SWING STATE Will Host Harbinger Theatre's Fourth Season

Harbinger Theatre will close its fourth season with Swing State by Pulitzer Prize finalist, Rebecca Gilman, and directed by Brian Sheldon. Swing State marks Harbinger's 18th Capital Region premiere. It might also amazingly be the Capital Region premiere of Gilman, who has been one of the most esteemed playwrights in Chicago for 30 years.

Performances will be held at Sand Lake Center for the Arts from November 14 - 23, with a free preview on November 13.

“I have always loved Gilman's understanding of dialogue. I know that may seem weird, but when you're reading her work, there is always a true sense of life. There isn't any need for theatrics. The subtext of this piece is served up like a three-course meal,” director Brian Sheldon said.

“Returning to SLCA is a joy. To bring this play to their audience is a task I don't take lightly. Sand Lake runs the gamut on political leanings, and Swing State touches on both sides. This area has also had too many turns with addiction and depression — it's a good thing to bring a story that deals with these issues and can serve as some light for healing and redemption, or at the very least, create conversation after the lights go out.” It's hard to know who your friends are in a world that's more divided than ever. 

Recently widowed, Peg tends to the native plants in her 40-acre rural Wisconsin prairie backyard, her solitary days interrupted only by visits from a family friend with a check-ered past. When a mysterious theft alerts the authorities, a string of events unfold that forever changes their lives.

“Gilman's drama takes audiences on a wayward chase through the pits and peaks of humanity to find the culprit,” Allison Considine of New York Theatre Guide said. “Like the dwindling prairie land, of which there is only four percent remaining in the U.S., the characters in the play must learn to fight the droughts and fires of life in order to regrow and survive.” Swing State will feature Lisa Bryk, Leo Hernandez, Brooke Hutchins, and Robin Leary.

A FREE preview will be held on November 13th. Shows will be held on November 14 - 15 and November 21 - 22 at 7:30 p.m. as well as November 16 and 23 at 2:30 p.m., with Talkback Fridays occurring after the show on November the 14th and 21st. In honor of the Wisconsin setting, we are having a cheese tasting for all the Packer backers on Saturday November 15th at 6:30 p.m. (before the show). SLCA is located at 2880 NY-43 Averill Park, NY 12018. Tickets can be purchased on Harbinger's website, tickets are $15.

Do you wish you could pre-pay for all Harbinger Theatre shows for the whole year? The company will now offer a Flex Subscription, which means this is your opportunity to get four tickets for $50! The Flex Subscription can be used interchangeably, as you have the choice to use them all for a party to experience a single show or indulge in four plays you've never witnessed before.