Life Jacket Theatre Company

America is Hard to See

 

Oct. 21– 23 2016

3B Development Series

IN RESIDENCE: October 11-24, 2016
WORK-IN-PROGRESS

AMERICA IS HARD TO SEE investigates Miracle Village, a small rural community for sex offenders buried deep in Southern Florida’s sugarcane fields.

Residents live in places like Miracle Village because they are not permitted by law to live near schools, parks, or bus stops. Also, they must register their crimes, addresses, and vehicles on online public databases. These factors limit their chances of finding employment.

Several years ago, members of Life Jacket Theatre Co. travelled to Southern Florida to interview residents of Miracle Village, law enforcement officials, lawmakers, religious leaders, and other prominent figures on all sides of this controversial issue. An ensemble of seven powerful actors embodies over 50 people in this dynamic play.

Based solely on verbatim interviews and field research, the play blends spoken text and original songs to bring to life the interviewees’ actual words. This uncomfortable and unorthodox play tells tough, thoughtful, and real stories about darkness, uncertainty, and healing in small-town America.

Written and directed by Travis Russ
Original songs by Priscilla Holbrook
Researched and developed by Travis Russ, Anthony Dvarskas, andAmelia Parenteau

LIFE JACKET THEATRE CO. creates smart, original, and unpredictable theatre. They produce investigative works based on real-life stories, often engaging with the people whose stories we tell. The company continually experiments with new theatrical languages and forms in pursuit of visually inventive and lyrically rich works. www.LifeJacketTheatre.org @lifejacketnyc

IRT Theater is a grassroots laboratory for independent theater and performance in New ork City, providing space and support to a new generation of artists. Tucked away in the old Archive Building in Greenwich Village, IRT’s mission is to build a community of emerging and established artists by creating a home for the development and presentation of new work. Some of the artists we have supported include Young Jean Lee, Reggie Watts and Mike Daisey.

This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, Office of Council Member Corey Johnson and The Nancy Quinn Fund, a project of ART-NY.