Alliance Theatre Joins ENOUGH: Plays To End Gun Violence

The Alliance Theatre has announced its participation in the Digital Premiere of the seven winning plays of #ENOUGH: Plays to End Gun Violence, a national short play competition for middle and high school students, in-collaboration with fellow partner theatres including Arizona Theatre Company, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Goodman Theatre, Orlando Repertory Theatre, and South Coast Repertory. Starting on December 14, 2020 - the 8-year remembrance of the shootings at Sandy Hook - the winning titles will be available on the streaming platform Broadway on Demand.

A panel of nationally-recognized dramatists - Lauren Gunderson, Academy Award winner (and past Alliance/Kendeda National Graduate Playwriting Competition winner) Tarell Alvin McCraney, Pulitzer Prize winner Robert Schenkkan, Tony Award winner David Henry Hwang, and Karen Zacarías selected the plays out of 184 submissions from twenty-three states and three countries in #ENOUGH's call for teens to write 10-minute plays that confront the issue of gun violence.

The Alliance Theatre will produce the winning play Togetha by Azya Lyons for the Digital Premiere. The six other winners and their producing theatre partner include:

a-? Ms. Martin's Malaise by Adelaide Fisher, produced by Orlando Repertory Theatre.

a-? Guns in Dragonland by Eislinn Gracen, produced by Orlando Repertory Theatre.

a-? Malcolm by Debkanya Mitra, produced by Arizona Theatre Company.

a-? Ghost Gun by Olivia Ridley, produced by Goodman Theatre

a-? Hullabaloo by Sarah Schecter, produced by Berkeley Repertory Theatre.

a-? Loaded Language by Elizabeth Shannon, produced by South Coast Repertory.

From Dec. 14-20, all seven plays will be viewable for free on Broadway on Demand. Each theatre will pre-record their short play and they will be presented together in a single program, bringing youth voices from four different time zones together to speak out about gun violence to a national audience.

"The Alliance Theatre will produce Togetha, with the Alliance Theatre Teen Ensemble directing, acting, designing, and editing the production," says Sam Provenzano, Artist in Residence and Teen Programs Manager at the Alliance, who is overseeing the Teen Ensemble as they produce the show. "The playwright, Azya Lyons, was able to join our Zoom read thru at the first rehearsal where the teens could ask her questions, hear her creative process, and share thoughts about how gun violence impacts the south. The Alliance Theatre is partnering with VOX ATL, an incredible teen led organization, for a watch party and to engage in a community dialogue to create an action plan in response to the play."

In tandem with the Digital Premiere of the seven winning plays, all of the Theatre Partners have committed to creating space for community dialogue on the issue of gun violence by hosting a post-show discussion and committing to an action item that impacts their community.

Togetha

By Azya Lyons

December 14 - 20

Available to stream on Broadway on Demand

The Alliance Theatre Teen Ensemble presents the digital premiere of Togetha, winner of #ENOUGH: PLAYS TO END GUN VIOLENCE, a national short play competition for middle and high school students. In Togetha, Imani, Aiyanna, Chayenne, and Aaliyah have just graduated high school and are celebrating at a party in their honor, until an evening of entertainment takes a tragic turn.

https://alliancetheatre.org/events/togetha-broadway-demand