Greenfield – Two powerful plays by playwright Ellen W. Kaplan round out the Silverthorne Theater Company‘s 2021 Theater Thursday play reading series: Someone Is Sure to Come (November 11) and Testimonies(November 18). Both readings begin at 7:30 pm and are free to the public. The live readings take place in The LAVA Center at 324 Main Street, Greenfield and will also be filmed for viewing on YouTube following the reading. Hilary Dennis directs both readings.
Because seating is limited, reservations are requested and may be made through Eventbrite. The link for reservations may be found on our website at https://silverthornetheater.org/play-reading-series/ Attendees will need to bring their vaccination card, or a photo of it, along with a corresponding state or federal ID for entry.
As described by the playwright: Someone Is Sure to Come“ is a play by Kaplan and incarcerated men and women across the U.S. Monologues and poetry written by people currently on Death Row or serving Life Without Parole, many of whom have been in solitary confinement for decades. Their words are woven into a lyrical play that looks at life ‘inside’ and ‘out.’ Fantasy, humor and poetry combine to create a kaleidoscopic vision of serving hard time, and to question the responsibility we have when society imprisons people and ‘throws away the key.’” Someone Is Sure to Come was presented in NYC at La Mama Annex and published in the Tacenda Literary Magazine.
Testimonies is based on interviews with Ezidi (Yezidi) women in camps in Northern Iraq, in 2019. The Ezidi are a Kurdish-speaking religious minority who trace their roots back to ancient Mesopotamia. They practice a pre-Islamic religion, that draws inspiration from Islam, Christianity and Judaism. Traditionally, Ezidi are farmers and shepherds, but in the mid-seventies Saddam Husain had Ezidi villages destroyed and their inhabitants transferred to collective settlements. In August 2014, the Ezidi (Yezidi) people were subjected to genocide: thousands were massacred, kidnapped, enslaved, raped and tortured by the Islamic State (ISIS).
Following each reading, audience members will have the opportunity to ask questions and give feedback to the playwright. Instructions for online viewing will be posted on the Silverthorne website: https://silverthornetheater.org/play-reading-series/
Kaplan is Professor of Theatre at Smith College. She previously directed Silverthorne’s premiere production of Peter Wortsman’s solo show, The Tattooed Man Tells All in 2018, which was filmed and streamed in 2020. In July 2021, she directed a radio adaptation of Dawn King’s Foxfinder for the Company.
She has been a Fulbright Scholar in Costa Rica, Fulbright Senior Specialist in Romania and Hong Kong, an actress, director and playwright. She performs and directs internationally, having worked in China, Israel, Costa Rica, Argentina, Puerto Rico and across the United States, and has been guest professor at Tel Aviv University; Hong Kong University, where she was a distinguished writer-in-residence in 2016; the Chinese University of Hong Kong; University of Costa Rica; Heredia University (Costa Rica); and the University of Theatre and Film in Bucharest, Romania. During the pandemic, she taught virtual classes at Rojava University in Syria.
Kaplan’s book, Theatre Responds to Social Trauma comes out in 2022.
About Silverthorne Theater
Silverthorne Theater Company, resident professional theater at the Hawks & Reed Performing Arts Center, is a registered non-profit 501(c)(3) arts organization founded in 2014. Our mission is to present adventurous, thought-provoking theatrical experiences, including productions of new and classic work for traditional audiences and diverse populations. Contact us at silverthornetheater@gmail.com or 413-768-7514.