Kill The Messengeris a biting apocalyptic satire, raising critical questions about whose lives are protected in modern society. “I hope people walk away from this play thinking — not so much about what is right or wrong in regards to any of the topics brought up — but rather, I hope people reflect more deeply on how difficult it is to make decisions and policies that are just and acknowledge all of the different needs of our collective community.”
– Playwright, Liz MorganDrama 4: New Works Lab ’23
Kill the Messenger A New Play by LIZ MORGAN Directed by Michael Raine Commissioned by Waterwell
March 29th-April 1st at 7pm with an additional 4pm show on 3/31.
It Will or It Won’t is a musical revue that examines the unique and varied relationships we encounter in our lives. Using familiar tunes from the musical theatre and pop canons, the audience will be introduced to a wide range of characters, many of whom find themselves at a difficult crossroads. Conceived by the cast, this show explores romantic and familial relationships, friendships, and the journey toward self-love and acceptance in the face of doubt. With humor, honesty, and tremendous heart, It Will or It Won’t reminds us to continue learning and letting go, no matter which way things turn out.
Directed/ Music Directed by Marissa Davis Stage Managed by Alyssa Wortman Assistant Stage Manager Aurora Pagan Line Produced by Jane Kehoe & Christina Gonzalez & Heather Lanza
Featuring the Waterwell Drama Program Theater Arts Class of 2023, 2024 & 2025
In the spirit of cooperation, six of the nation’s top liberal arts colleges—Amherst, Bowdoin, Carleton, Pomona, Swarthmore, and Williams—are joining forces to offer you an opportunity to connect with our deans of admission as they reflect on this year’s application season and help you prepare for the season ahead.
Student Events — Help us spread the word.
We’re hosting events for students and their families to help answer questions about the college search process. Students can register here.
Junior Jumpstart – March 14 at 8 pm EDT Home Away from Home: A Conversation for International Students – March 28 at 8:30 am EDT Fly-in Programs and Other Ways to Get to Know Us – April 19 at 8 pm EDT
The Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) is the nation’s largest youth employment program, connecting NYC youth between the ages of 14 and 24 with career exploration opportunities and paid work experience each summer.
Through SYEP, participants can explore different interests and career pathways, develop productive workplace habits, and engage in learning experiences that strengthen their social, civic, and leadership skills.
By participating in structured project and work-based opportunities, NYC youth are better prepared for careers of the future.
See link below to apply and if students need assistance they should email or come see Dr. Davis in the Learning Center.
The in-school SAT and PSAT is on Wednesday, March 22nd. The test will begin at 9am. Students MUST arrive 15 minutes before the scheduled start time at 8:45 AM and report to their assigned classroom. Classroom assignments will be posted at PPAS.
All backpacks, coats, cell phones, and other personal belongings are not allowed in the testing room. These items must be secured in lockers before reporting to testing rooms.
Note that Performing Arts classes are still scheduled for the day. After the exam, you will have time to take lunch and then report to PA classes. (The small number of students that have been allowed extra time by the College Board will be excused for lateness to PA Classes.)
Here are some reminders and information students will need for test day. *Two sharpened #2 pencils with soft erasures. No pens or mechanical pencils. *Acceptable calculator with working batteries (https://satsuite.collegeboard.org/sat/what-to-bring-do/calculator-policy) *Water Bottle *Snack for breaks *A good attitude
We recommend that you spend some time with the appropriate resources listed below:
Announcing… Waterwell’s 12th Annual New Works Lab!
Each year, Waterwell’s New Works Lab program commissions a professional playwright to write a complex, thematically rich new play for the senior class of Waterwell Drama Students as their culminating experience at PPAS.
Proud to Introduce…Playwright Liz Morgan & New Play Kill The Messenger!
Playwright Liz Morgan
Q: Where did you find the inspiration behind Kill The Messenger? A: Thinking about Covid, people’s response to crisis and the rules that we make, and then the history of our responses to crisis: how we decide what safety means, what are the rules around who even gets a say about policy, and the exhaustion of trying to figure it all out in a way that mitigates harm. All of the sudden, Noah’s Ark just started bubbling in my head. This was one idea that I wanted to bring to the students and see if they have similar interest in identity and policy and politics and how all of those things start to swirl together when people tell you ‘hey the world is in crisis’ or ‘hey the world is ending.’ How do different communities come together to devise and execute a plan that works for everybody?
Q: You had the opportunity to lead a series of devising workshops in the fall with the students. How did the devising workshops with the class of 2023 inform your writing? A: So much of [the play] is inspired by what they did in the devising workshops. [There’s a certain scene] that was completely born out of the student’s invention. They showed me what kind of plots were exciting to them. Some individuals showed us what kinds of characters they excel at playing. One student in particular, after the workshops, I knew I had to write a villain for them to play because they were so talented at creating high status characters with a streak of evil. I found them very funny in the devising workshops which empowered me to write some biting satire- our first week was about discovering if we’re prepared to use comedy to talk about difficult topics. I’m still learning where my style and the aesthetics of the class intersect.
Q: Inspiration behind the piece (cont.) A: I’ve always felt like the animal kingdom has been a great reminder for me that there are so many other ways to build family, to build community, to decide who’s the hunter and who’s the gatherer, and so that obsession for me definitely played out when I wrote. [The play is] putting on stage some of those connections so people can start to think a little bit more about what we’re doing in the human world by looking at the animals.
Kill The Messenger Synopsis: An apocalyptic flood of biblical proportions is on its way, and there is only one person who can save mankind: Noah Banks, a famous megachurch preacher with access to a swanky superyacht. As his community of family and friends struggle and scheme — each to secure a place on this modern-day ark — news spreads throughout the animal kingdom that their salvation is in the hands of Noah and his God as well. What ensues is a fight between the power of faith and the power of the masses to decide the fate of planet earth and its inhabitants of every kind.
LIZ MORGAN is a multi-hyphenate theatre artist. Her plays have been developed with The Fire This Time Festival, The Lark, Fresh Ground Pepper, Liberation Theatre Company, Judson Arts, Rising Circle, Rites & Reason Theatre, and National Black Theatre where she was named a finalist for the I AM SOUL Playwrights’ Residency.
Liz’s plays include her solo show, Deep $h*t, as well as Deliver: Letters to the Motherland from a Foreign Body (2019 Kilroys List Honorable Mention), Breaking & Entering, A Matter of Taste, Our Father and The Clark Doll which was nominated for a 2018 Drammy Award in the category of Best Original Script after its west coast premiere. www.LizMorganOnline.com
