FITCHBURG — To start their 10st season, the Stratton Players presents “America at 250+”, a staged reading created by Kevin Scott Hall. The production, which includes music, presents speeches, letters and poems from 1776 to the present day.
Performances will be at Christ Church, 569 Main St., over two weekends: Fridays at 7:30 p.m. and Saturdays at 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., Sept. 25 through Oct. 3. Tickets are $15; $10 for seniors and students. There will be a “talk back” after the Sept. 26 matinee.
“This project is just something I wanted to do for America’s 250th ,” Hall said, noting that the debut production occurred at New Dawn Arts Center, Ashburnham in July. “But I’m so glad the Stratton Players Board saw the value of reprising this production. Our national story is forever evolving. To me the strength of the piece is to show that we’ve been through difficult times before, but we prevailed as a country through it all. Yes, there are some dark moments for the audience to consider, but overall, “America at 250+” will give us all hope and resolve.”
101st season
Sally Cragin, chair of the Stratton Players, commented on their new season.
“We are proud that we begin our 101st year – the first year of our second century as a theatre – with this engrossing production which is rich in language and characters. And we are delighted to welcome new performers, as well as actors who will be familiar to our audiences,” Cragin said.
Historical and current figures abound, including Thomas Paine, Abigail Adams, Sojourner Truth, Walt Whitman, Andrew Carnegie, Margaret Sanger, Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Of course there are words from presidents, starting with Washington and going to the present day.
“This country has struggled with self-identity in virtually every decade,” says Hall. “Audiences may be surprised to hear prose said not that long ago which nowadays seems deeply controversial, but was, at the time, just part of the parlance.”
“However, the script only includes what men and women leaders have said before. Let people listen to their words and judge for themselves. People may be surprised that so much of what was said years — and even decades and centuries ago — is still relevant today.”
‘Talented local cast’
Hall recently relocated to his Ashburnham hometown after 35 years in New York City. He is best known for being a singer/songwriter and an author. This is his first piece created for the theater and his first time directing theater.
“America at 250+” will feature a talented local cast including: Traci Bartlett, Samantha Kender, Camille Lapan, Camila Marino, Louise Thomas, Margo Thompson, Sarah Beth Wheeler, Travis Fox Crocker, Tom Hopkins, James Niles Joyal, and Oliver Wessels.
Stage manager is Pinkie Evans Liao and Tom Liao is the technical director. This production is made possible with the support of the Fitchburg Cultural Council.
-The Stratton Players
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