Mainstage Production
Written by Tracy Letts
Directed by Ann-Marie Pereth and Joseph Kucan
Location: SST Studio Theater, 4340 S. Valley View Blvd., Unit 210 (Studio 3) Las Vegas, NV 89103
(This is NOT at the Ranch; it is near the intersection of Valley View and Harmon.)
A local council meeting in the small town of Big Cherry goes off the rails in this darkly comedic look at the American perspective on government, history, privilege, and power. Nominated for the Pulitzer Prize in 2022, Letts’ hilarious examination of the tribal nature of our national experiment provides the theatrical jolt you’ll need during this year’s election season!
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A WORD FROM THE DRAMATURG
A Word from the Dramaturg
For 9 minutes, a police officer pressed his knee into the neck of a black man who was suspected of trying to use a counterfeit $20 bill. As he died, he called out for his mother. In the wake of his murder, Americans took to the streets to protest police brutality. Women carried signs reading, “All mothers were summoned when George Floyd called out for his momma.” I watched in horror as the police brutally attacked protesters, intentionally blinding some by shooting gas canisters at close range. I wanted to join the protests… but I didn’t. I was four months pregnant with a baby that I’d tried for years to have. I feared losing my daughter to violence or perhaps to COVID. The price of action was too high for me. I donated to Black Lives Matter and wished ardently for justice to prevail.
It didn’t.
That police officer was convicted of murder, but that didn’t sway policy or topple institutional racism. The thing about justice is – wishing doesn’t make it so. Justice is earned through resistance and, far too often, through blood. James Madison said, “If men were angels, no government would be necessary.” Ideally, injustice would be achieved through discourse alone, but that’s not the world we live in. We are in a precarious moment in US history, and it is up to each of us to do whatever we can to create a more perfect union. I’m using my voice now. I’m trying. What will you do?
Leah Flowers
15 September 2024
The following contains spoilers:
COSTUMES
SCENIC DESIGN
