ALLENTOWN (October 6, 2015) – Pennsylvania’s school funding crisis will take center stage in School Play at Civic Theatre 514, 527 N. 19th St., at 7 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 12. The one-night local showing of the play, which received overwhelmingly positive reviews at sold-out performances last April at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, is part of a statewide tour that will also include showings in Erie, St. Marys, Johnstown, State College, Schuylkill Haven, Harrisburg, Lancaster, Reading, Elkins Park, Blue Bell and Bryn Mawr.

The timing of School Play could not be more relevant as the more than three-month-old budget standoff continues in Harrisburg, with new funding for education at the top of the agenda. The documentary-based live theatre production from playwrights Arden Kass and Seth Bauer, commissioned by Public Citizens for Children and Youth, uses the real voices of more than 100 Pennsylvanians to dramatize funding inequities among school districts across the state.

“Allentown has one of the most diverse and under-funded school districts in the state,” said Cathy Kim of the Education Department at Muhlenberg College. “Every student deserves access to the same quality education no matter where they live, and this performance brings the students’ needs to life.”

“We are putting human faces to this critical issue so people understand why education funding matters,” said playwright Arden Kass. “We want to use the unique abilities of live performance to reach people in a way that’s different from news reports and speeches. By cutting through the numbers and political arguments, we will help discover ways to make things better for our children and communities.”

Tickets for the one-night performance are free and available here: http://www.civictheatre.com/coming-soon/school-play-presented-in-theatre-514-on-october-12-at-700-pm/. To learn more about School Play or to download production materials including a full script, visit www.schoolplaypa.org.