Productions

2009-2010 Season!

Each year, JTP explores in-depth a theme of social justice concern.

2009-10 finds us all turning back to the family .How family is affected when our fathers, sons, mothers and daughters come back from war. How a family of sisters so solidly held together all of their lives can be suddenly scattered to the winds on the breath of a radio wave. How a family desperately wanting more for their children can resent them for the opportunities that they themselves were denied. How families are made and remade after overcoming great obstacles.

Thought-provoking. Entertaining. Inspiring.

The Justice Theater Project is a non-profit theater company dedicated to the idea that art inspires change.

Marketing@thejusticetheaterproject.org

Laundry and Bourbon
By James McClure
September 11-27, 2009
St, Mary’s School, Hillsborough Street, Raleigh

Fences
By August Wilson
February 12- 28,  2010
Saint Mary’s School, Hillsborough St. Raleigh

Annual Forum Event- June 2010
June 18 at 7 p.m., St. Francis of Assisi, Raleigh
June 19 at 4:00 p.m., Poplar Springs Christian Church, Garner
Free and open to the public

Each season JTP creates an original play with a community partner. This year JTP and the Passage Home “Woo Women” will present original writings and performances depicting women and children’s successful transition from addiction, homelessness and incarceration back to family. Free.

Dancing at Lughnasa
By Brian Friel
June 11 - 27, 2010
Cardinal Gibbons Performing Arts Center, Raleigh

Five unmarried sisters in a small Irish village hope and dream of a better life, while music from their radio transforms and transports them. This haunting play is a tribute to the spirit and valor of family.
Winner of 3 Tony Awards.

Ticket Information

All tickets are available at the door, and through this web site beginning two weeks before each production.

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Dancing at Lughnasa

Dancing at Lughnasa
By Brian Friel
June 11 - 27, 2010
Cardinal Gibbons Performing Arts Center, Raleigh

Five unmarried sisters in a small Irish village hope and dream of a better life, while music from their radio transforms and transports them. This haunting play is a tribute to the spirit and valor of family.
Winner of 3 Tony Awards.

Five unmarried sisters eke out living in a small village in Ireland in l936.

During the festival of Lughnasa, which celebrates the pagan god of the harvest with drunken revelry and dancing, their spare existence is interrupted by brief, colorful bursts of m…usic from the radio, their only link to the romance and hope of the world at large.

The play is told through the memory of the illegitimate son of one of the sisters as he remembers the five women who raised him, his mother and four maiden aunts.

He is only seven in 1936, the year his elderly uncle, a priest, returns after serving for twenty-five years as a missionary in a Ugandan leper colony.

The sisters acquire their first radio, whose music transforms them from correct Catholic women to shrieking, stomping banshees in their own kitchen. He meets his father for the first time, a charming Welsh drifter who strolls up the lane and sweeps his mother away in an elegant dance across the fields.

This haunting play is a tribute to the spirit and valor of family.

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Fences

By August Wilson

Only ONE more show at 2:00 pm. today! Tickets may be purchased at the door. Box office opens 1 hour before curtain.

Please allow time for parking, purchasing tickets, or turning in your etix.

919-264-7089 for information.

Showtimes:
.
Sunday, February 28 at 2:00 p.m.

Saint Mary's School Pittman Auditorium, 900 Hillsborough St. Raleigh. (Corner of Hillsborough and Saint Mary's, enter on College Road, Gate 4)

SPECIAL EVENTS

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 28 – 2 pm Audio Described Performance

When his rise through the Negro baseball leagues hit the ceiling of racial prejudice, Troy Maxson turned away from a world of unfulfilled promises and denied opportunities.

His son Cory, an emerging football star, sees the world through very different eyes, and his wife Rose yearns for an outlet for her love.

A story of four generations of African Americans that explores justice, fair treatment and social change during the 1950's

Winner of the Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize. The role of Troy was originally portrayed on Broadway by James Earl Jones, and will be reprised in April by Denzel Washington.

