PEELING, A Landmark Play About Disability, To Make U.S. Premiere With Sound Theatre Company

In the U.S. premiere of playwright Kaite O' Reilly's internationally renowned play peeling, Sound Theatre Company continues staging authentic narratives and breaking new theatrical ground. peeling weaves audio description, sign language, and theatrical spectacle into a no-holds-barred play about representation, women, reproduction, war, and eugenics.

With brisk wit and domestic backstage comedy, O' Reilly's storytelling style has earned comparisons to Beckett and Caryl Churchill. In an overproduced, postmodern production of Euripides' The Trojan Women, Alfa, Coral, and Beatty have been cast in bit parts to fulfill a playhouse's misplaced diversity program; but as tokens, the trio never experiences true inclusion. Sound Theatre centers disability justice by assembling a production team and cast that brings authentic lived experiences to this groundbreaking production.

Following Sound Theatre Company's 2018 season of Radical Inclusion, this season explores themes of erasure. To wit, peeling probes at buzzwords like "inclusion," "diversity," "authenticity," and "equal opportunities" as an extension of Sound Theatre's ongoing effort to spotlight talented theatermakers with disabilities.

Last season, Sound launched Washington state's only in-house theater accessibility coordinator: Roland Carette-Meyers, who ensures each show is accessible to all patrons. The peeling run offers tactile tours, two ASL interpreted performances, Sensory-Friendly Performance, two CART/Open Caption performances, large print materials, and flexible seating.

Helmed by director Teresa Thuman, peeling offers a fresh, if not jolting, perspective.

"Seattle has never seen a play like this before," theatermaking veteran Thuman predicts. "The very nature of theatre is to expose and make public all that is human - in every form, every ability. For those who live on the margins, theatre is a way to bring them to the center as fully human beings."

ACCESSIBLE PERFORMANCES

- Tactile tour offered prior to each performance

- ASL Interpreted Performances (includes pre-show and post-show talkbacks):

8PM Friday August 16

8PM Thursday August 22

- CART (real-time captioned): 2PM Sunday, August 18, August 22.

Please contact Accessibility Coordinator Roland Carette-Meyers for any questions or to inquire about specific requests: access@soundtheatrecompany.org.

CAST

• Carolyn Agee - Coral
• Michelle Mary Schaefer - Alfa
• Sydney Maltese - Beaty

ARTISTIC TEAM

• Teresa Thuman - Director
• Monique Holt - Assistant Director and Director of Artistic Sign Language
• Andrea Kovich - Dramaturg
• Parmida Ziaei - Scenic Designer
• Taya Pyne - Costume Designer
• Adrian Kljucec- Sound Designer
• Jared Norman - Projection Designer
• Richard Schaefer - Lightning Designer/Technical Director
• Robin MaCartney - Props Designer
• Zoé Tziotis Shields - Wardrobe Crew, Sound Board Operator
• Roland Carette-Meyers - Accessibility Coordinator
• Francesca Betancourt - Movement Director

Radical Hospitality tiered-ticket pricing: patrons select $5, $25, $50 or $75. https://www.artful.ly/sound-theatre-company--1/store/events/17441