SHOW GUIDE

Theatre and Dance at WayneMaggie Allesee Department of Theatre and DanceCollege of Fine, Performing and Communication ArtsWAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY

BOX OFFICE Hilberry Theatre, 4743 Cass Ave., Detroit, MI 48202 313-577-2972 ADMINISTRATION 4841 Cass Ave., Ste. 3206, Detroit, MI 48202 313-577-3508MARKETING 4841 Cass Ave., Ste. 3206, Detroit, MI 48202 313-577-3010 John Wolf, Chair and Executive Producer

theatreanddanceatwayne.com | theatreanddance.wayne.edu

SHOW GUIDECopyright 2018

DRAMATURG Meccah MartinGRAPHIC DESIGN Thomas Karr

All rights reserved. With the exception of classroom use by teachers and individual personal use, no part of this Show Guide may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording, or by an information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. Some materials published herein are written especially for our Guide. Others are reprinted by permission of their publishers.

InsideTHE PLAY

Synopsis, Characters, Setting 2Inspiration, Production History 3

THE CREATORSThe Playwright 4

CURRICULUM SUPPORTActivities presented assist in achieving the Michigan Common Core State Standards (MI-CCSS)

Speaking and Listening 5-6Writing 6-7History/Social Studies 7Differentiated Learning Activities 8-9

THE THEATRELocation and Seating 10First Time Visitor’s Guide 11

MORE TO SEE 12

Dear Educators

Wayne State University is proud to produce plays for young people’s enjoyment and to actively explore the beauty, diversity, complexity and challenges of the world around them through the dramatic arts. We wish to support the development of their creative voice, imagination, and understanding of drama and its role in our global society.

This play guide is designed to be a tool in helping you prepare your students for our performance as well as extend the production experience back into the classroom.

Activities presented assist in achieving the Michigan Common Core State Standards (MI-CCSS).

Your comments and suggestions about this guide, presentation and/or programming are welcome. Email theatrepr@wayne.edu.

Your Students’ Role

You may wish to have a discussion with your students before attending the play. Remind your students that they have an important role to play at the performance being the audience. It is because of the audience that the theatre exists. It will be their energy and response that will directly affect the actors onstage.

Young audiences should be reminded that live theatre is not like watching TV, a movie or DVD; the actors cannot pause or be rewound, there are no commercial breaks for running to the bathroom, the volume cannot be turned up to hear better if someone other than the actors are talking.

Encourage your students to listen and watch the play. They can laugh and cheer for their favorite characters. At the end of the play, applause is appropriate and is the opportunity for your students to thank the actors while the actors are thanking you for the role you played as the audience.

IMPORTANT!

Sweat includes several moments of profanity. If you have concerns about language, please speak with our Group Sales Coordinator at 313-577-0852 or email groupsales@wayne.edu.

SHOW GUIDE • 2

The Play

Synopsis

Sweat takes place in a bar located in Reading, Pennsylvania and follows a group of friends over a period of eight years as their friendships, and group dynamics change. Unknown to them their lives are uprooted as their steel mill, Olstead’s, makes some “adjustments”, and the blood, sweat, and tears, not to mention the generations of allegiance shown by their employees, seem to mean nothing. As rumors start flying that the company is considering layoffs, and flyers are hung to recruit non-union Latino workers for less money, the war between community and capitalism begins, and tensions start destroying not only jobs, but also relationships.

Lynn Nottage’s, Sweat, provides us with the tools to reflect on your own views, and the views of others. It is a story told through a historic lens that speaks volumes of the effects a de-industrial revolution town has on its residents, and it delves into the many issues of today stimming from the economy, immigration, race-relations, and politics.

