Amanda Schoonover To Star In Lauren Gunderson's NATURAL SHOCKS

Lauren Gunderson has been called "America's favorite playwright" by Slate, and with good reason: with the exception of Shakespeare, Ms. Gunderson is the country's most produced playwright. Her new work, NATURAL SHOCKS, received critical acclaim in The New York Times, who said that the play "raises important points about the need to take action in times of crises." Now, Gunderson's tour-de-force one-woman show comes to Philadelphia at Simpatico Theatre. The production runs December 4 through December 22, 2019 at The Drake Theatre. Reviewing press are invited to the 8:00pm performance on Friday, December 6th, 2019..

Based on Hamlet's famous "To be or not to be" monologue, NATURAL SHOCKS bursts to life when we meet a woman waiting out an imminent tornado in her basement. She overflows with quirks, stories, and a final secret that puts the reality of guns in America in the audience's lap. The play is part confessional, part stand up, and part reckoning.

Gunderson, a long time gun safety advocate, began her activism after the Columbine shooting when she was a junior in high school. Nineteen years later, she was working on NATURAL SHOCKS when the Parkland school shooting occurred. "I saw how brave and tireless and convincing these kids were in saying 'no more gun violence,'" Gunderson said. "And then I read that the most vocal of them were theatre kids."

The Philadelphia production of NATURAL SHOCKS will star award-winning actress Amanda Schoonover, and will be directed by Elise D'Avella of Svaha Theatre Collective. All performances are "Pay What You Decide After the Show." Pay What You Decide ticketing empowers audiences to invest in art and artists on their own terms and in accordance with their own abilities. After seeing one of Simpatico's shows, audiences are encouraged to make any sized contribution. Simpatico staff will be on hand before and after the performance to assist guests with this process.

Reservations can be made at https://ci.ovationtix.com/35118/production/1016957 or by visiting simpaticotheatre.org or by calling (267)437-7529..