Staged Reading of SHOOTER! Will Be Performed at Chance Theater Next Month

Chance Theater, Anaheim's official resident theater company, is excited to present a staged reading of Shooter!, written by Chance Theater's 2020 Resident Playwright Krista Knight. This staged reading will be directed by Hannah Wolf as part of Chance Theater's OTR New Works Series. Shooter! will be presented for one night only on Wednesday, August 4, 2021 at 7:00pm.

Shooter! introduces us to Professor Leia, who is befuddled by the task of ushering undergrads into the dramatic principles of playwriting and life lessons simultaneously. When a student brings in a violent play, she suspects him of being a possible school shooter. As Leia's home life becomes more dangerous, she doubles down on her fear of the potential shooter. A dark comedy about the danger of the dislocation of fear-both to the object of that fear and its agent.

"The university wanted me to help him. I didn't know how," Krista Knight said in reference to a former student of hers who had written a very violent play while in her playwriting class. "In 2015, I was teaching at a state school in upstate New York. I was isolated geographically, socially, culturally, and also very excited to be a full-time associate (visiting) professor for the first time. To my surprise, college teaching wasn't just about introducing young adults to playwriting (most of whom had never seen a play before). I was also called upon to be a social worker, mother, and therapist. I was unprepared." Knight continued, "My only outlet was the wit and talent of my boyfriend in another state, but he was also going through a difficult time. Sometimes when he would drink he would become verbally abusive - ripping apart my class, privilege, and supposed intellect. One night he choked me until I passed out."

When talking about the parallels between the play and her own experience, Knight explains, "The professor character in my play, Leia, too finds herself in increasing danger at home. Instead of dealing with it, she doubles down on her belief that her student is a threat. I want the play to demonstrate how we use perceived, external danger to distract ourselves from the intimate, real danger close to us. As school shootings become more prevalent, so will the urgency to predict the warning signs. I want to explore the danger of the dislocation of fear-both to the object of that fear and its agent."

Chance's On the Radar (OTR) New Works Program consists of a new script reading series, a playwright's residency, and a commissioning program all geared towards supporting the creation of diverse new stories by emerging U.S. playwrights. The goal of OTR is to create a deep and long-term commitment to playwrights by offering them access to a community of artists and audiences, a supportive environment, and the freedom to explore their own boundaries and interests. Past Resident Playwrights include Krista Knight, Jessica Huang, Joanna Garner, Ted Malawer, Jenny Connell Davis, Lauren Yee, Nick Jones, Marshall Pailet, Zayd Dohrn, and Adam Szymkowicz. Our 2021 Resident Playwright is B.J. Tindal.

Tickets: Call (888) 455-4212 or visit www.ChanceTheater.com.

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