Educational/Experiential guides available by accessing these web pages:

http://www.bookrags.com/studyguide-fences/further.html

http://www.enotes.com/fences

Cast:

Troy Maxson: John Rogers Harris
Jim Bono: Lester Hill
Rose: Barbette Hunter
Lyons: Tyrone Hicks
Gabriel: Thomasi McDonald
Cory: Jade Arnold
Raynell: Rachel Woods Barnes on Feb 13, 19, 20 and 26
and Maya Bryant on Feb 12, 14, 21, 27, and 28

The Artistic Team:

Artistic Director: Deb Royals
Stage Manager: Brett Stegall
Associate Director and Choreographer: Joy Williams
Costumer: David Serxner
Assistant SM: Liz Segre and Collin Ruffin
Marketing: Melissa Zeph
Technical Director and Lighting Designer: Dan Sepke
Sound Designer: Julie Jones
Assistant Costumer: Aislinn Murphy
Production Consultant: Herb Eley

Tickets: $15 Adults, $12 Students/Seniors, $10 Groups of 10 or more

Reservations: (919)-264-7089

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“Fences” Media Release: Friday, January 15

A detailed Media Release is available by clicking "read more"
Read more...

‘There’s a man I want you to meet…” Byron Woods review, Independent Weekly: Friday, February 19

POSTED ON FEBRUARY 17, 2010:

Justice Theater Project's Fences
By Byron Woods


Read more...

Productions

Gimme Five for Justice!

$5 can and DOES make a difference! Donate to JTP and get that warm, fuzzy feeling. (Oh, and get a $5 off coupon, too!)

Now we can tune the piano and present fantastic local singing talent to you during the run of "Working".

Spend $5 this spring AND get a $5 off coupon to a great local restaurant.

Just click HERE to go to our Fund Raiser Blog and Give us Five! (You can give us more than five, we won't mind)

Your printed receipt is also a coupon to either Bogart's American Grill or The Red Room Restaurant on Glenwood Avenue.

Want to tell us what you think? The Gimme Five for Justice Blog is a great way to let the world know how The Justice Theater Project has touched your life through theater, camps, outreach or education.

We can't wait to hear from you, and THANKS for giving us five!

Here are the GREAT things you will fund for next year:

A Forum Theater original event in collaboration with Passage Home. Three fantastic main stage plays that include "Laundry and Bourbon", "Dancing at Lughnasa" and "Fences". Three summer camps to provide area youth with a safe and fulfilling theater experience. Monthly FREE acting classes for adults and teens at Poplar Springs Christian Church.... and SO MUCH MORE!

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Third Annual Gala for Justice!

Sunday, November 1
6:00 to 10:00 pm
Meymandi Theatre at the Murphy School
224 Polk St., Raleigh

6:00 PM - The Justice Theater Project will perform a staged reading of selected scenes from "Finding Clara"
during annual Fund Raising Gala.

"Finding Clara" is a play about lintheads, silent movie stars and lost love. Parallel stories of a fictional mill worker and the real life of silent screen star Clara Bow unfold against the explosive background of pre-depression 1929 America. Featuring area theater veterans Betsy Henderson, David Henderson, Barbette Hunter, Byron Jennings, Canady Vance Thomas,Susan Burcham and newcomer Lindsay Hayden.

Seating for the staged reading is limited and reservations are required.

"Finding Clara" has received numerous awards including a Silver Medal at the 2003 Pinter Drama Review Prize, winner of the Southern Appalachian Repertory Theatre New Plays Competition in 2001-02, North Carolina Arts Council Literature Fellowship in 2001-02, was a Finalist: Mockingbird Theatre New Plays Contest in 2001 and received a Piedmont Regional Artist Grant in 2000.

An after show discussion will be facilitated by Dr. Jacquelyn Hall, the Julia Cherry Spruill Professor of History at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Director of the Southern Oral History Program. She is the co-author of "Like a Family: The Making of a Southern Cotton Mill World" and of many articles on working-class women. Dr. Hall will discuss the play and the related topic of the history of mill workers in the south.

7:30 PM - Directly following the free reading, JTP will host the third annual "Gala for Justice", a fund raising event. Admission: $25.00 Per Person - includes food, beverages and entertainment.
The Roaring 20s era of “gangsters, speak easies, prohibition back rooms, flappers, boas and maybe even some ‘bathtub gin’, will be juxtaposed against the staged reading of "Finding Clara".

Entertainment provided by "Anything But", speakeasy jazz performed by true southerners, features Canady Vance Thomas, Cody Cockrell and Jason Hedrick. 7:30 - 9:00 PM

SINGING FOR JUSTICE: Cast members from JTP's recent production of the musical "Working" will perform at 9:00 PM.

A SILENT AUCTIION benefiting the outreach and productions of JTP will take place, and the $25.00 admission fee includes food and drink.

