Abbey Theater Of Dublin Presents Workshop Premiere Production Of #CHARLOTTESVILLE

The Abbey Theater of Dublin, as part of its ongoing Virtual Theatre Project, will present the workshop premiere of the one-women play "#CHARLOTTESVILLE," written and performed by award-winning, international theatre artist Priyanka Shetty. The production will premiere at 7 p.m. Feb. 19.

The Abbey Theater of Dublin will offer a limited number of tickets for an in-person experience on Feb. 19 and Feb. 20 at 7 p.m., which will simultaneously be live streamed for those who choose to watch the performance from home. Encore on-demand streams will be available Feb. 21 through Feb. 28. Tickets are $10 per household and are available for purchase at DublinOhioUSA.gov/abbey-theater.

"#CHARLOTTESVILLE" is a solo play about the Unite the Right white supremacist rally and the events that took place between Aug. 11-12, 2017, in Charlottesville, Virginia. It is constructed verbatim from interviews with local residents who were impacted by the events and its aftermath. The play explores the deep-seated racial inequities that have existed historically in Charlottesville, Virginia - home to three of the founding fathers who played a major role in the development of the American Democracy - and how it escalated to one of the most terrible manifestations of racial violence during the "Summer of Hate."

"We are honored to collaborate with Priyanka to assist in the development of #CHARLOTTESVILLE," the Abbey Theater of Dublin's Theater Supervisor Joe Bishara said. "This production provides ample drama, heart and insight into a city that found itself in the center of a traumatic manifestation of racial violence."

"I originally wrote #CHARLOTTESVILLE as a documentary-style ensemble play that was performed by a cross-generational, multi-ethnic group of performers," writer and performer Priyanka Shetty said. "Initially, I wasn't entirely convinced about converting this into a one-woman show. However, considering the fact that the two other plays in my triptych ("The Elephant in the Room" and "The Wall") are solo shows, I wanted to explore allowing this piece to exist in a solo form. I am hopeful that this new version will have the ability to reach more people quickly because it is a timely play with a very important message, and there's an urgency associated with sharing it, given our current political climate."

For more information about the Abbey Theater of Dublin's Virtual Theatre Project productions, visit DublinOhioUSA.gov/Abbey-Theater.

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