Stones In His Pockets
May 31 at 8
June 1-2, 7-9 at 8
June 3 at 3
Dignity Players and Bay Theatre are thrilled to announce they will be producing a staged reading of Dustin Lance Black’s new courtroom drama “8″ on Sunday, July 22 at 6:00pm at the
2009 Season
Stop Kiss
By Diana Son
Directed by Dan Kavannaugh
With Shanon Benil, Kyle Bray, Thomas Byrne, Chris Haley, Mary MacLeod, Niji Ramunas
Director’s Notes
On October 12th, it will be 10 years since Matthew Shepard, a gay University of Wyoming student, was beaten, tied to a fence, and left to die. This event lead playwright Moises Kaufman to interview people of the town in Wyoming where this occurred, and from those interviews was born his play The Laramie Project. The Laramie Projectwas one of the first plays performed by Dignity Players.
In Stop Kiss, two young women slowly discover that they may be falling in love. That love is tested when their first kiss provokes an act of violence and transforms both of their lives in ways that neither could have predicted. Although Diana Son’s Stop Kiss is not based upon a specific historical event, it is in a similar vein as The Laramie Project for it details a gay-bashing incident which is the catalyst for the story. Although this act of violence may be at the heart of the story, the story does not end there. Diana Son presents us with a piece that challenges us to look at our current situations, our vulnerabilities, and the risks (and possible rewards) inherent when we encounter and go after that “something . . . worth . . . winning” in life.
The parents of Matthew Shepard established a foundation in their son’s name with the stated goal of “replacing hate with understanding, compassion, and acceptance.” Stop Kiss is a celebration of the power of love and the human spirit to overcome the hate that often creeps into our society.
Thank you for your patronage of this play and your continued support of Dignity Players, which is committed to producing theatre to inspire as well as entertain you.