Gala for Justice to benefit the performances and outreach of The Justice Theater Project
Sunday, November 1, 2009, Meymandi Theatre at the Murphy School, 224 Polk St., Downtown Raleigh, (Burning Coal Theater's home). 7:30 PM $25 PER PERSON.
For reservations please call 919-215-0889 or email marketing@thejusticetheaterproject.org.

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Laundry and Bourbon

THANK YOU for attending!


The reviews are in! Laundry and Bourbon is "... as potent as a Triple Shot"!
http://cvnc.org/reviews/2009/092009/Laundry.html

A comedy rich with humor and raw reality. Featuring Rachel Green, Betsy T. Henderson and Canady Vance Thomas.

Welcome to a back porch: Anywhere, USA.

It’s a hot summer afternoon in 1974. Elizabeth, Hattie and busy body Amy Lee are folding laundry, drinking bourbon and coke, gossiping, and exchanging insults while awaiting the return of Elizabeth’s wayward husband, Roy, who hasn't been the same since his return from Vietnam.

The dynamic combination of area theatre veterans and best friends Betsy T. Henderson, Rachel Green and Canady Vance Thomas gives a comfortable and playful feel to this 1970's back porch cat fight. The constant breeze on this sweltering summer night is not enough to cool down the heat amongst these girls as they compare husbands, bridge club rivalry, infidelity, the introduction of mahjong, how to raise children and how to pick the right door on Monty Hall's "Let's Make a Deal", which is blaring from the television in the background. The stoic optimism and patience Elizabeth shows for her missing Vietnam Veteran husband Roy melts the heart of even these caustic women.

There's plenty to laugh about and much to contemplate in this tender and lively comedy.

Photography by Paul Hurschmann

The issue of war and the resistance to change was addressed during two nights of pre-show discussions with area experts on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, as a means of opening a dialogue concerning the obstacles and issues faced by our returning Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. 

Saturday, September 26, pre show discussion with Dr. Greg Inman and Mr. Ray Koval, Raleigh Veterans Association.

“Laundry and Bourbon” is directed by The Justice Theater Project’s Artistic Director, Deb Royals.  Sound Design by Julie Jones, lighting by Daniel Sepke, stage management by Andy Hayworth, and set design and construction by Deb Royals and Brett Stegall.

The Justice Theater Project (JTP) is an advocacy and activist theater company whose mission is to use the dramatic arts to bring to the fore of public attention the needs of the poor, the marginalized, and the oppressed.  Each year JTP presents a diverse combination of original works, main stage productions, and community outreach events focusing on issues of social justice.
“Laundry and Bourbon” was performed at 8:00 p.m. on September 18, 19, 25, 26 and September 20, 27 at 2:00 p.m.  Tickets are $15 for general admission, $12 for students and senior citizens, and $10 for groups of 10 or more. 

Ticket Information

Tickets are $15 for general admission, $12 for students and senior citizens, and $10 for groups of 10 or more.  Sunday, September 13 at 2 p.m. is $5.00 admission day.

http://www.etix.com/ticket/online/venueSearch.jsp?venue_id=5871&cobrand=thejusticetheaterproject

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Laundry and Bourbon review by Robert W. McDowell, Classical Voice of North Carolina: Wednesday, September 16

Justice Theater Project’s Production of Laundry and Bourbon Is as Potent as a Triple Shot

by Robert W. McDowell

September 12, 2009, Raleigh, NC: The Justice Theater Project’s current production of James McLure’s Laundry and Bourbon is as potent as a 180-proof triple shot of bourbon whiskey, straight. Ostensibly a knee-slapping Southern-fried comedy about three gossipy housewives in tiny Maynard, Texas, this three-character play takes a serious turn when their freewheeling conversation turns from catty comments about each other, their feckless husbands, and their irritating kids to sober speculation on what’s wrong with Elizabeth Caulder’s hard-drinking, skirt-chasing husband, Roy, who hasn’t been home in two days.

Roy Caulder is the much-discussed but never-seen “Elephant in the Room” — in this case, the cluttered back porch — of the rundown clapboard house that he shares with Elizabeth when he’s not out, tooling around Maynard in his cherished pink 1959 Thunderbird convertible, ogling other women, and looking to drown his Vietnam flashbacks and his current worries in an ocean of Lone Star beer. Roy hasn’t been right since he came back from Vietnam two years ago, and he is about to step on Elizabeth’s last nerve, while he is drinking himself into oblivion. Yet she loves him anyway, truly, madly, deeply; and there are growing signs that Roy is suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome — but the problem of PTSD is not yet well known on the scorching summer afternoon in 1974 when the play takes place.
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Productions

Working - A musical by Studs Terkel

Working

The Reviews are in!

