Education Funding Takes Center Stage in “School Play” – March 26, 2015

Live Production Will Premiere April 8th & 9th at the National Constitution Center

PHILADELPHIA (March 26th, 2015) – Attitudes on public education in Pennsylvania come through in a new theatre production School Play set to premiere April 8th and 9th at 7:30pm at the National Constitution Center. The documentary-based live theatre piece from playwrights Arden Kass, Seth Bauer and Director Edward Sobel for Public Citizens for Children and Youth (PCCY) uses the voices of children, parents and education stakeholders across the Commonwealth to increase awareness about Pennsylvania’s investment in the public school system.

“We are putting human faces to this critical issue so people understand why education funding matters,” says writer 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.”

School Play is not limited to these performances in April or even to the stage. PCCY is working with schools and other organizations in the region to help them hold their own School Play performances. The production, based on interviews, letters and various other source materials, can be acted out as a whole or through a series of short scenes. PCCY will make the materials for production available online in the weeks after the April premiere.

“School Play belongs to everyone. You do not need sets, costumes or lighting to tell the critical story of the state of our schools and a child’s desire to have basic resources to help them succeed,” said Donna Cooper, executive director of PCCY. “We want everyone; from Philadelphia to Erie to Scranton to Johnstown, to pick up a script and hold their own School Plays in their communities so more people can become aware of how funding cuts hurt our children.”

The Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance is a key partner organization in bringing School Play to the stage. Michael Norris, vice president of external relations noted “School Play takes a serious issue that cuts to the core of parents and students across the state and tells it through the creative power of the arts. Our hope is that people everywhere will take this production back to their communities and use it to start a real dialogue on education.”

Tickets to the performances on April 8th and 9th are free and are available on first come, first serve basis. To reserve your tickets, please email schoolplay@childrenfirstpa.org. To learn more about School Play, please visit www.childrenfirstpa.org/schoolplay.