Bainbridge Performing Arts Presents BUILDING THE WALL

In BUILDING THE WALL Pulitzer Prize, Tony and WGA Award winner, and three-time Emmy-nominated playwright Robert Schenkkan imagines a not-so-distant future in which President Trump's anti-immigration rhetoric has found full expression. This riveting dystopian drama from the playwright of "The Kentucky Cycle" is directed by Kate Carruthers and stars Elena Flory-Barnes as "Gloria" and Chip Wood as "Rick."

Written by Schenkkan in what he describes as a "white-hot fury" on the eve of the 2016 U.S. Presidential election, BUILDING THE WALL dramatizes in harrowing detail the possible consequences of Trump's campaign rhetoric turned into federal policy. Two years into the Trump presidency, that policy has resulted in the mass round-up of millions of illegal aliens, with their incarceration overflowing into private prisons and camps. The former warden of one facility is awaiting sentencing for what happened under his watch. In a riveting interview with a historian who has come seeking the truth, he gradually reveals how the unthinkable became the inevitable.

Beloved by BPA audiences, Director Kate Carruthers' credits include August: Osage County, Amadeus, Snow Falling on Cedars, The Kentucky Cycle, Distracted, Private Eyes, Arcadia, The Grapes of Wrath, More Fun Than Bowling, Art, and The Philadelphia Story. She also directed Much Ado About Nothing, BPA's fourth annual summertime Shakespeare performance, at The Bloedel Reserve in July 2016.

A Seattle native, Elena Flory-Barnes was last seen on the BPA stage in The Kentucky Cycle. Her local credits include the role of Yvette in Book-It Repertory Theatre's production ofLittle Bee, the part of Daisy in Theatre Schmeatre's In Arabia We'd All Be Kings and Violet/Carrie in Seattle Immersive Theatre's Storyville Rising. Chip Wood makes his BPA debut with this production and was last seen on the island as John Williamson in Glengarry Glen Ross. His most recent role was in Evidence of Things Unseen at Taproot Theatre, and he played Judge Roan in Sound Theatre's Gregory-nominated production of Parade last year.

BUILDING THE WALL appears at BPA February 9 - 11, with shows Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m., Sunday at 3:00 p.m., and a Pay-What-You-Can Preview on Thursday, February 8 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets, $25 for adults, and $20 for seniors, students, youth, military, and teachers, may be purchased online at www.bainbridgeperformingarts.org, by phone at 206.842.8569 or in person at BPA, 200 Madison Avenue North, Bainbridge Island. BPA Box Office hours are 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. Wednesday through Friday, and one hour prior to each performance. Suitable for ages 13 and older due to adult language and mature content, the production is produced by special permission with the playwright and special arrangement with Dramatist Play Service, Inc.

Audience members will be invited to linger after each show for a post-performance talk-back with cast members, the director, and outside experts including Althea Paulson, a retired attorney, now accredited by the Department of Justice to provide legal representation to immigrants through Kitsap Immigration Assistance Center (KIAC) and Dr. Jacqueline Helfgott, a criminal psychologist and chair of Seattle University's Criminal Justice Department.

We're grateful to our Community Partner, Kitsap Immigration Assistance Center (KIAC). BPA is supported, in part, by Bainbridge Community Foundation, the City of Bainbridge Island, and One Call for All. Bainbridge Performing Arts is pleased to offer an "Open Doors" program. Free and reduced-cost tickets to most events are available to community members in need through our partner Helpline House thanks to grants from BCF, the Mabee Family Foundation, and the Alder Fund at the Bainbridge Community Foundation. Please contact the BPA Box Office at 206.842.8569 or Helpline House to reserve tickets today.

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