The Harvest at Skidmore JKB Theater

Saratoga Springs, NY -- Skidmore Theater is pleased to announce its Fall Black Box Production,The Harvest by Samuel D. Hunter, directed by artist-in-residence John Michael DiResta. Samuel D.Hunter is a contemporary playwright of such acclaimed plays as The Whale and A Bright NewBoise, with The Harvest premiering in 2016 at Lincoln Center Theater. The New York Timespraises, "Mr. Hunter always handles his characters with the sensitivity of a gifted sculptor, or maybea master whittler who shapes each with a razor-sharp knife."SYNOPSIS: In the basement of a small evangelical church in southeastern Idaho, a group of youngmissionaries is preparing to go to the Middle East. One of them a young man who has recently losthis father has bought a one-way ticket. But his plans are complicated when his estranged sisterreturns home and makes it her mission to keep him there. This production explores themes of faith,escapism, and queerness in a highly realistic setting in which the black box theater space istransformed into a church basement.FROM THE DIRECTOR: As we age, we learn of lifes inarguable hardness. Death, trauma, injustice itis all inevitable. The Harvest is a play about the power of belief in the face of that hardness.These young people truly believe that the disordered world is ordered by some greater beingsplan. And while a rounder read of the world tells us that their missionary approach might becolonial, they truly think that they are spreading the good news that life doesnt have to be as cruelas it may feel. They dedicate their lives to this cause. They sacrifice fortune, independence, andinnumerable visceral pleasures in order to, as they perceive it, save the world from pain.Of course, its not that simple. All seven of the characters, in their own ways, have someknowledge a complicated life is inevitable. In our production, we honor and explore the ways inwhich these characters grow and struggle by embracing complications, as well as honor their hopethat maybe life doesnt have to be more complicated than it already is. John Michael DiResta