Fellow Theatre Educators,
I have just finished reading Jonathan Dorf’s Declaration. It’s is fresh off the keyboard and Jonathan is looking for schools to premiere it. The piece is a school shooting play that focuses on the students in the school, not the shooter. It is a moving, at times humorous work that really explores how these students are affected by these events that keep happening in our nation. (One Act - Run time 35-45 minutes)
After reading it and speaking with Jonathan, I thought I would reach out to this community with an idea. We are all theatre practitioners here who know the power of our medium. My hope is that we can get a group of schools across the nation to mount this production simultaneously.
I am planning on having the show up on January 10 and 11, 2019. It will be a fundraiser for #NeverAgain. Imagine the impact we could have if 10, 20, 50 schools across the US put up this show on the same day! I am going to be in Denver at the National Theatre Educators Conference in a few weeks. I’d like to invite anyone interested in joining this effort to contact Jonathan for a perusal. If you’ll be in Denver, I’d like to schedule a time to meet and discuss the possibility of coordinating our troupes for this educational and socially relevant opportunity. Please message me here.
If you’re interested in a perusal, you can contact Jonathan through this forum. I’m sure he’d be happy to oblige.
This show has a unique perspective on this topic, avoiding the more usual focus on the perpetrator and the immediate victims. Declaration draws focus to the serious ramifications, emotions, and real trauma of all the students at these schools and indeed in our nation. Let’s make an impact nationally that speaks to our communities with the voices of our thespians.
Yours in Art,
Jason
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Jason Robert LeClair, MA
Artist/Arts Educator
Director, Thespian Troupe 7444
Membership Chairperson of the Educational Theatre Association Rhode Island Chapter
Beacon Charter High School for the Arts
Woonsocket, RI
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