CharactersEVAN, parole officer

JASON, Tracey’s son, and Chris’s best friend

CHRIS, son of Cynthia and Brucie, and Jason’s best friend

STAN, manager of the bar

OSCAR, man who works at the bar

TRACEY, Jason’s mother and friends with Cynthia and Jessie

CYNTHIA, Chris’ mother and friends with Tracey and Jessie

JESSIE, Tracey’s son, and Chris’ best friend

BRUCIE, Cynthia’s estranged husband

The PlayInspiration for Sweat

Lynn Nottage began working on the play in 2011 by interviewing numerous residents of Reading, Pennsylvania, which at the time was, according to the United States Census Bureau, officially one of the poorest cities in America, with a poverty rate of over 40%.

Nottage has said that she was particularly influenced by a New York Times article reporting on the city specifically, and by the Occupy Wall Street movement more generally.

She explored the effects on residents of the loss of heavy industry and the changing ethnic composition of the city. She has compared her time talking to former steelworkers in Reading with the occasion when she stayed in the town of Mansfield in the English Midlands and interviewed workers during the 1984 miners’ strike. Nottage, spent over two years interviewing people in Reading, Pennsylvania, listening to their stories, experiences, and perspectives. Her work, Sweat, reflects these stories, and gives insight as to how a town that is changed by econmic hardship challenges the people and the relationships they form.

Sweat was first performed at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in 2015 before playing at the Arena Stage in Washington, D.C. that year.

Sweat opened Off-Broadway at The Public Theater on November 3, 2016. It closed on December 18, 2016 to transfer to Broadway. Directed by Kate Whoriskey (who also directed the earlier productions), the cast featured Carlo Alban (Oscar), James Colby (Stan), Khris Davis (Chris), Johanna Day (Tracey), John Earl Jelks (Brucie), Will Pullen (Jason), Miriam Shor (Jessie), Lance Coadie Williams (Evan), and Michelle Wilson (Cynthia).

The production began previews on Broadway at Studio 54 on March 4, 2017, before opening on March 26. The production closed on June 25, 2017, after 105 performances.

A London production began playing at the Donmar Warehouse on 7 December 2018, running until 2 February 2019. The play was directed by Lynette Linton, and featured Clare Perkins and Martha Plimpton as the mothers and Osy Ikhile (Chris) and Parick Gibson (Jason). The production will transfer to the West End’s Guielgud Theatre, running from 7 June 2019 to 20 July.

Reading, Pennsylvania 2013

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The Broadway cast of Sweat. Photo by Joan MarcusWith: Carlo Alban, James Colby, Khris Davis, Johanna Day, John Earl Jelks, Will Pullen,

Lance Coadie Williams, Michelle Wilson, Alison Wright.

The CreatorPlaywright Lynn Nottage

Lynn Nottage is a Pulitzer Prize -winning playwright and a screenwriter. Her plays have been produced widely in the United States and throughout the world. Her most recent play, Mlima’s Tale, premiered at the Public Theater in May 2018. In the spring of 2017, Sweat (Pulitzer Prize, Obie Award, Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, Tony Nomination, Drama Desk Nomination) moved to Broadway after a sold out run at The Public Theater. It premiered and was commissioned by Oregon

Shakespeare Festival American Revolutions History Cycle/Arena Stage.

Other plays include By The Way, Meet Vera Stark (Lilly Award, Drama Desk Nomination), Ruined (Pulitzer Prize, OBIE, Lucille Lortel, New York Drama Critics’ Circle, Audelco, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle Award), Intimate Apparel (American Theatre Critics and New York Drama Critics’ Circle Awards for Best Play), Fabulation, or The Re-Education of Undine (OBIE Award), Crumbs from the Table of Joy, Las Meninas, Mud, River, Stone, Por’knockers and POOF! She developed This is Reading, a performance installation based on two years of interviews, at the Franklin Street, Reading Railroad Station in Reading, PA in July 2017. She is working with composer Ricky Ian Gordon on adapting her play Intimate Apparel into an opera, commissioned by The Met/LCT. She is currently an artist-in-residence at the Park Avenue Armory.

