OnStage Playhouse Will Reopen on June 4

Chula Vista's award-winning OnStage Playhouse opens its doors after more than a year of being closed and producing exclusively virtual shows in response to the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown.

The inaugural return production is the high-stakes drama SHEEPDOG by Kevin Artigue, an accomplished writer for the stage, television, and film. Artigue uses his writing and experience with mixed media to engage the audience in a pursuit of the truth about the police shooting of a black man. The show opens with in-person audiences June 4th and running through June 27th. Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 8PM with Sunday matinees at 4PM each weekend of the production.

PLEASE NOTE: The most current local and state COVID-19 guidelines will be enforced for audience members at the time of each performance. OnStage Playhouse is committed to a safe environment as we return and recover from the historic pandemic.

THE STORY: Amina and Ryan are both officers on the Cleveland police force. Amina is black, Ryan is white, and they are falling deeply and passionately in love. When an officer-involved shooting roils the department, small cracks in their relationship widen into a chasm of confusion and self-doubt. A mystery and a love story with high stakes and no easy answers, SHEEPDOG fearlessly examines police violence, interracial love, and class in the 21st century.

Reviewers had this to say about Sheepdog:

"...riveting and thought-provoking...a mesmerizing, sometimes edge-of-your-seat drama that morphs seamlessly from a romance origin story, to a morality play, then, finally, an intriguing detective mystery..." -BroadwayWorld.com. SHEEPDOG delves into fraught issues of race...Artigue looks through a humanized lens at the impact of a police shooting from a largely unexplored angle, the personal impacts on the shooter's life...while concentrating on the personal, Artigue doesn't lose sight of the larger issues behind his events." -OC Register.com. "...a thought-provoking two-character drama...SHEEPDOG is both impressive and important as it thrusts the viewer into matters of his or her own conscience." -LA Times. "A bang-up, must-see and intensely emotional play...85 heart-stopping minutes...all of the parties involved in police reform, from the mayor on down, should sit down and watch together." -Chicago Tribune.

Artistic Director James P. Darvas has strong feelings about choosing this play at this moment. "I believe change comes from exposure to different points of view. When I read Kevin Artigue's compelling story, Sheepdog, I was in awe of how he chose to address such a polarizing topic in such a human and relatable way. The instant I closed the script, I knew this was the perfect show for OnStage to roar back into the live theatre scene with!"

Although Covid-19 has presented many challenges to the arts community, it has also provided the OSP Board of Directors and production team with an opportunity to think outside the box. As the recovery continues, we will move forward with plans to examine the possibilities for social change and education using our platform to produce "Theatre Worth Talking About."

The Cast includes Devin Wade (Ryan), Tina Machele Brown (Amina), Holly Stephenson (Female Voices), Markuz Rodriguez (Male Voices)

This production is in collaboration with San Diego Theatre Connection, the grassroots organization supporting and promoting the COVID comeback in theaters across San Diego County. Follow them on Facebook and Instagram @sdtheatreconnection and on Twitter @TheSDTC.

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