Seattle's Roosevelt High School to Present the U.S. Premiere of 3-in-1 Play ROCK | PAPER | SCISSORS

Seattle's nationally recognized Roosevelt High School Theatre program has secured the rights to produce the North American premiere of an audacious trio of new plays: Rock | Paper | Scissors by Chris Bush. Commissioned in 2022 by Sheffield Theatres in the United Kingdom for their 50th anniversary season, the three serio-comedies are written to be performed simultaneously by one cast of characters who crisscross between stages in three adjacent theatre venues. Taking place at the same time on the same day, each is a stand-alone story set in a different area of an historic, once-magnificent scissor factory seemingly left to three different potential heirs. When experienced together (which can be done in any order), a larger universe of interwoven plots and character journeys emerge.

Rock, set on the original factory floor of the scissor company, follows the sister of the deceased owner attempting to transform the property into a trendy rock concert venue. Paper unfolds in the chaotic and overstuffed back office where the daughter of the owner is frantically searching for the will so she may proceed with developing the building into contemporary lofts and storefronts. Finally, Scissors follows the remaining factory manager and four teenage apprentices on a government work-program who believe with enough pluck, they can resurrect the scissor business and bring new appreciation for quality, hand-crafted goods to the 21st century.

The students of Roosevelt's Advanced Play Production class are undertaking this massive theatrical venture with student directors and two casts who share the 14 roles. Rock will be performed with the audience seated backstage of Roosevelt's proscenium theater, Paper is staged in an intimate black box theater, while Scissors is produced in a scene shop transformed into a site-specific venue. Those wishing to see the same cast perform all three shows can see the green cast on February 1, 5, and 7 at 7:00pm or the gold cast on January 31 at 7:00, February 1 at 2:30, and February 6 at 7:00.

Roosevelt High School is a comprehensive public school and its Theatre program is self-sustaining through fundraising and ticket sales. Roosevelt Theatre's Thespian Troupe 5832 is a Gold Honor Troupe with Washington State Thespians and the International Thespians Society.