Following their recent run of the virtual presentation of The Lifespan of a Fact, Forward Theater will be changing the second production of their 2020-21 season.
Forward Theater pledged earlier this spring that they would be offering all of their season's productions digitally, even when they would be able to return to their home in Playhouse at Overture Center for live performances. This was done in an effort to provide a safe alternative for subscribers and ticket holders that did not wish to attend the theater during the pandemic. Forward was one of the first theater companies in America to secure permission from the professional theater unions to make this promise, and worked with all of the season's playwrights to make this possible. All stakeholders agreed to allow digital presentations of the plays, except for the author of the production scheduled for January - February of 2021, Admissions (by
Joshua Harmon).
"Obviously, we were disappointed by his decision," said Artistic Director Jen Uphoff Gray. "But our primary commitment is to our patrons, and to their safety. So we made the difficult decision to let Admissions go, and select a different play. But that's where our disappointment ends, because we were thrilled to secure the rights to a play we've been very eager to share with Madison audiences."
From January 22nd - February 7th, Forward Theater will present The Niceties, by
Eleanor Burgess. In The Niceties, Zoe, a Black student at a liberal arts college, is called into her white professor's office to discuss her paper about slavery's effect on the American Revolution. What begins as a polite clash in perspectives explodes into an urgent debate about race, history, and power.
The play will be co-directed by Jen Uphoff Gray and Milwaukee-based artist
DiMonte Henning (seen in Forward's production of Skeleton Crew). The cast includes
Sarah Day (seen recently in Forward's Life Sucks, and at American Players Theatre), and
Samantha Newcomb (seen recently at American Players Theatre and in A Christmas Carol at Childrens Theater of Madison).
Due to significant public health concerns about gathering in indoor spaces that are expected to continue through January, Forward is focused on keeping patrons and artists safe. Therefore, Forward Theater will present The Niceties entirely online.
It will follow the popular model created by The Lifespan of a Fact, which was a pre-recorded, virtual experience created by theater and video artists. Video preshow lectures, online streaming guides, and live talkbacks via Zoom will continue to be included as part of an online ticket.
Online tickets will soon be available for purchase on
ForwardTheater.com.
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