1st Stage is proud to be participating in the #ENOUGH: Plays to End Gun Violence project, working with visionary teenage playwrights across the country who have come together to speak out against gun violence.
1st Stage will be presenting a free virtual reading of all seven short plays on December 14, 2020, at 7:30 pm ET. The performance will take place on Zoom. A limited quantity of tickets are available at 1ststage.org.
Join 1st Stage after the reading for a discussion with Josh Horwitz, executive director of the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, and with Sean Perryman, former president of the Fairfax County NAACP and candidate for Lt. Governor of Virginia.
The 1st Stage reading of #ENOUGH will feature the returning talents of Amanda Forstrom (Trying, The Farnsworth Invention, Trevor), Angeleaza Anderson-Shagnea (Hero’s Welcome), Jacob Yeh (The Farnsworth Invention, Trevor), Patrick Joy (columbinus, HHA nomination for Outstanding Performer), Alex Reeves (the Helen Hayes Award nominated columbinus), and Zoe Walpole (The Member of the Wedding). 1st Stage is pleased to welcome for the first time Tẹmídayọ Amay (Helen Hayes Award winner for School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play at Round House).
SEE ALSO: #ENOUGH: Mosaic Theater to present plays against gun violence Dec. 14
The seven plays are written by teenagers from around the country. Nationally celebrated playwrights including Lauren Gunderson (I and You, The Book of Will) and David Henry Hwang (M. Butterfly, Chinglish, and Disney’s Tarzan) formed the play selection committee.
The Plays
MARTIN’S MALAISE
by Adelaide Fisher
Ms. Martin is an ordinary high school teacher, trying to deal with the everyday stress and worrying ‘what-ifs’ of 21st century teaching. But when her worst fears come true, and she is forced to make a difficult decision and an even more difficult confrontation, what will she do? And how will she move forward from it?
GUNS IN DRAGONLAND
by Eislinn Gracen
During a recess like any other, Lilah Gordon and her best friend/imaginary dragon, Toucan, set off on a special adventure to help Lilah earn dragon wings of her own. But things go awry when a mysterious noise from her nearby school compels the duo to embark on the biggest quest they have ever encountered.
TOGETHA
by Azya Lyons
Imani, Aiyanna, Chayenne, and Aaliyah have just graduated high school and are celebrating at a party in their honor until their evening of entertainment takes a tragic turn.
MALCOLM
by Debkanya Mitra
Four individuals tell the story of Malcolm, a Black folk musician whose quest through the Eastern Seaboard to find himself was violently interrupted, painting an evocative picture of the connection shared among strangers through a single life.
GHOST GUN
by Olivia Ridley
Propelled by the urgency of his own decay and desperate to be heard, BLACK BOY delivers his “villain’s monologue” — a parting speech typically delivered to a hero before their death — to his audience held at gunpoint.
HULLABALOO
by Sarah Schecter
In this reimagining of Buffalo Bill’s storytelling and P.T. Barnum’s grandeur, a ringleader explores the fusion of American myth and gun culture through four acts of an incredible spectacle — and a show gone terribly wrong.
LOADED LANGUAGE
by Elizabeth Shannon
When a rumor about a school shooter begins to circulate, Kiersa and her friends must decide what they should do to protect their classmates before it is too late.
1st Stage Theatre is an award-winning professional theatre in the heart of Tysons, Virginia. The company serves as a cultural hub for the community producing first-rate theatrical productions as well as hosting professional musicians, orchestras, and visual artists, and providing educational opportunities for the community. In 2020, 1st Stage won 5 Helen Hayes Awards, including Outstanding Production of a Play (The Brothers Size). Other awards include the American Theatre Wing National Theatre Company award. Last year, the company won 5 Helen Hayes Awards, including an Award for Outstanding Production of a Musical (Fly By Night). Additionally, 1st Stage is a member of the Catalogue for Philanthropy class of 2016-2017. In September 2016, The Wall Street Journal called 1st Stage “one of America’s most impressive smaller regional companies.” For more information, visit 1st Stage online or follow the theater on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
