Friday, September 27, 2013

Edison students to star in trio of plays to raise awareness of domestic violence issues


Edison State College (or whatever it is called now) students will have roles in three upcoming plays.

Thespian Production, started by former Edison student Songhai Walton will produce three works exploring the theme of domestic violence over two nights on Oct. 18-19 at the Worldwide Vision Center located at 1400 Colonial Blvd., Suite 31 in Fort Myers. Titles include: "A Different Kind of Love," "Raging Love" and "Trapped."



Edison student Charlotte Cox wrote "A Different Kind of Love" and "Raging Love." Retired educator wrote "Trapped." At each performance, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office will offer a brief presentation on domestic violence and how individuals can help.

Tickets are available online at www.thespianproduction.com or at www.brownpapertickets.com/event/450788/. Individuals may also purchase tickets at the door.  For more information please email info@thespianproduction.com.





Alas, I cannot attend. I already have events on both nights. ("All My Raisins in the Sun" at Theatre Conspiracy and "Afterlife of the Rich and Famous" at Let's Put On A Show, but best wishes and break a leg!

Complete press release below.



EDISON STATE COLLEGE STUDENTS TAKE CENTER STAGE IN THREE PLAYS
Performances Highlights the Issues of Domestic Violence


September 27, 2013 – FORT MYERS, FLA. – Students from Edison State College have key roles in an upcoming performance of three plays.  These plays, A Different Kind of Love; Raging Love; and Trapped, all focus on the issue of domestic violence.  The performances will take place on October 18 and 19 at 8 p.m. and will be held at the Worldwide Vision Center located at 1400 Colonial Blvd., Suite 31 in Fort Myers. The Lee County Sheriff’s Office will also offer a brief presentation on domestic violence and how individuals can help.

Students from Edison State College are participating in a variety of ways for these performances.  Student Charlotte Cox wrote two of the plays: A Different Kind of Love and Raging Love.  Additionally, three students are actors in the plays; and one student will be running the AV needs for all of the performances.

“I believe that these performances display that with strength, it is possible to escape the cycle of abuse and that real love is still possible,” said Cox.
                                
“Charlotte illustrates the commitment and creativity of our students; she is an outstanding writer who doesn’t shy away from the hard issues in her plays.   I enjoyed every minute of having her in my writing classes,” said Marty Ambrose, English Professor at Edison State College.

In A Different Kind of Love, audience members will see how the main character, Angela, struggles to become free from the cycle of domestic abuse.  It depicts her courage by leaving an abusive husband to venture across the country to start a new life, and her determination to shed the lasting, haunting effects domestic violence can have. Through it all, Angela deals with the highs and lows, learns to regain her self-worth and believe in those around her.

The play, Raging Love, follows Kristen who has suffered seven years of abuse from her husband.  This is her story of abuse – from feeling the lowest of lows and learning to celebrate the highest of highs.  Kristen tells of escaping her abuse and learning to love herself and life again.

The third play in the production is Trapped which is written by Greg Stallworth, a retired teacher who has been a huge domestic violence advocate for decades. The play centers on Michelle and Richard, once a happily married couple who had a good life.  This dramatic on stage re-enactment depicts the emotional, mental and physical pain of domestic violence that is inflicted by an abuser in an intimate relationship.

In October of 2011, these three plays were shown on stage in New York.  One performance took place at the Roy Arias Theater in Manhattan, and a second performance was shown at the Langston Hughes Library in Queens.

Tickets are available online at www.thespianproduction.com or at www.brownpapertickets.com/event/450788/. Individuals may also purchase tickets at the door.  For more information please email info@thespianproduction.com.

Thespian Production was started by Songhai Walton who is originally from Queens, NY, and is a former student at Edison State College and is now attending FGCU to get his Bachelor Degree in social work. Thespian Production - a small, non-profit, community theater company is bringing its annual domestic violence awareness production to Southwest Florida.  Thespian Production strives to educate communities through entertainment on domestic violence awareness and wants to empower individuals by exposing resources available to those in peril.

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