"Strong Performances found in Studs Terkel musical" - The News and Observer

"The Justice Theater Project scores big with WORKING..." - Triangle Theater Review,

Thank you for attending! See you in September for "Laundry and Bourbon".

We hope you enjoyed the ultimate People's Musical written by the late Pulitzer Prize winning oral historian Studs Terkel

"Working" is based on interviews with American workers from the book "Working: People Talk About What They Do All Day and How They Feel About What They Do" by Studs Terkel.

"Working" features local professional singers and actors, with original music by James Taylor and Stephen Schwartz ("Wicked", "Pippin", and "Godspell").

CAST: LeDawna Akins, Susan Burcham, Bing Cox, John Honeycutt, Barbette Hunter, Byron Jennings, Kevin Lawrence, Andrea Shulz Twiss and Deb Royals.

See photos and bios at www.jptworking.homestead.com.

Ticket Information

http://www.etix.com/ticket/online/venueSearch.jsp?venue_id=1631&cobrand=thejusticetheaterproject

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Dignity Forum Theater Event

THANK YOU to the over 600 people who came to support the young adults, and to experience an interactive forum theatre event!

Join us for a final performance at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church as we become a part of The Franciscan Coalition's ongoing 'Sojourns for Justice' series.

What is Dignity? How do you define it? Can someone take it away from you? Can you give it to others?

These questions are being explored by the young adults of Poplar Springs Christian Church in Raleigh, with the help of JTP's artistic Director, Deb Royals.

This collaboration will culminate in a "forum theater" style performance on Wednesday, April 29th at 7:00 pm at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church 11401 Leesville Rd, Raleigh, NC 27613
(919) 847-8205 . www.stfrancisraleigh.org

This event is free and open to the public, and no tickets are needed.

Here's a web site with all the specifics about the show and the actors: http://jtpdignityforum.homestead.com/Index.html

Don’t miss your chance to be a part of the dialogue.  You are encouraged to take part in the “discussion” using the power of theater as your tool.

What is Forum Theater?

“Forum Theater” is an interactive theater experience rooted in the practices of 2008 Nobel Peace Prize nominee, Augusto Boal.  Its purpose is to move the audience from spectator to “spectactor” so as to open up a discussion around current issues of social concern.  The audience is given an opportunity to get “into” the performance, make their voice heard and create an intervention with regard to the theme.  The theme for this “Forum” event is Dignity.  Please feel free to become a part of the discussion and ask questions as a participant in this unique style of theater.  The facilitator known as the “Joker”  in “Forum” events will clearly explain how everything works.  Your presence and your voice are integral to the process.

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Someone Who’ll Watch Over Me

Thank you for attending!

Written by Frank McGuinness. Directed by Carnessa Ottelin

February 27 and 28 at 8 PM. March 1 at 2 PM

The Justice Theater Project concludes the critically acclaimed production of Someone Who'll Watch Over Me with a weekend of three final performances. This amazing collaboration combined with a stellar script is what the Independent Weekly calls "clever directing by Carnessa Ottelin and the well-cast, dynamic trio of performers... by the final curtain, the audience has fallen in love with these men."

The News and Observer says "...the production entertains and enlightens, showcasing three fine talents."

The Triangle Theater Review calls it a "...must see drama... Don't miss it.".

Witness the emotional, intense and trusting interaction between David Henderson as Edward the Irish journalist, Ryan Brock as Michael the English professor, and Byron Jennings as Adam the American doctor.

Inspired by the true account of former prisoner Brian Keenan, Someone Who'll Watch Over Me won the New York Critics Circle Award for Best Foreign Play, the Writers Guild Award for Best Play, and was nominated for Best Play at the Tony Awards.

Saint Mary's School Pittman Auditorium, Raleigh.

Based on Irish playwright Frank McGuinness' Tony nominated play, "Someone Who'll Watch Over Me" explores the relationship between three men trapped together as hostages in a basement somewhere in Lebanon. One American, one Irishman and one Englishman struggle to maintain their sanity, humanity and hope. visit www.jtpsomeone.homestead.com for all information about the show.

