ST. MARYS — A play about the state budget crisis and its impacts on public schools is coming to St. Marys after showings in cities and towns across the state and a surge of national media attention.
“School Play” will be shown in a free one-night local showing at St. Marys Area High School at 7 p.m. Oct. 13.
A release issued by the district says the play received overwhelmingly positive reviews at sold-out performances last April at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, and is part of a statewide tour that will include showings in Montgomery County, Reading, Harrisburg, Lancaster, State College, Johnstown, Allentown, Schuylkill Haven and Erie.
The tour comes as a state budget stalemate enters its third month, having thrown into question government funding for everything from social services to schools, forcing some districts to consider costly loans to bridge the gap.
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.
“This play presents — through the voices of students, parents, teachers and administrators — how the state’s school funding crisis touches people’s lives,” said Dr. Brian Toth, Superintendent of the St. Marys Area School District. “It takes us beyond the dollars by illustrating what investing in education means to our children.”
“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.”
To learn more about School Play or to download production materials including a full script, log on to www.childrenfirstpa.org/schoolplay.
The Bradford Era – September 22, 2015 – Read article online