Stage Left Annouces SYMPOSIUM SERIES

In conjunction with our World Premiere production of Andrew Hinderaker's Kingsville, Stage Left Theatre announces a series of post-performance symposia to discuss the issues addressed in the play.  Each Symposium will feature different community speakers who offer distinct perspectives on those issues.  The symposia will be moderated in an effort to encourage audience participation.

Below is the current schedule for the Kingsville Symposium Series:
Sunday, October 31: Thomas Vanden Berk, CEO of UCAN, a non-profit whose mission is to reduce gun violence impacting youth and families.  He is joined by Martin Zamora, lifelong Chicago resident, father of four, Scout leader and gun safety instructor and election volunteer coordinator for the National Rifle Association  (Performance at 3pm, Symposium to follow)

Sunday, November 7: Dr. David Shor, professor of psychology and counselor at Northwestern University, whose research on societal notions of masculinity are cited in Kingsville.  (Performance at 3pm, Symposium to follow)

Sunday, November 14: David G. Sigale is the principal of Law Firm of David G. Sigale, P.C., in Lisle, Illinois. Mr. Sigale has over a decade's experience counseling and representing corporate and individual clients all over the Chicagoland area, as well as clients across the United States.  He was one of the lawyers for the plaintiff in McDonald v. City of Chicago, the case that overturned Chicago's handgun ban.   (Performance at 3pm, Symposium to follow)
 
Thursday, November 18: Garrett Evans was shot in both legs during the 2007 Virginia Tech massacre.  He is now an advocate for gun control  and campus safety and has appeared on national TV and at events across the country.  (Performance at 8pm, Symposium to follow)
Admission to the Symposium Series is free, but it is recommended that attendees have seen the production in order to fully appreciate and participate in the discussion. 

The day after the Virginia Tech shooting, radio shows were flooded with calls from listeners, repeating the same argument, over and over: if the students had only been armed, the shooter would've been killed and no one else would have died. Kingsville dares to explore whether maybe, just maybe, those callers had a point. In a hypothetical America where children legally carry guns to class, one teacher must choose between opposing a policy he abhors and putting his own son at risk.
         
Kingsville was developed through our Downstage Left program and appeared in LeapFest 6. Hinderaker's previous work, Suicide, Incorporated, premiered at The Gift Theatre in June, 2010, to critical acclaim and sold out houses.  Our production was directed by Stage Left Artistic Director Vance Smith.  The cast includes SLT ensemble member Cat Dean as Audrey, as well as Nick DiLeonardi (Mike), John Ferrick (James), John Arthur Lewis (Wayne), Andrew Raia (Justin), John Rushing (Host).

Kingsville runs Thursdays through Saturdays at 8:00 PM, Sundays at 3:00 PM from 10/21/10 through 11/21/10 and will be performed at Theatre Wit at 1229 W. Belmont in Chicago. The theater is handicapped and CTA accessible via the Belmont El (Red & Brown). Tickets start at $22, and are available by calling the Theater Wit box office at 773-975-8150 or though our website at www.stagelefttheatre.com

In line with our mission to produce theatre that raises debate and encourages action, Stage Left goes one step further with Partnerships for Action. Each production is paired with a relevant not-for-profit organization to cross-promote and raise awareness for both Stage Left and the organization in question.
         
For our production of Kingsville, we are proud to partner with both PAX and UCAN. PAX is an organization whose mission is to reduce gun violence impacting youth and families through empowering, public health and safety based solutions that address and positively change dangerous social norms and prevent gun injuries and deaths. PAX is also a sponsor for National Safe Schools Week, which is October 17-23. For more information, visit www.paxusa.org

UCAN's  mission is to build strong youth and families through compassionate healing, education and empowerment. Since its founding in 1869, UCAN has grown into a multi-faceted social service organization which today serves more than 13,000 at-risk children, youth and families across the state of Illinois. For more information on UCAN, please visit www.ucanchicago.orgUCAN's Angel Corps program assists victims of violence as they and their families deal with the effects of trauma.
If you're interested in learning more about Angel Corps, please visit http://www.ucanchicago.org/site/epage/84019_682.htmABOUT STAGE LEFT

Founded in 1982, Stage Left Theatre is committed to nurturing voices for the American theatre by developing and producing plays that raise debate and challenge perspectives on political and social issues. Through a full subscription season and Downstage Left, one of Chicago's most prolific new play development programs, Stage Left strives to ask provocative social and political questions by producing a mix of new works, regional premieres and timeless classics.

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