The Reviews are in!

The Independent: http://www.indyweek.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A287865

The News and Observer: http://www.newsobserver.com/105/story/1411462.html

This is not your typical hostage drama.  There is no onstage violence, no debates about politics, no speeches about man’s inhumanity to man.  Just three ordinary men using jokes, fantasies and spiritual credos to survive captivity.

Inspired by the true account of former prisoner Brian Keenan, “Someone Who’ll Watch Over Me” received a Tony nomination in 1992.

Featuring Ryan Brock as Michael the English professor, David Henderson as Edward the Irish journalist,and Byron Jennings as the American doctor, Adam.

Educational guides with supplemental material suggestions are available for high schools and universities. Email Marketing@thejusticetheaterproject.org.

Ticket Information

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The Line in the Sand: Stories from the US/Mexico Border

Questions or reservations: 259-6936 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Reservations not required.

The Line in the Sand was written by a group of actors and writers from Catholic Relief Services (a national organization based in Baltimore, MD), who visited areas on both sides of the border between Mexico and Arizona in 2005 and interviewed citizens of both countries, immigrants and non-immigrants.

The play presents the dire situation that those people find themselves in. Not only is the story line compelling and moving, but it is told in the voices of real people and shows the various ways that many people, again not just immigrants, are affected by the lack of practical and humane immigration legislation.

The Line in the Sand tells many stories, including that of a father searching for information, explanation and understanding with regard to his daughter’s and others unsuccessful journey through the desert. 

Performances will take place June 6, 7, 13 & 14 at 8 pm, and June 8 & 15 at 2pm.  All performances will be at Cardinal Gibbons Performing Arts Center, 1401 Edwards Mill Road, Raleigh 27607.  Across from the RBC Center.

Post Show Discussions and Events:

Friday, June 6:  Complimentary Opening Night Reception!

Saturday, June 7:  Post-show discussion with Cullen Larson, Catholic Relief Services, as well as Joseph Wolyniak and Patrick McIlmoyle, St. Francis Catholic Church.

Saturday, June 14:  Post show discussion with Aida Ocana, Catholic Relief Services; Tennessee Watson, Duke Center for Documentary Studies; and Debbie McCullough and Delle McCormick of BorderLinks.  Borderlinks is an international, experiential, education program.  http://www.borderlinks.org

Art Exhibit:  In addition to the performance, there is an exhibit of artwork by Tucson Artist Debbie McCullough, and the “Border Wall Project” created by students from the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University who recently returned from a Borderlinks experience. 

Ticket Information

$15 adults, $12 students/seniors, $10 groups of 10 or more
June 8 is pay what you can day!
Reservations recommended, but walk-ins welcome
All tickets are general admission
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
919-259-6936

Performance Location:

Cardinal Gibbons Performing Arts Center
1401 Edwards Mill Road, Raleigh
(Across from the RBC Center)

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In the Wings:  Border Issues Come Into Play: Thursday, June 05

By Orla Swift

The border of the United States and Mexico is as dramatic a setting as you could ask for in a timely stage drama, particularly as our presidential contenders debate (or ought to be debating) immigration issues.

So Justice Theater Project artistic director Deb Royals-Mizerk knew "The Line in the Sand: Stories from the U.S./Mexico Border" would make a compelling season closer.


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Productions

Still…Life

SATURDAY NIGHT PATRONS:
Please Park in the Rosemary Street Public Parking Lots. You can then take a shuttle bus to Memorial Hall and walk across the street to Swain Hall.

"Still...Life", an original play written by members of The Justice Theater Project and directed by UNC's Joseph Megel, will be performed at Swain Hall on the UNC Chapel Hill campus as part of the Carolina Performing Arts Criminal/Justice. The Death Penalty Examined. year of death penalty discussion.

An exploration of a killing state.  North Carolina.

Still…Life examines the Death Penalty in North Carolina using interviews with people from across the state that have been impacted by the Death Penalty.  This process began in June, 2005.  Interviewees included Death Row inmates, their families, victims, chaplains, attorneys, a warden, prison guards, and others. 

The cast features local professional actors, including David Henderson, Deb Royals, John Honeycutt, Annissa Clark, Kimberly Hardy, and Joseph Calendar.  Technical Production and design by Thomas Mauney and Rob Hamilton. Photographic images projected throughout the performance are provided by photojournalist Scott Langley, from his “Documentary Project on the Death Penalty”.

