By Caryl Churchill Directed by Ashley Malafronte Stage Managed by Fiona Grand
Show Dates: Nov 1-4 @7pm; Nov 3 @ 4pm & 7pm PPAS Black Box
Synopsis: This timely drama resulted from a trip to Romania. Developed with students from London’s Central School of Drama, this is an incisive portrait of a society in turmoil that focuses on two families to reveal what life is like under a totalitarian regime and what results when the regime collapses. The play’s brief scenes are almost cinematic in their presentation of events as seen by ordinary people trying to live in peace.
We’re thrilled to invite you to a special Parent Mixer event – an evening of camaraderie, connections, and a touch of excitement, all while supporting Waterwell’s Back to School kickoff!
Join us for a relaxed and enjoyable get-together as we get to know each other better and celebrate the start of the school year! It’s a wonderful opportunity to connect with fellow parents and caregivers, meet the Waterwell team, share stories, and make new friends. The ambiance will be vibrant, snacks will be provided, and you’ll have the chance to enjoy a cash bar with your favorite drinks, and a portion of all proceeds from the evening will be donated directly to Waterwell. Your participation will contribute to the wonderful work we do.
But wait, there’s more! We’ve prepared an INCREDIBLE raffle that you won’t want to miss out on. Raffle tickets are available for purchase now or in person at the event, and every penny raised will go towards supporting Waterwell’s back-to-school initiative.
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.
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
Henry IV Directed by Amara Aja Stage Management by Rebecca Berger Assistant Director/Stage Managed by Fiona Grand Sound Design by Johnny Hamilton-Janak
LUCILLE LORTEL’S NYC PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOL PLAYWRITING FELLOWSHIP
An exciting NYC ten-minute play festival partnership focused on sparking and showcasing youth creative voices. The contest culminates with an evening of staged readings with professional actors of these original student one-act plays.
Fellows will have:
access to NYC professional playwright mentors
their plays published in a Lortel Play anthology
access to tickets to a Broadway show, and a certificate of recognition.
Roe, by Lisa Loomer Directed by Heather Lanza Stage Managed by Anna Wheeler
Performances Dates/Times: Weds Nov 16 @ 7 PM Thurs Nov 17 @ 7 PM Fri Nov 18 @ 2 PM and 7 PM Sat Nov 19 @ 7 PM
Location: PPAS Mainstage in the Auditorium
All ticket sales and donations support the PPAS PTA.
Synopsis: Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 case that legalized abortion, is still fiercely debated over forty years later. In this incisive play, acclaimed writer Lisa Loomer cuts through the headlines and rhetoric to reveal the divergent personal journeys of lawyer Sarah Weddington and plaintiff Norma McCorvey (“Jane Roe”) in the years following the fateful decision. In turns shocking, humorous, and poignant, ROE reflects the polarization in America today while illuminating the heart and passion each side has for its cause.
Stagedoor Manor is the preeminent theater camp in the United States. Located in the beautiful Catskill Mountains, in Sullivan County, NY, Stagedoor has available several FULL SCHOLARSHIPS to attend their program next summer (2023).
What: Full scholarship to attend Stagedoor Manor.
Where: Loch Sheldrake, NY (2 1/2 hrs north of NYC).
When: Session #3, July 24th, to August 13th, 2023.
Who: High school musical theater students, grades 9 – 11.
Last month, the morality police forcibly arrested Kurdish woman, Mahsa (Jina) Amini, for supposedly wearing her hijab “incorrectly.” Days later, after suffering through a 3-day coma, Jina died under the custody of the police. The details about her cause of death are still being investigated but this news sparked outrage amongst the Iranian people.
Heartbreakingly, a teenage protester, 16-year-old Nika Shakarami has also been killed while protesting for Jina and the right’s of other Iranian women. Many young people and protestors have sadly been severely injured or killed, as the Iranian government attempts to stop the protesting.
Here is a news article by Bassé Digé, an Iranian woman, which further contextualizes the events with a cultural and personal lens.
Below is a list of people you can follow to STAY INFORMED. And, continue to SHARE the content and use hashtags #MahsaAmini and #NikiShakarami.
It is especially important to do so because authorities in Iran have shut down most access to the internet and social media.