Nottage is currently writing the book for the world premiere musical adaptation of Sue Monk Kidd’s novel The Secret Life of Bees, with music by Duncan Sheik and lyrics by Susan Birkenhead. It will premiere at the Atlantic Theatre Company starting on May 10, 2019, directed by Sam Gold.

She is the co-founder of the production company, Market Road Films, whose most recent projects include The Notorious Mr. Bout directed by Tony Gerber and Maxim Pozdorovkin (Premiere/Sundance 2014), First to Fall directed by Rachel Beth Anderson (Premiere/ IDFA, 2013) and Remote Control (Premiere/Busan 2013- New Currents Award). Over the years, she has developed original projects for HBO, Sidney Kimmel Entertainment, Showtime, This is That and Harpo. She is writer/producer on the Netflix series She’s Gotta Have It, directed by Spike Lee.

Nottage is the recipient of a MacArthur “Genius Grant” Fellowship, Steinberg “Mimi” Distinguished Playwright Award,PEN/Laura Pels Master Playwright Award, Merit and Literature Award from The Academy of Arts and Letters, Columbia University Provost Grant, Doris Duke Artist Award, The Joyce Foundation Commission Project & Grant, Madge Evans-Sidney Kingsley Award, Nelson A. Rockefeller Award for Creativity, The Dramatists Guild Hull-Warriner Award, the inaugural Horton Foote Prize,Helen Hayes Award, the Lee Reynolds Award, and the Jewish World Watch iWitness Award. Her other honors include the National Black Theatre Fest’s August Wilson Playwriting Award, a Guggenheim Grant, Lucille Lortel Fellowship and Visiting Research Fellowship at Princeton University. She is a graduate of Brown University and the Yale School of Drama. She is also an Associate Professor in the Theatre Department at Columbia School of the Arts.

Nottage is a board member for BRIC Arts Media Bklyn, Donor Direct Action, Dramatist Play Service, Second Stage and the Dramatists Guild. She recently completed a three-year term as an Artist Trustee on the Board of the Sundance Institute. She is member of the The Dramatists Guild and WGAE.

http://www.lynnnottage.com/about.html

SHOW GUIDE • 4

Awards and Accolades

In 2017, Sweat was nominated for numerous awards, including the

Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Play and Outstanding Fight

Choreography, the Obie Award for Playwrighting for its run at the Public

Theater, three Tony Award nominations for Best Play and Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play

for both Johanna Day and Michelle Wilson.

Curriculum SupportSPEAKING AND LISTENING[Sharing of any writing project orally in class will also fit under the Speaking and Listening (SL) Standard]

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.1.1, 2.1Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade level topics and txt with peers and adults in small and larger groups.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.3.1, 4.1, 5.1, 7.1, 8.1, [9-10.1, 11-12.1]Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in small groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade level topics and text, building on others; ideas and expressing their own clearly [and persuasively].

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.1.1, [2.4]Describe people, places, things and events with relevant details, expressing ideas and feel-ings clearly [audibly in coherent sentences].

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.3.4, [4.4, 5.4]Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount and experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details [to support main idea or theme] speaking clearly at an under-standable pace.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.6.4, 7.4, 8.4Present claims and findings, emphasizing salient points in a focused, coherent manner with relevant evidence, sound valid reasoning, and well-chosen details: appropriate eye contact, adequate volume and clear pronunciation.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.4, 11-12.4Present information, findings, and supportive evidence, conveying a clear and distinct perspective, such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning, alternative or opposing perspectives are addressed, and the organization, development, substance, and style are appropriate to purpose, audience and range of formal and informal task.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.6.6, 7.6, 8.6, 9-10.6, 11-12.6Adapt speech to a variety of context and task, demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or appropriate.

Pre-Show Questions:1. Have you seen any live performances on stage before? What are your expectations

about what you will see on stage in this production?2. Based on what you already know about the play, how do you anticipate that production

elements like light, sound, costumes, sets, and characters will come together in the play?

3. How do you cope with stress and/or hardship? Have your methods or strategies changed over time? How do times of stress and hardship affect your relationships with others?

