Cry Havoc Theater Company Announces Plans for THE CENOTAPH

Today, Cry Havoc Theater Company announced plans for " The Cenotaph, " a large - scale public art installation, which will honor victims of gun violence and be unveiled before the opening of its upcoming production of Babel at the AT & T Performing Arts Center in the Dallas Arts District this summer.

Friends and family members of victims, neighboring theater groups and volunteers across North Texas are now collecting shoes, which will be utilized to construct the piece. Following the event, they will be donated to nonprofits across North Texas. Each pair of shoes collected will represent an individual whose life is lost as a result of gun violence in the United States between January 1, 2018 and the opening night performance of Babel on July 6, 2018.

The group anticipates needing roughly 8,000 pairs of shoes to honor each individual. Named for tombs or monuments to individuals or groups whose bodies rest elsewhere, " The Cenotaph " is meant to give visitors a stunning visual and auditory experience, and those who have lost loved ones to gun violence a space of remembrance and reflection.

The installation will include audio clips from first - person interviews collected by Cry Havoc Theater Company in the creation of their documentary - style theatre production, Babel. In describing the inspiration for the installation, Cry Havoc Theater Company's Artistic Director and the director of Babel, Mara Richards Bim, says, " As we began work on the production of Babel and started engaging in the national conversation about gun violence, I was very aware of representing the people whose voices have been silenced by guns.

Each of them is more than just a statistic to their families, friends, and communities, and their stories should be a part of the narrative. " Funding for " The Cenotaph " comes, in part, from the City of Dallas Office of Cultural Affairs through a Special Support Grant awarded to Richards Bim. " The OCA is immensely proud to support ' The Cenotaph, ' " said Jennifer Scripps, Director of the Office of Cultural Affairs. " Through this powerful installation and their upcoming play Babel, Cry Havoc's work is challenging us to consider the current issues facing our society related to gun violence. Given the emergence of teenage leadership on the issue of guns in our country, the work of Cry Havoc is even more inspiring and timely. "

Babel is part of the AT & T Performing Arts Center's 2017 / 2018 season of the Elevator Project, which provides performance space to the best new and emerging arts groups in Dallas. The Center also worked to accommodate the installation and public viewing of " The Cenotaph " during the run of Babel. " The best art always sparks dialogue and challenges assumptions about important issues, " said Doug Curtis, president and CEO of the AT & T Performing Arts Center.

" We couldn't be happier to see Cry Havoc enrich their theatrical performance of Babel with this powerful visual art installation. It's exactly this kind of creative thinking by local artists that the Elevator Project was designed to support and I know audiences will be as excited as I am to experience it. "

Babel is inspired by and filled with first - person interviews from people on all sides of the gun violence and gun safety debate including survivors of recent shootings, experts on gun violence, gun owners, politicians, and more. The production of Babel will feature the teen actors of Cry Havoc Theater Company and is supported in part by the City of Dallas's Office of Cultural Affairs Cultural Projects Program and the AT & T Performing Arts Center's Elevator Project.

Cry Havoc is now collecting shoe donations for " The Cenotaph " and has amassed over 1,000 pairs to - th date. Public donation sites will be announced by April 30. Those interested in donating shoes or establishing a collection site on behalf of the group may contact Mara Richards Bim at Mara @ CryHavocTheater.org.

The organization is specifically seeking men's and women's lace - up shoes, and children's shoes of any style. To learn more about Babel or Cry Havoc Theater Company, please visit www.cryhavoctheater.org.

About Cry Havoc Theater Company

Founded as a 501c3 in 2014, we make provocative theatre with young people, and in doing so, challenge audience expectations of what youth theatre can be. We are uncompromising in our belief that young people have the intellectual appetite and emotional maturity to tackle complex, provocative material. And we are dedicated to providing serious ( and seriously talented ) young people the opportunity to create artistically viable theatre under the direction of professional artists, regardless of their financial means.

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