A Fictional Exploration of a Real-Life Tragedy: “The Amish Project” Debuts at Stevenson University April 7
Stevenson University’s Theatre and Media Performance program will present its production of The Amish Project with seven performances April 7-16 at the University’s Inscape Theatre located on the Greenspring Campus, 1525 Greenspring Valley Road, Stevenson, MD 21153.
The show, which debuts Thursday, April 7 at 7 p.m., will also be performed April 8-9 and April 14-16 at 7 p.m. Additionally, there will be a matinee showing on Sunday, April 10 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $10 for general admission and $5 for students and seniors. Call the Stevenson University box office at 443-334-2618 for tickets.
The Amish Project is a fictional exploration of the 2006 Nickel Mines schoolhouse shooting in a Pennsylvania Amish community. The standoff ended with the shooter, Charles Carl Roberts IV, killing himself. Immediately following the incident, the Amish community offered prayers of forgiveness for the shooter, even attending his funeral several days later. The ensuing questions of violence, death, pain, and reconciliation are the crux of the play.
“I’m very interested in theatre that leaps beyond mere entertainment. I have a passion for theatre for social change and theatre that asks the audience to reflect on the human condition, said Ryan Clark, Program Coordinator and Assistant Professor of Theater and Media Performance. “This horrific tragedy is about ten years old and issues surrounding gun violence still resonate in our society today. I believe this will be a piece of theatre that Stevenson audiences can engage with and provoke conversation.”
The first university in the Baltimore/Washington area to bring this text to light, Stevenson’s performance will incorporate originally composed music, unique lighting, and scenic design as well as dynamic movement to the production. The seven-person cast consists of six Stevenson students and one Stevenson staff member.
For more information on the production, email Ryan Clark at rclark5@stevenson.edu.
Stevenson University, known for its distinctive career focus, is the third-largest independent university in Maryland with more than 4,200 students pursuing bachelor’s, master’s, and adult bachelor’s programs at locations in Stevenson and Owings Mills.
THE AMISH PROJECT. Opens 4/7. Inscape Theatre.
Posted by Theatre and Media Performance Program-Stevenson University on Thursday, March 10, 2016