4. The story takes place during a time of de-industrialization, and an unstable economy. What do you predict will happen to the relationships between the characters in the play, based on these economic factors?

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.9, 2.9, 3.9, (5.9, 6.9) SHOW GUIDE • 5

Compare and contrast the adventures and experience of characters in stories. (in different forms or genres in terms of their approaches to similar themes and topics)

SPEAKING AND LISTENING continued

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.7Compare and contrast the experience of reading a story, drama, or poem to listening to or viewing an audio, video, or live version of the text, including contrasting what they “see” and “hear” when reading the text to what the perceive when they listen or watch.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.7.7Compare and contrast a written story, drama or poem to its audio, film, staged or multimedia version, analyze the effects of techniques unique to each medium (e.g.lighting, sound, color, or camera focus and angles in a film).

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.8.7Analyze the extent to which a filmed or live production of a story or drama stays faithful to or departs from the text or script, evaluating the choices made by thedirector or actors.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.7Analyze multiple interpretations of a story, drama, or poem (e.g. recorded or live production of a play or recorded novel or poetry) evaluating how each versioninterprets the source text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.(6.2) 7.2, 8.2, [9-10.2, 11-12.2]Determine (a theme) two or more themes or central ideas of a text and analyze their devel-opment over the course of the text, including its relationship to the characters, setting, and plot; [including how they interact and build on one another to produce a complex account: provide an objective summary of the text.]

WRITING

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.1.3, 2.3, 3.3Write narratives in which they recount a well elaborated event or short sequence of events, include details to describe actions, thought, and feelings, use temporalwords to signal event order, and provide a sense of closure.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.3, 5.3, 6.3, 7.3, 8.3, 9-10.3, 11-12.3Writes narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective techniques, descriptive details, and clear event sequence.

WRITING continued

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.1.1, [2.1]Write opinion piece in which they introduce the topic or name of book they are writ-ing about, state an opinion, supply a reasons for the opinion, and provide some

Curriculum Support

Sweat2016 Off Broadway Cast

James Colby (Stan)

Khris Davis (Chris)

Johanna Day (Tracey)

John Earl Jelks (Brucie)

SHOW GUIDE • 6

sense of closure. [use linking words to connect the opinion and reasons, and provide a concluding statement or section]

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.1, 4.1, 5.1Write opinion pieces on topics or text, supporting a point of view with reasons and information.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.6.1, 7.1, 8.1, [9-10.1, 11-12.1]Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence. [Write an argument to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or text, usingvalid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence]

HISTORY/SOCIAL STUDIES

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.11-12.3Evaluate various explanation for actions or events and determine which explanation best accords with textural evidence acknowledging where the text leaves mattersuncertain.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.6Identify aspects of a text that reveals an author’s point of view or purpose (e.g. load-ed language, inclusion or avoidance of particular facts)

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.9-10.6Compare the point of view of two or more authors for how they treat the same or similar topics, including which details they include and emphasize in their respectiveaccounts.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.11-12.6Evaluate author’s differing points of views on the same historical events or issues by assessing the authors’ claims, reasoning and evidence.

Post Show Questions

1. What themes and ideas did you see occur within the work?2. Did you notice any metaphors or symbols within the play?3. How do you think the characters communicated with each other? Consider

factors like friendship, race-relations, and economics.4. Were there any technical elements that stood out the most during the produc-

tion that might of added to the story? (i.e. costumes, set design, lighting)

Curriculum Support

Sweat2016 Off Broadway Cast

(continued)

Will Pullen (Jason)

Miriam Shor (Jessie)

Lance Coadie Williams (Evan)

Michelle Wilson (Cynthia)

SHOW GUIDE • 7

Curriculum SupportDIFFERENTIATED LEARNING ACTIVITIES(modify as needed to meet the needs of your students)

