Drama of Education Funding Hits the Local Stage in School Play – Schuylkill Haven School District to Host Free One-Night Show on October 15th

SCHUYLKILL HAVEN (October 9, 2015) – Pennsylvania’s school funding crisis will take center stage in School Play at the Schuylkill Haven High School on Thursday, Oct. 15 at 7 p.m. The free one-night local showing of the play, which received overwhelmingly positive reviews at sold-out performances last April at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, is part of a statewide tour that will include showings in Erie, St. Marys, Johnstown, State College, Harrisburg, Lancaster, Reading, Allentown, Elkins Park, Blue Bell and Bryn Mawr.

The timing of School Play could not be more relevant as the three-month-old budget standoff continues in Harrisburg, with new funding for education at the top of the agenda. The documentary-based live theatre production from playwrights Arden Kass and Seth Bauer, commissioned by Public Citizens for Children and Youth, uses the real voices of more than 100 Pennsylvanians to dramatize funding inequities among school districts across the state.

“There is uncertainty and inequity for students here in Schuylkill County and across the state,” said Lorraine Felker, Superintendent of the Schuylkill Haven Area School District. “By capturing the real voices of students, parents, teachers, and administrators, this performance takes the school funding issue beyond the numbers, clearly illustrating the importance of a sound educational investment on our children’s lives and our communities’ future well-being.”

“We are putting human faces to this critical issue so people understand why education funding matters,” says playwright Arden Kass. “We want to use the unique abilities of live performance to reach people in a way that’s different from news reports and speeches. By cutting through the numbers and political arguments, we will help discover ways to make things better for our children and communities.”

Tickets for the free one-night performance are available at the door. To learn more about School Play visit www.schoolplaypa.org.