BUILDING THE WALL Opens at Trustus Theatre, 10/6!

Trustus Theatre brings Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning Playwright Robert Schenkkan's newest political thriller play, Building the Wall, to the Side Door Theatre October 6-14, 2017 for its Southeastern premiere. Directed by Jim O'Connor, this play explores the contemporary times that we live in and the potential result of our communities failing to stay vigilant and letting their voices go unheard. The first theatre in South Carolina to produce this work, Trustus is proud to also offer two performances with Spanish supertitles. One will be on Wednesday, October 11 at 7:30pm and the other is on Saturday, October 14 at 2:00pm. Tickets may be purchased at www.trustus.org, or by calling the Trustus Box Office at 803-254-9732. Building the Wall is sponsored by The SC Progressive Network.

It's the very near future (2019), and the Trump administration has carried out its campaign promise to round up and detain millions of immigrants. A writer is interviewing the supervisor of a private prison, who is now a prisoner himself, as he awaits his sentencing for carrying out the federal policy that has escalated into the unimaginable. This riveting, harrowing and illuminating drama delivers a powerful warning and puts a human face on the inhuman, revealing how when personal accountability is denied, what seems inconceivable becomes inevitable.

Building the Wall is written by award winning playwright Robert Schenkkan (The Kentucky Cycle, All the Way, Hacksaw Ridge) and will be directed by Jim O'Connor. O'Connor says, "This play waves a red warning flag about a possible future if we are not careful about the seemingly insignificant choices that we make. The outcome of this script is plausible indeed, and if enough good people do not stay activated, our world, like the one we see unfolding in 2019, can be one we do not choose. Small choices, when added together, can make for giant outcomes. Getting along and going along can be very dangerous. If audience members are saying things such as 'I never thought about it that way' or 'Gee, things are more frightening than I thought' or 'Let's get involved,' the production will have done its job."

Trustus Theatre Artistic Director, Chad Henderson, says "Pieces like Building the Wall are created for the times we live in, and that's an essential part of the Trustus mission: to provide contemporary theatre for audiences seeking to examine the current cultural and societal landscape. While this production can be viscerally viewed as a dystopic political thriller-it's ultimately a powerful exploration of the human experience. The stakes are high in this show. People's lives are at stake. We're introduced to two characters trying to find the truth after a disastrous political move made in secret. This play asks us to stay vigilant and to stay active-to continue making our voices heard. To continue believing in democracy where the voice of the people shakes the landscape of our national experience. This play is a warning. It also happens to be a suspenseful play with a nail-biting pace that cites the familiar present, and shows us the unimaginable circumstances that could result from an unwatchful society in the future. I'm also proud that Trustus is the first theatre in South Carolina to produce this timely work. Trustus fans definitely need to make it out to this show during its limited run-you're going to hear a lot about it."

Building the Wall will run from October 6-October 14, 2017 on Trustus Theatre's Side Door Theatre and tickets are on sale now. Tickets can be purchased by calling the Trustus Theatre Box Office at 803-254-9732 or online at trustus.org. Opening night is Friday, October 6, at 8pm. The performances following are on Saturday, October 7, at 8pm; Sunday, October 8, at 3pm; Wednesday, October 11, at 7:30pm (with Spanish supertitles); Thursday, October 12, at 7:30pm; Friday, October 13, at 8pm; Saturday, October 14, at 2:00pm (with Spanish supertitles); and Saturday, October 14, at 8:00pm. A Talk-Back with casts and panelists will follow the 2pm matinee performance on October 14th.