In this city of Washington, DC, the seat of political power in American rests. Despite our inescapable connection to the government workings of the nation, however, we as a theatre-going crowd lacked a theatre focused purely on governance.
To fill this void, the Federal Theatre Project (FTP) came into being; created in 2012 by local director Kevin Finkelstein, the FTP was conceived with the hopes of creating theatre that would raise political awareness and foster a sense of civic engagement. The company’s focus rests not on any sort of partisan platform; this is not a theatre aimed at a purely liberal or conservative audience Rather, the FTP seeks to create productions that engender political discourse and engage the audience in going behind party lines to the true essence of their political beliefs.
“In short, we’re not interested in telling audiences what to think,” says Finkelstein. “Our goal is to get them to think.”
The company’s inaugural production, Someone To Watch Over Me, is debuting this summer at the 2013 Capital Fringe Festival. Finkelstein created the piece as a sort of flagship explanation of the FTP’s basic company mission statement. “Once it became clear to me that the FTP could fill a void in DC Theatre, we wanted to write a show that would encapsulate our mission,” says Finkelstein of the piece.
Someone is the story of a young woman who, by a simple message posted out to the internet, sets a series of events in motion that result in an uprising of the American people against the government. The play is set in 2016, but the themes of the play are relevant to our current political atmosphere; in a time where politicians seem less and less connected to the people they’re meant to represent, Someone to Watch Over Me explores what happens when the unheard masses decide to make their voices too loud to be ignored by harnessing the power of social media.
This is a show that shares a basic truth: government should be run by the people, for the people. But this message is sent with humor and optimism, and the end result is a production that will keep you on the edge of your seat and rooting for a better America.
If you’d like to learn more about the Federal Theatre Project and Someone To Watch Over Me, go to our website. You can read more about the play and those involved, as well as sign their pledge to bring efficiency back to government.
Featuring: Robin Covington, Genna Davidson, Stefanie Garcia, Paul McLane, Thony Mena, and Paul Thomas Truitt.
Writer/Director: Kevin Finkelstein
Assistant director: Angela Pirko
Stage manager: Margaret Boehn
Sound designer: Chris Kurtz
Lighting designer: Peter Caress
Set designer: Bob Moran
Costume consultant: Heather Whitpan
Dramaturg: Jenna Zhu
Composer: Bob Chaves
PERFORMANCES
At the Gallery at the Goethe-Institut – 812 7th St NW, in between the Gallery Place/Chinatown and Mt. Vernon Sq./Convention Center Metro stations.
Friday, July 12, 6:15pm
Sunday, July 14, 3:15pm
Sunday, July 21, 3:30pm
Friday, July 26, 7:30pm
Saturday, July 27, 7:45pm
PURCHASE TICKETS HERE.
