Signature Theatre Announces The 2024 Signature In The Schools Production Of THE POSSUMNECK PLAYHOUSE PRESENTS ELI THOMAS NEATHERWOOD'S AWARD-WINNING ADAPTATION OF THE CAN

Tickets to performances of The Possumneck Playhouse Presents Eli Thomas Neatherwood's Award-Winning Adaptation of The Canterbury Tales, the 2024 world premiere production of Signature Theatre's flagship education program, Signature in the Schools, are now on sale. Performances take place Monday, February 26 at 7:30PM and Monday, March 4 at 7:30PM, tickets are $10 and are available for sale at SigTheatre.org or by calling the Box Office at 703 820 9771.

Written by DC area playwright Dani Stoller (Signature's Easy Women Smoking Loose Cigarettes, Olney's The Joy That Carries You) and directed by Signature's Education Director David Zobell (Signature in the Schools' The Voices on Blackwell Island; The Pursued, The Pursuing, The Busy, and The Tired), the show features a cast and crew of 28 students from 5 Arlington County Public Schools who work alongside a professional actor, James Whalen (Signature's Ragtime, Daphne's Dive), and Signature's professional designers and backstage crew to mount the production in Signature's MAX Theatre.

The Canterbury Tales contain some of the most memorable characters in English literature. Most of them male. But when a small community theater commits to doing a theatrical adaptation of Chaucer's beloved book, no men audition. Hilarity ensues in Signature's in the Schools' world premiere comedy featuring a cast and crew of local high school students and professional actor James Whalen (Daphne's Dive), as a group of devoted thespians try to tell this nearly 700-year-old story to an audience of today.

“Signature in the Schools is a program unlike any other,” said Education Director David Zobell. “It provides students the opportunity to be in a world premiere production, written, directed and designed by professional theater artists, featuring a professional actor. And beyond all of that, it enriches and enlivens their educations, helping them make personal and empathetic connections to the subjects they're studying in school through the power of theater. The 25 actors, technicians and stage managers behind this production have been working together since mid-December. Signature in the Schools remains the cornerstone of Signature's education program for a reason.”

In addition to the two public performances, there are also 5 student matinee performances on February 23, February 26, February 29, March 1 and March 4 with free tickets given to schools across the DMV, and transportation for students participating from Arlington County Public Schools provided free by Signature. Schools are also given access to a curated website with further educational resources and lesson plans that comply with the Virginia Standards of Learning for English, Social Studies and Theater, as well as workshops taught by Signature Theatre teaching artists prior to attending the show – all of these materials are provided free of charge. The goal of the online resources and workshops are to enable the students to better understand the subject matter as well as to voice their own thoughts, experiences and feelings related to the production. There is a small number of tickets remaining for the free student matinees, for reservations email sigschools@sigtheatre.org. For Signature in the Schools educational resources, visit SigTheatre.org.

In addition to playwright Dani Stoller, director David Zobell and guest artist James Whalen, The Possumneck Playhouse Presents Eli Thomas Neatherwood's Award-Winning Adaptation of The Canterbury Tales professional artist team includes Scenic Design by Christopher and Justin Swader (Signature's Private Jones, Primary Stages' Dig) Costume Design by Alexa Duimstra (Gala Hispanic Theatre's La Valentia, Prologue's The Cake), Lighting Design by J. Mitchell Cronin (Imagination Stage's Corduroy, Ensemble Theatre's Josephine Tonight), Sound Design by Kenny Neal (Signature's The Upstairs Department, Daphne's Dive), Properties Design by Rooster Sultan (1st Stage's Quilters, Rorschach's Sometimes the Rain, Sometimes the Sea), Fight Choreography by Mallory Shear (Arena Stage, Olney Theatre), and Assistant Direction and Dramaturgy by Matthew Taylor Strote (Washington Improv Theatre's (y)Our Town, ArtStream's Crimes of Fashion). Additional production crew from Signature's professional staff are Kerry Epstein (Stage Management Mentor) and Jonathan Maag (Assistant Production Manager). Professional teaching artists are Matthew Crawford, Charlotte Gimlin, Ellis Greer Hooper, Perry O Medlin, Lenny Mendez, Anabel Milton, Mallory Shear, Taylor Stevens, and Liv Wilson.

Signature in the Schools is sponsored by Amazon and Bonnie Feld

Additional support from the Briggs-Benton Fund of the Arlington Community Foundation, The Clark-Winchcole Foundation, Dominion Energy, The Geary-O'Hara Family Foundation, GEICO, Philip L. Graham Fund, Lois C. Greisman, Lou Mazawey, David S. Shrager Foundation, Venable Foundation, Virginia Commission for the Arts, and the Washington Forrest Foundation

New work at Signature Theatre is sponsored by Dan and Gloria Logan 

Now in its 29th year, Signature in the Schools, Signature Theatre's flagship education program, is a multifaceted program that encompasses workshops for English, Social Studies and Theatre classes, theatrical training for young artists, and the creation of an original play. The program includes pre-show visits to school classrooms, resources for students and curriculum guides for teachers. Signature in the Schools is offered to all participants free of charge. Students from throughout Northern Virginia also attend daytime performances for free to see their peers perform.

The program centers on an original play written by a professional playwright and performed by Arlington County high school students with one professional actor. The play is specially tailored to the personalities and abilities of the student performers and focuses on themes from Arlington Public Schools social studies' curriculum and its connection to the present. The Possumneck Playhouse Presents Eli Thomas Neatherwood's Award-Winning Adaptation of The Canterbury Tales promises to continue Signature in the Schools' tradition of bringing difficult subjects alive by connecting them to history, politics and literature. Past topics have included the Great Depression, civic engagement, freedom of expression, immigration, propaganda, and women's rights.

Students in the 2024 Signature in the Schools production are from Yorktown High School, Washington-Liberty High School, Wakefield High School, H-B Woodlawn Secondary School, Arlington Tech and Career Center, Alexandria City High School, American School and Falls Church High School. Prior to rehearsals, students engage in a three week “boot camp” where they take a deep dive into table work, acting lessons and subject dramaturgy.

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