Each morning beginning April 26 and running through April 29, TYP will present the play as a part of its 18th annual Theatre Outreach program for area school groups. The week will culminate with a public performance scheduled for April 30 at 2pm. The public performance is recommended for families with children ages 9 and older. All performances will be held in the Rose Lehrman Arts Center theatre at the Harrisburg campus of HACC, Central Pennsylvania's Community College.
Faces of Freedom, directed by HACC Associate Professor of Theatre, Brenda C. Eppley, is a vivid theatrical experience, using both an ensemble and monologues, to tell the true stories of young immigrants of today and yesterday. Moving fluidly from past to present and back again, the play interweaves Maria's journey to America in 1907, then to Tron's escape from death and imprisonment as a Vietnamese boat person in 1978. Against this backdrop, we meet the newest immigrants: Halima, whose family fled the Taliban; Vida, who is trying to find the courage to cross the first city street she has ever seen; Juana, whose fast-food counter is her passport to a better world; and Carlos, whose skill with a soccer ball is his entry into a new school. Elena and Luis, a sister and brother from Mexico, are each inventing their own ways to cope with a suddenly unfamiliar life, while Semir, a young Bosnian boy, can only find peace of mind at Dunkin' Donuts.
As audience members, we see reflected our family's/our friends/our country's stories of coming to America, and we learn--perhaps for the first time--the journey of our newest neighbors, all of different cultures, facing risks and challenges, yet all of us united in our search for freedom. All of us Americans.
The cast of HACC students includes (alphabetical order) Sean Adams, Aron Agerton, Eliza Beecher, Myron Byas, Mark Dundore, Jillian Hand, Jennie Kelley, Sara Longcroft, Elizabeth Schiavo, Billy Shepski, Brandon Smiley, Ada Smith-Sparling, Erica Tucker, Olga Zinchuk. Mike Foreman is stage manager. The innovative set was designed by HACC Theatre Instructor Dave Olmsted, complemented by lighting designed by HACC Theatre Lighting Specialist, Lori Friedlander. Costumes were designed by Eppley.
The Outreach program, running mornings April 26 through April 29, is targeted to fourth through seventh grade school groups. The program provides an educational and enlightening morning for students including a live performance, a "talk-back" session with the cast, director and crew, and the popular autograph session outside (weather permitting) when students have the opportunity to talk to cast members and get a close-up view of costumes and make-up. The cost for Theatre Outreach is $3.50 per student with chaperones admitted free. This program, open to school groups only (including home school), is available through pre-registration only. To register, please call Linda Dale at 780-2604 or send an email at the address below. For a study guide, contact Linda Dale.
The public performance of Faces of Freedom will be presented on Saturday, April 30 at 2pm. Tickets are $8 and can be purchased through the RLAC Box Office at 717-231-7673 (ROSE). The suggested age level for this program is 9 years old and up. For more information about TYP visit online at the Website below.