In 2003 the North Carolina Senate passed moratorium legislation that included a two-year halt of executions and a review of the state’s death penalty system to ensure, among other things, that no innocent person is sentenced to death in North Carolina.  Recently, The North Carolina Medical Board has ruled that it is unethical for a physician to take part in a State sanctioned execution.  The State Government of North Carolina is currently deciding how to proceed with executions without the presence of a physician.  These recent developments surrounding the Death Penalty in North Carolina have raised the awareness of this emotional issue. Still…Life is attempting to represent both sides of this North Carolina issue through authentic North Carolina voices.

Ticket Information

Friday March 28, 8pm, Saturday, March 29, 8pm, $15 adults, $12 seniors/students
Saturday, April 5, 8pm and Sunday, April 6, 2pm. $15 adults, $12 seniors/students

Join us after the final show on Sunday, April 6th, for a discussion facilitated by Rene Alexander Craft and reception with the actors.
www.carolinacreativecampus.org

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Expresate : To Express.  The Price You Pay.

TONIGHT'S SHOW CANCELED: SATURDAY, JANUARY 19.

DUE TO THE SLOW MOVING WEATHER SYSTEM HEADING OUR WAY, AND TEMPERATURES DIPPING BELOW FREEZING, WE REGRET THAT WE ARE CANCELLING TONIGHT'S SHOW.

Thank you to all the patrons that were able to come out on Friday night and interact with the teens. The teens did a magnificent job and we are proud of their accomplishments.

The Justice Theater Project presented one evening of interactive performances based on scripts created by local farmworker teens. A facilitator guided the audience as they asked questions, stopped the show, and became a part of the event. Rooted in Augusto Boal's Forum Theatre model, The Justice Theater Project's objective is to create discourse around issues of social concern, firmly situating JTP as the only theater company of its kind in Central North Carolina.

This unique experience opens up a space where audience and teens express thoughts and feelings on the current conditions and issues involving farmworkers, their families, and societies ever changing views on immigration, identity, perception and human dignity.

In collaboration with Student Action with Farmworkers Project Levante.

Facilitated by Deb Royals, Artistic Director, The Justice Theater Project. 

Sponsored by The Mary Duke Biddle Foundation, Inc., The United Arts Council of Wake County, The North Carolina Arts Council, and Student Action with Farmworkers.

http://www.saf-unite.org

Ticket Information

Tickets are available at the box office.  $15 adults.  $12 seniors & students.  $10 groups of 10 or more.  Please email melissa@thejusticetheaterproject so we’ll know how many tortillas to buy! 

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The Grapes of Wrath

The Justice Theater Project began a year-long exploration of displacement and migration by presenting Frank Galati’s Tony Award-winning adaptation of the Steinbeck classic, "The Grapes of Wrath".

John Steinbeck’s tale of Tom Joad’s reunion with his family takes place just as they are being forcibly displaced from their land. The story depicts the plight of farmers during the Dust Bowl migration of the 1930’s, in an America that consisted of the “Have’s” and the “Have-Not’s”.

“Tom Joad’s story transcends history,” said Artistic Director Deb Royals Mizerk, “When you think of migrant workers traveling with their families in search of work and the American Dream, or people scattered across the country by Hurricane Katrina, you can relate to the Joad family and their search for a better life. The Grapes of Wrath shows the strength and spirit of the ‘common man’ throughout the world.”

The cast consisted of local theater professionals combined with student actors, featuring Sean A. Brosnahan as Tom Joad, Kevin Ferguson as Jim Casey, Susannah Hough as Ma Joad, Geof Shuford as Pa Joad, Dawn Gum as Grandma, John Honeycutt as Grandpa, Larry Evans as Uncle John, and high school student Jaclyn Amanna as Rose of Sharon.

Under the direction of Thomas Mauney, the creative team included scenic designer Miyuki Su, costume designer LeGrande Smith, with additional set and lighting design by Thomas Mauney.

The abstract set represented natural settings through earth-driven texture and color with simplified lines. No lace or trim are used in costuming to further depict the families who are stripped of everything they own when they lose their land and are forced to migrate to California in search of work. Jewelry would have been sold off before any farm equipment, making Ma’s gift of earrings to Rose of Sharon a precious sacrifice.

The Justice Theater Project (JTP) is an advocacy and activist theater company whose mission is to use the dramatic arts to bring to the fore of public attention the needs of the poor, the marginalized, and the oppressed. Each year JTP presents a diverse combination of original works, main stage productions, and community outreach events focusing on issues of social justice.

