Second Thought Announces World Premiere of ENEMIES/PEOPLE by Blake Hackler
By: Stephi Wild May. 24, 2018
Second Thought Theatre's 2018 season continues this June with the world premiere of Enemies/People by Dallas-based playwright and artist Blake Hackler. Making her Second Thought directorial debut is Kara-Lynn Vaeni, a theatre and opera director and educator at Southern Methodist University. Second Thought Artistic Director Alex Organ returns to the STT stage for the first time since The Great God Pan in 2016 to star as Tom Stockmann. Loosely adapted from Henrik Ibsen's An Enemy of the People, the play is "a timely world-premiere about the search for truth in the age of alternative facts." Enemies/People begins with previews on Wednesday, June 13 and runs through Saturday, July 7. All performances of Enemies/People will take place at Bryant Hall on the Kalita Humphreys Campus; 3636 Turtle Creek Blvd. Tickets to Enemies/People can be purchased online at secondthoughttheatre.com.
Asked about his inspiration for adapting An Enemy of the People, Hackler said he "found an excitement in and a curiosity about how Ibsen might have written the play had he been alive today. How would he speak to the deeply divisive, charged atmosphere, the 24-hour news cycle, the proliferation of 'alternative facts'?" Hackler continued, "I've tried to let not only the content, but more so the spirit of Ibsen's original guide my new adaptation."
"Ibsen's original play asks its audience to wrestle with questions that are forever relevant, but perhaps more so now than in recent memory," added Alex Organ. "What does it mean to participate in a Democracy? Is the majority always right? What happens when the majority makes a terrible decision? By relocating the action from 19th century Norway to present-day America - Texas, no less - Blake encourages us to ask those questions - not of a group of strangers from another culture and time - but of ourselves. Today. Now."
Tom, an intrepid urban planner, suspects that a new city-sponsored hot springs project may be more dangerous than the local government is willing to admit. But when Tom speaks out against the project, he is met with resistance from several unexpected sources. The divide between right and wrong proves to be anything but black and white, and Tom finds himself risking everything for a town that doesn't seem to want his help.
Allison Pistorius (Kat Stockmann) and Christie Vela (Mercedes Arranda) return to Second Thought after both appeared in last season's critically acclaimed world premiere of The Necessities, also by Hackler. Playing Tom's brother Peter Stockmann, Gregory Lush takes the Second Thought stage for the first time since the 2010 production of Hunter Gatherers. Rounding out the cast and making their Second Thought debuts are Jovane Caamaño (Michael) and Sasha Maya Ada (Billie).
Aaron Johansen (Hillary and Clinton, The Necessities, Grounded) will design lights, and Melissa Panzarello (The Necessities, Hillary and Clinton) returns to design costumes. Making their Second Thought debuts are scenic designer Jocelyn Girigorie and Sound Designer Jason Biggs.
Enemies/People opens with previews on Wednesday, June 13 and Thursday, June 14 at 7:30pm. Opening and press night is Friday, June 15 at 8:00pm. The PWYC performances of Enemies/People will take place on Wednesday, June 13; Thursday, June 14; Monday, June 18; Monday, June 25; and Monday, July 2 at 7:30p. PWYC tickets are available at the box office one hour prior to the start of the performance and are subject to availability. Enemies/People runs through July 7. Tickets to Enemies/People are on sale now at secondthoughttheatre.com and can be purchased for $25.
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