Lab Theater Project to Present ROCKET SCIENCE, 6/23-7/3

Rocket Science, a new play by Stephen Ashworth, will be staged at Tampa's Silver Meteor Gallery from June 23 to July 3 by the Lab Theater Project. Evening performance times are 8 PM on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, and 2 PM matinees will be performed on Saturdays and Sundays. The Silver Meteor Gallery is located at 2213 East 6th Avenue, Ybor City, and free parking is available at the theater. Patrons may purchase tickets at the door, by calling 813-238-1756, or by

emailing labthrproject@gmail.com.

Rocket Science tells the story of an astronaut, adrift in life, going in the wrong direction professionally, who lands a teaching job. He prepared for the rigors of space, but none of that training has prepared him for a classroom with two difficult students who have a shared tragedy and are searching for their own direction in life.

Directed by Owen Robertson (TRT2's White People, CLEAVE, and Venue Theatre's Passengers), Rocket Science stars Harold Oehler (Stagework's Sylvia & A Few Good Men), A.R. Williams (The Space's Elegies for Angels, Punks, and Raging Queens) and newcomer to the Tampa community, Sarah Berland.

Playwright and screenwriter Stephen Ashworth is an inaugural graduate of the MFA in Writing for Stage and Screen program at New Hampshire Institute of Art. A lifelong educator, he is from Edmonton, Canada. He wrote this play as a valentine to education and to the many students whom he has taught-and who, more importantly, taught him.

"This play resonates with me," says Director Owen Robertson, "as an educator. Additionally, I also found myself in the two students in this play. What I found most powerful is Mr. Ashworth's use of labels and constructions within the world of the play, the way he explores stereotypes and how people are stuck in them. Deeper than that is the journey he takes us on through the story to find at the end that redemption is possible and that life is ultimately about connecting to each other."

Tampa-based Lab Theater Project focuses on the education and development of new artists. The company produces new works, giving students the opportunity to put into practice what they've learned while working side-by-side with established theatre professionals. Partnered with Stageworks, Tampa's oldest professional theater company, Lab Theatre Project offers adult classes in Acting, Playwriting and Script Analysis.

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