This unique approach employs the arts to engage audiences and expose them to issues of social concern, which firmly cements JTP as the only theater company of its kind in Wake County. During the coming year JTP will develop programming including discourse, original writings, and performances that highlight immigration - these works speak to immigration from the perspective of the Latina/o Immigrant community in North Carolina, looking to both their struggle and isolation.

Read the book, see the play! A facilitator’s guide to John Steinbeck’s novel can be accessed at www.NeaBigRead.org/Books/GrapesofWrath.

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Orla Swift on the Best in Theater: Saturday, September 01

You'd think that after almost 70 years, the ills of this nation that John Steinbeck described so eloquently in "The Grapes of Wrath" might be behind us. But we are not that wise a nation.
Read more...

Productions

Still… Life.

Thank you to every one that was able to attend the workshop performances of Still...Life. Your valuable comments and questions have directly impacted the ultimate full production that will take place on April 13 and 14, 2007, at the Cardinal Gibbons High School Performing Arts Center.

Thank you again for your support.

This collaborative work in progress has included the following artists, production team and cast members:
Scott Langley, Catholic Worker House, Photographer
Thomas Mauney, Technical Director
Shannon Clark, Set, Light, Costume Design
Tom Wolfe, Video Imaging and Digital Design
Al Wodarski, Sound Design
David Henderson, Actor
John Honeycutt, Actor
Torrey Lawrence, Actor
Carole Marcotte, Actor
Jackie Marriott, Actor
Deb Royals, Actor
LaMark Wright, Actor

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Productions

Dead Man Walking

The Justice Theater Project presented Dead Man Walking at the Cardinal Gibbons High School Performing Arts Center from February 1 to February 10, 2007.

Dead Man Walking was presented by special arrangement with Tim Robbins and the Dead Man Walking School Theater Project.

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Witness

Based on Newberry Award winner Karen Hesse's moving novel, Witness is the quietly moving story of a small Vermont town in the early 1920's. On the edge of tragedy when the Ku Klux Klan moves in, Revelation Falls is a community torn apart as it learns about racism, bigotry, and human kindness.

The Justice Theater Project invites you to look into the hearts and minds of victims, friends, and enemies as you Witness what is undoubtedly powerfully insightful and thought provoking theater.

Public performances of Witness will run from February 18-20 and February 25-27, 2005 at the Cardinal Gibbons Theatre.

THEOLOGIAN Stanley Hauerwas speaks on how faith-filled people should respond to hatred and violence at The Justice Theater Project’s February Community Forum. Sunday, February 27, 7PM, St. Francis of Assisi Church.

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Leading Theologian Stanley Hauerwas to Speak at JTP Community Forum in February: Friday, February 18

Theologian Stanley M. Hauerwas speaks on how people of faith should respond to hatred, hostility, and violence at The Justice Theater Project’s February Community Forum.

Press

Productions

A Lesson Before Dying

The News and Observer Arts and Entertainment article, "A Year in the Arts: Best Theater" (Sunday, December 25, 2004) named The Justice Theater Project's production of "A Lesson Before Dying" one of the top 10 best locally produced shows of 2004. Our most recent production of "Nickel and Dimed" was also mentioned in the article as a "timely issue with strong political resonance".

From The Independent Weekly (Wednesday, January 5, 2005), The Justice Theater Project’s “A Lesson Before Dying” won the “Special Achievements in the Humanities” Award; about the award, the Indy writes: “Inaugurated last year to recognize work that goes well beyond the traditional definitions of ‘community outreach,’ this award recognizes work whose humanitarian impact clearly extends beyond the walls of a theater, to aid—and, at times, challenge—this region as it grapples with the issues of our day.”

The Indy also recognized “A Lesson Before Dying” as one of 2004’s top 10 “Best Productions”; three of our actors won awards in the 2004 “Best Supporting Actors” category; and Deb Royals-Mizerk was recognized as one of only seven “Best Directors” of 2004.

