Catalyst Presents THE TRESTLE at Pope Lick Creek

Catalyst Arts Atlanta, a new artistic collective, debuts with The Trestle at Pope Lick Creek by Naomi Wallace, directed by A. Julian Verner, November 27 - December 11, 2015.

Catalyst Arts Atlanta recently evolved from Grassroots Theatre Company after developing a new mission focused around social and civic engagement through the art-making process. The Trestle at Pope Lick Creek will be the first show to foster this mission as Catalyst will be raising awareness around unemployment and the needs of low income families by partnering with Wholesome Wave Georgia, and donating 10% of all ticket sales to their mission.

The Trestle at Pope Lick Creek by Naomi Wallace takes place at the tail end of the depression in a small Kentucky town. Sixteen-year-old Dalton Chance sits in jail, accused of the murder of a young girl, Pace Creagan. As Dalton relives the events leading up to her death, the line between truth and shadow is blurred. Racing a train across the infamous local trestle, the two search for something greater than themselves. This tragically beautiful story revolves around people in transition; a cyclone of love and hope becoming a volatile catalyst. Ultimately, the play asks: How far can we go on our own? Whose hands do we allow to pull us up?

Naomi Wallace is a Kentuckian playwright whose plays have been produced in Europe, the United Kingdom and the Middle East as well as in the United States. Wallace has received the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize twice, as well as Joseph Kesselring Prize, Fellowship of Southern Writers Drama Award, Obie Award and the 2012 Horton-Foote Award. In 2013 she received one of the most prestigious literary prizes in the world, the inaugural Windham Campbell prize for drama.

Catalyst's production of The Trestle at Pope Lick Creek marks the play's first professional production in the greater Atlanta area. Directed by Actor's Express intern alumni, A. Julian Verner, the production features Suzi Award Winners, Clinton Thornton and Kelly Criss, and Suzi Award Nominee, Barrett Doyle. The cast also includes MAT Award Nominee, Vinnie Mascola, and Atlanta theatre newcomer, Kristina Adler.

Performances of The Trestle at Pope Lick Creek will take place in the Paul Robeson Theatre at The Arts Exchange, 750 Kalb Street SE, Atlanta, GA 3012. General tickets are $17, student and senior tickets are $7, and can be purchased online at www.catalystartsatl.com.