Seattle Rep Theatre explores what happens to a city devastated by a natural disaster in The Breach

PRLog (Press Release) - Dec 17, 2007 -
Seattle, WA – Seattle Repertory Theatre explores what happens to a city when it is devastated by a natural disaster with The Breach, directed by David Esbjornson and written by three playwrights, Catherine Filloux, Tarell McCraney and Joe Sutton. The Breach plays in the Bagley Wright Theatre from January 10 through February 9. Previews begin January 10, with opening night set for January 16. Tickets are available through the Seattle Repertory Theatre box office seven days a week at (206) 443-2222, toll-free at (877) 900-9285, as well as online at www.seattlerep.org.

The Play: The phenomenon of a natural calamity like Hurricane Katrina creates chaos, pain and confusion on a mythic scale. In The Breach, playwrights Filloux, McCraney and Sutton weave together three unique and separate stories from those who survived the storm. In its exploration of the impacts of Katrina, this powerful and surreal play taps the conspiracy theories, loss and nascent hope of this devastated American region. The Breach was presented as public readings in theatres and FEMA trailers throughout the South last fall, providing opportunity for public debate on the broader issues of poverty, patriotism and the responsibility we have to one another.

The Playwrights: Catherine Filloux is an award-winning playwright who has been writing about genocide, human rights, and social justice for the past 20 years. Her plays have been produced in New York and around the world. She is a co-founder of Theatre Without Borders, a volunteer organization engaged in international theater exchange. Tarell McCraney’s plays include The Brother/Sister Plays, produced with the Foundry Theater, the McCarter Theater, and the Young Vic, London. He was the first recipient of the Paula Vogel Award given by the Vineyard Theater New York. Joe Sutton’s plays include Voir Dire (produced originally by Seattle Rep), As It is in Heaven, The Third Army, Special Interests, and Restoring the Sun. Seattle Children’s Theatre produced two works by Mr. Sutton for young audiences: The Magic City and The Red Badge of Courage. He also teaches playwriting at Dartmouth College.

The Director: Seattle Repertory Theatre Artistic Director David Esbjornson has directed Twelfe Night, The Lady From Dubuque, The Great Gatsby, Tuesdays with Morrie and the world premiere of Ariel Dorfman’s Purgatorio for Seattle Rep. For seven years, Esbjornson was the artistic director of the Classic Stage Company. Mr. Esbjornson has been a resident director at the O’Neill Festival and Iowa Playwrights Festival, holds an M.F.A. from New York University (Seidman Award for Excellence in Directing), received a Quinn Martin Honorary Chair at University of California, San Diego and a Distinguished Alumni citation from Gustavus Adolphus College.

Performance Details: Performances of The Breach are at 7:30 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday with 2:00 p.m. matinees on Saturday and Sundays. There will be no performance on Thursday, January 17. Pay-What-You-Can performance January 14 at 7:30 p.m. Post-play discussions will be held after performances on Sunday, January 27 at 2:00 p.m., Thursday, January 31 at 7:30 p.m.., and Sunday, February 3 at 2:00 p.m. There is an audio-described performance on Saturday, February 2 at 2:00 p.m. and an American Sign Language (ASL)-interpreted performance on Sunday, February 3 at 2:00 p.m.