Objective: Defining and Explaining Intersectionality

Intersectionality is the study of how various forms of oppression, discrimination, domination, and other social process intersect and influence each other. For exam-ple, students in schools can belong to more than one marginalized group. A student may identify as being culturally different from his or her classmates, belong to a different socio-economic group, and may also identify as gay. This student’s expe-rience would be different than someone who is of a similar cultural and socio-eco-nomic group as the majority of the class, but who also identifies as gay. Though these two students have an identity in common, their experiences in and around the classroom would likely be quite different because of their unique outlooks, as well as their unique social and cultural circumstances. They may not benefit from the same types of supports and would likely need educators and administration in schools to support and nurture their needs differently. An intersectional education lens takes various social, historical, and political processes into consideration in order to best understand how to support the wide range of experiences of diverse students (Ontario Institute for Studies in Education).

Step One: Using tape, chalk, or some other marker, draw five intersecting lines on the floor so that there is one point of intersection in the middle and ten spokes radiating out from the center of the wheel. Label the lines Class, Gender, Sexual Orientation, Racial/Ethnic Background, and Able-Bodiedness.

Step Two: Break the students into groups of 6. Each group should be assigned one character from the play. One student will stand at the center of the wheel. The other 5 students will stand by one of the labels and characterize that designation (Class, Gender, etc.).

Step Three: The student in the center will choose one of the others at random; they will together debate and discuss the ways in which injustice or discrimination mani-fests itself for the character with respect to the given mode of identity.

Step Four: Next, the student will rotate, but instead of addressing the next consider-ation on its own, he or she will do so in light of the previous designation, and so on, through all five considerations. As the students cycle through the various points of intersectionality, they will see how modes of discrimination build upon each other, so that the complex experiences and perspectives of any given individual can be understood as the whole of many parts.

Note: This activity can be done in one large group, with the “off-groups” acting as audience members, or it can be done simultaneously on as many wheels as there are groups. Moreover,the activity can be done with a student’s personal identity if they feel comfortable and a respectful learning environment has been established, but

Among many other awards, Sweat was

awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2017.

SHOW GUIDE • 8

Curriculum Supportthis is not a requirement.

Step Five: Opportunity to reflect. Students are to reflect, in a written journal entry, on how the activity has altered their perception of how discrimination works; and, specifically, on how it affects the character their group was assigned. Next, they are to reflect on the various intersections of their own identities.

The Arts Club Theatre Company, writers Liam Monaghan, Kerri Lee and Becky Gold

SHOW GUIDE • 9

More Works by Lynn Nottage

Ruined (2009)

By the Way, Meet Vera Stark

(2011)

Fabulation, or the Re-Education of

Undine (2004)

Crumbs from the Table of Joy

(1995)

Mlima’s Tale (2019)

The Theatre

The Hilberry Theatre

4743 Cass Avenue (at the corner of Cass and Hancock)Detroit, MI 48202

The Hilberry Theatre was completed in 1917 for the First Church of Christ, Scientist. Field, Hinchman and Smith – predecessor to the architectural firm of Smith, Hinchman and Grylls – designed it in a Classical Roman Ionic style. In 1961, Wayne State University acquired the building and converted the auditorium into an open stage theater. Named after the president of the university, Clarence B. Hilberry, the theater was created to house a graduate repertory company, which opened its first season in 1964.

Your seats will be assigned by the Group Sales Manager so if you have any specific needs, please let them know in advance.

Accessibility: The ramps on the Hancock Avenue side provide access to the lobby for those patrons who may have difficulty with stairs or need accessible access for their wheelchair or motorized scooter. Within the lobby, a ramp is available to assist patrons into the theatre’s seating area.

Assisted-Listening Devices: We offer, free of charge, assisted-listening devices for those patrons who are deaf or hard of hearing. These are available from the coat check, located to the left of the concession stand.

Seating: Limited wheelchair-accessible seating is available in the Hilberry Theatre. Patrons wishing to purchase these seats may call the Box Office at 313-577-2972 to make arrangements.