About The Justice Theater Project’s Production of A Lesson Before Dying

In 1948 Louisiana, the sensitive and innocent Jefferson is condemned to death by an all white jury. At his trial, Jefferson’s lawyer claims the uneducated Jefferson is no more a human being than a hog, lacking the mental skills to commit the pre-meditated murder he is charged with. Jefferson takes his lawyer’s words to heart and, once in prison, acts as though he were as intelligent as a hog, insisting that he will be dragged like a hog to his death in the electric chair. His godmother, Miss Emma, terribly distressed by the situation, insists that Jefferson be educated so as to die with dignity at the time of his execution. Miss Emma persuades a reluctant schoolteacher, Grant Wiggins, to face his own cynicism and negativity to try to get through to Jefferson before he dies. Not surprisingly, the teacher learns as much as the condemned.

Ernest J. Gaines’ celebrated novel makes an engrossing, moving and ultimately devastating play for the stage.

The Justice Theatre Project in cooperation with the Arts for Justice Ministry at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church brings this compelling and transformative story to life. In light of the proposed moratorium on the death penalty in NC and recent events around wrongful convictions, it is a timely and unique event. The production of “A Lesson Before Dying” will feature an innovative “Talk-Back” segment to encourage dialog and discussion among the audience.

“A Lesson Before Dying” is about the ways in which people insist on declaring the value of their lives in a time and place in which those lives count for nothing. It is about the ways in which the imprisoned find freedom even in the moment of their death. It powerfully addresses the basic predicament of what it is to be a human being striving for dignity in a world that often denies it. The death penalty is an important and timely topic. In 2003, 65 executions were committed in the US: 24 in Texas, 14 in Oklahoma and 7 in North Carolina.

A Columbia University study (“A Broken System, Part II: Why There Is So Much Error in Capital Cases, and What Can Be Done About It”) has concluded that the nation’s death penalty system is “collapsing under the weight” of errors.

North Carolina is a death-penalty state with a sentencing rate that is four times that of Virginia, and nearly twice the rate of Texas. A moratorium resolution has growing bipartisan support. 70% of North Carolinians favor a moratorium and more than 80% of North Carolinians believe it is likely there are innocent people on death row in the state.

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Press

Best Theater: Monday, December 27

Theater doesn't get more relevant than The Justice Theater Project's "A Lesson Before Dying." On the stage was a drama about a wrongly accused prisoner awaiting his execution. In real life, a month before the play opened, there was North Carolina death row inmate Alan Gell, exonerated six years after a jury had found him guilty of murder. To underscore the connection, Gell introduced the play at one of its three Raleigh performances.
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JTP 2004 Indy Awards: Wednesday, January 05

In the Wednesday, January 5, 2005 edition of the Independent Weekly, The Justice Theater Project’s “A Lesson Before Dying” won the “Special Achievements in the Humanities” Award.
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Productions

Nickel and Dimed: on (NOT) Getting By in America

Playwright and director, Deb Royals-Mizerk directs Joan Holden's theatrical adaptation of social critic Barbara Ehrenreich's best selling book, Nickel and Dimed.

Nickel and Dimed "…helps us make sense of the looking glass land that exists alongside our own, one that we interact with everyday but which so few of us really take the time to see." —Anchorage Press

Millions of Americans work for poverty level wages, work two jobs, and support themselves and their families on less than $8.00 per hour. Contrary to popular belief, laziness has nothing to do with their inability to improve the circumstances of their lives.

The Justice Theater Projects invites you to re-examine some of your own assumptions about American life by attending the North Carolina theatrical premier of Nickel and Dimed.

Nickel and Dimed is the story of the working poor who just barely scrape by cleaning houses, waiting tables, and re-stocking shelves across America.

The play chronicles the real-life journey of Barbara Ehrenreich who spends several months working different low wage jobs and trying to make ends meet on what she earns.

Is it possible to pay rent, get gas, afford child care, or even buy food and clothes on less than $8.00 per hour?

Come find your own answer by joining us for the provocative, terribly real and delightfully funny Nickel and Dimed!

By Barbara Ehrenreich. Adapted by Joan Holden. Directed by Deb Royals-Mizerk.

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Press

Nickel and Dimed Dramatizes Life: Tuesday, November 23

When author and social commentator Barbara Ehrenreich decided to look at the rising tide of poor people in America, she realized that the best way to understand what was so troubling about the situation was to experience it first-hand. So she set a few basic rules for herself and then, leaving her upscale Florida neighborhood and rather confused boyfriend behind her, she set off for places where she would be unrecognized and set about learning what "minimum wage" really meant. The result, which was supposed to be merely a Harper's Magazine article, developed into a full-scale non-fiction book, which spent two years on The New York Times best-seller list.
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