available at the Will Call desk for your convenience.
Final Bow
We're all rocking out with capes on after Jen Childs' whirlwind few weeks on our stage that ended with 2 straight weeks of sold-out performances! Jen garnered well-deserved praise from audience and press alike - Rebecca Rendell (Talkin' Broadway) even remarked that it takes her 40 minutes to drive to People's Light, but she "would walk to Malvern to see I Will Not Go Gently." You can find Jen back at 1812 this month, directing Michael Hollinger's new comedy Hope & Gravity, featuring David Ingram and New Play Frontiers Associate Suli Holum.
Coming Soon
Skeleton Crew previews begin June 13th, which means rehearsals start next month! Playwright Dominique Morisseau will also be sharing her brand new, West Chester-inspired play Mud Row (the second NPF play to come to fruition, formally premiering in our 18-19 season) at this year's first Community Matters reading on May 21st. Stay tuned for details.
The Gospel at Colonus resurrected in Philly
In July of 1995, you may recall The Gospel at Colonus
opened at People’s Light during Free Fest. That summer was a scorcher and yet,
despite the heat, people of all backgrounds and ages from across the region
came together for a joyous evening of story and song.
This May, People’s Light co-founder Danny Fruchter resurrects Colonus in a
production he directs with 60+ singers, musicians, and actors – including Peter DeLaurier and many original cast
members – designed by James F. Pyne, Jr. at the First Unitarian Church in Philadelphia.
This on-your-feet, joyful musical theatre experience is a re-telling of the Oedipus myth. The ancient story of suffering and forgiveness fuses with the preaching cadences and ecstatic song of the African-American church. Performances run May 17-27. People’s Light subscribers may use discount code PLTVIP for half-priced tickets. Click here for tickets and details.
“At the end of the evening, people in the audience who otherwise would never have nodded to each other are hugging like old friends.” The Daily Local News
Theatre News
Laughter and Light
Our annual auction last Friday was a sparkling success! 130 of you joined us to participate in the evening's fun (and games - a wine toss!), featuring Jen Childs performing as the inimitable Frida from I Will Not Go Gently. We had many happy bidders, two very excited winners of a trip to Iceland, and together... we raised $150,000 for Arts Discovery!
Photos by Eve Trojanov
Did you know? We have a Blog!
The People's Light blog launched along with our new website back in January. We'll keep you updated whenever there's a juicy new story, but you can access it any time by clicking right here. A great place to start would be with this lovely, thoughtful post written by Anne Frank dramaturg Alix Rosenfeld:
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Respect & Curiosity
Back in October 2017, a surprise email from Producing Director Zak Berkman appeared in my inbox gauging my interest in joining the team as production dramaturg for The Diary of Anne Frank. Towards the bottom of the message, he wrote, “There will be a multi-racial cast for the production, an approach informed by extensive conversations with a wide number of friends and allies, as well as local and national leaders in the Jewish community, arts leaders, leaders in Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion, and more.”
Cue the head tilt.
It might come as a surprise to learn that I wasn’t immediately on board with People’s Light’s decision to do The Diary 0f Anne Frank
with a multi-racial cast. I’m an Ashkenazi Jewish woman, and with the
many conversations in Philadelphia and beyond surrounding
representation, I knew that this production was going to ...read more.
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