Restrooms: Restrooms are available on the second level (men up the staircase to the right, women up the staircase to the left). A wheelchair-accessible restroom is located in the lobby, to the right of the concession stand. SHOW GUIDE • 10

The TheatreFirst Time Visitor’s Guide

IS IT YOUR FIRST TIME AT THE THEATRE?Welcome! We can’t wait to have you join us. Live performances are an inspiring, riveting experience. For some, that can be intimidating. We hope this section provides you with answers to commonly asked questions but don’t hesitate to contact us if you need anything further.

START TIMESOut of respect for the audience, we strive to start shows on time. The starting time is often referred to as the “curtain.”

We urge our audience to arrive at least a few minutes before curtain to allow time to find your seats and get comfortable. Arriving late may mean disrupting the rest of the audience because our ushers must use flashlights to safely guide you to your seats. You may also be asked to sit in another location to avoid disturbing others.

You’re welcome to arrive 30 minutes early.

CAN I BRING DRINKS OR SNACKS INTO THE THEATRE?Few things are as distracting as the noise from a candy wrapper or a spilled drink making the floor sticky.

This is why we ask that you finish any drinks or snacks in the lobby, although bottled water is acceptable inside the theatre.

CAN I TAKE PHOTOS OR RECORD VIDEO OF THE SHOW?No. Elements of the show may be copyrighted, so it’s illegal to photograph or film the show. If caught taking photos or video, you will be asked to delete the recording.

A more significant reason we ask you to refrain from taking pictures or filming the show is that it’s very disruptive to your fellow audience members.

The glow of a camera dramatically lights up the theatre. However, we encourage you to take photos before the show, at intermission, or afterward and share your experience on social media. Be sure to tag us!

Facebook: /TheatreandDanceatWayneInstagram: @theatreanddanceatwayneYoutube: WayneStateTheatres

WHAT ABOUT MY CELLPHONE/TABLET?A ringing or the glow of a cellphone or tablet screen takes the audience (and the performers) out of the show.

Please turn your device to airplane or silent mode or, even better, turn them off, so that everyone can enjoy the show.

RESTROOMSWe don’t want you to miss out on any of the action of the play, so please visit the restroom before the performance begins. Restrooms are located in the lobby.

Men’s restrooms are up the staircase above the concession stand. Women’s restrooms are up the staircase above the box office. A wheelchair-accessible restroom is available on the main level next to the concession stand.

DURING THE PERFORMANCEPlease feel free to have honest reactions to what is happening on stage. You can laugh, applaud and enjoy the performance. However, please don’t talk during the performance; it is extremely distracting to other audience members and the actors. Save discussions for intermission and after the performance.

IF I ENJOY THE SHOW, WHAT’S NEXT?We’re thrilled you enjoyed the show! The best thing you can do is tell your friends about your experience.

Word of mouth is the number one way people learn about us, so telling others how much you enjoyed yourself is truly appreciated.

Share your experience on your favorite social media site, call a friend, or tell your colleagues at work.

SHOW GUIDE • 11

More to seeOur season is full of exciting plays, musicals, and dance concerts. Included below is a list of each production and specific weekday morning matinee performance. If you’d like to bring a school group to any of these, please contact our group sales manager at 313-577-0852 or visit our website to submit your reservation online. If you’d like to come to a public performance, call the box office at 313-577-2972 or order your tickets online at theatreanddanceatwayne.com.

A CHRISTMAS CAROLBonstelle TheatreDickens’ beloved holiday tale returns for its fourth year!

Field Trip DatesWednesday, Dec. 4 at 10 a.m.Thursday, Dec. 5 at 10 a.m.

Scrooge and his ghostly guides are back for a fourth year of this beloved holiday tale. A Christmas Carol follows miserly old Scrooge when he’s visited by his former business partner, Jacob Marley. Warned that his humbuggery will curse him in the afterlife, Marley sends the Spirits of Christmas Past, Present, and Future to help Scrooge reform his curmudgeonly ways. Will the old codger redeem himself? Can the spirits inspire him to a greater purpose? Utilizing magical special effects and a mechanically marvelous set, A Christmas Carol will delight everyone who experiences it. Based on Charles Dickens classic story, this 75-minute long production is written by John Wolf and Tom Aulino.

