STATE COLLEGE (October 2, 2015) – Pennsylvania’s school funding crisis will take center stage in School Play at State College Area High School, 653 Westerly Parkway, at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 8. The free 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, Schuylkill Haven, Harrisburg, Lancaster, Reading, Allentown, Elkins Park, Blue Bell and Bryn Mawr.
The timing of School Play could not be more relevant as the budget standoff in Harrisburg approaches three months, 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.
“This isn’t just an issue in Harrisburg or Philadelphia; districts in Centre County and across the state are all suffering from the current funding system. School Play offers the real story about how that is affecting our students, and provides a valuable opportunity for discussion and reflection,” said Jill Campbell, State High Thespians director and a learning enrichment teacher.
“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.”
Admission is free at the door. Donations are appreciated and will support the Sue Sheridan Fund for providing extracurricular and community educations to students who may not be able to afford them otherwise.
To learn more about School Play or to download production materials including a full script, visit www.childrenfirstpa.org/initiatives/school-play/.