TOBACCO ROADUnderground at the HilberryThe Underground at the Hilberry is accessible by stairs. If you have a mobility concern, please call the box office (313-577-2972) 24 hours in advance so we can assist you.

Field Trip DatesTuesday, March 24 at 10 a.m.Wednesday, April 1 at 10 a.m.

Erskine Caldwell’s celebrate American novel, Tobacco Road, comes to life in an adaptation by Jack Kirkland.

It follows a family of Georgian farmers who struggle during the Great Depression as their once profitable tobacco crop slowly dies. Jeeter Lester, the father, lives in squalor with his wife Ada, their two children, Dude and Ellie May, and his mother. When the family learns that their house and property are now owned by the bank, Jeeter is given a chance to earn money so that they may keep living there, but he refuses. Desperate to save their family, the once-proud father makes sacrifices that will impact their lives in ways unimaginable.

Disney + Cameron Macintosh’sMARY POPPINSBonstelle Theatre

Field Trip DatesTuesday, April 14 at 10 a.m.Friday, April 17 at 10 a.m.

Pop open your umbrellas and take flight with us as everyone’s favorite, and practically perfect, nanny takes the stage in this supercalifragilisticexpialidocious musical adventure. Mary Poppins is an enchanting story that follows the Banks family as they struggle with life in Edwardian England just after the turn of the 19th century. The children, Jane and Michael, are terribly ill-behaved. Mrs. Banks is lonely and bereft, aching for dreams long ignored. And Mr. Banks just wants to live an orderly, well-established life. Helping them is the mysterious nanny who can talk to birds, magically transform a gloomy park into a painterly scene, and, just maybe, with a spoonful of sugar, get the Banks back on track.

THE WINTER’S TALEShakespeare’s wistful tale of loss and romanceHilberry Theatre

Field Trip DatesTuesday, Feb. 11 at 10 a.m.Wednesday, Feb. 19 at 10 a.m.

Including one of Shakespeare’s most famous and funny stage directions, “’Exit, pursued by a bear,” The Winter’s Tale is a romance, a comedy, and a fairy tale that has entertained audiences for 400 years. The story begins in Sicilia where the king accuses his wife of having an affair with his childhood friend. As his unfounded jealousy consumes him, he puts his wife on trial and abandons their newborn girl, Perdita, in the wild. But as with all fairy tales, the child survives and, now living in Bohemia, she blossoms into a free-spirited young woman. It’s there that she meets and falls in love with a young man who may just be the son to her father’s former friend. In a magical twist that must be seen to be believed, she might just find the homecoming she’d never expected.

COMPANY ONE DANCE CONCERTBonstelle TheatreOne performance only!

Field Trip DatesFriday, Feb. 28 at 10 a.m.

Bring your class to the historic Bonstelle theater! Company One’s morning dance concert is for schools and community groups. The engaging concert is also open to the public. Through movement, spoken word, and the creative process the dancers will engage you in an experience to remember. Come ready to see, think, and wonder. The show is great for aspiring artists, as well as, students studying history, humanities, anthropology, social sciences, and more. K-12 and special education students welcome. Stick around after the show for a Q and A with the dancers!

STAGE KISSby Sarah RuhlHilberry Theatre

Field Trip DatesTuesday, May 5 at 10 a.m.

When two actors with a history are thrown together as romantic leads in a forgotten 1930s melodrama, they quickly lose touch with reality as the story onstage follows them offstage. Stage Kiss, by renowned playwright Sarah Ruhl, is a charming tale about what happens when characters share a stage kiss — or when actors share a real one.

“A gift and a rarity: a superb new romantic comedy that’s moving, smart and flat-out hilarious… You will have difficulty breathing. Stage Kiss is that funny.” — Jesse Green, New York Magazine