KTG to host Drifting Theatre’s World Premier of HUMAN
KINGSPORT – The Drifting Theatre brings fantasy, fairies and the chance to breath in a touch of magic in our everyday lives to the stage in Human, a new play by Alaska Reece Vance. Kingsport audiences will get a glimpse into this imaginative world when the company performs at the Kingsport Renaissance Center on November 14-17, in coordination with the Kingsport Theatre Guild. This will be the plays world premiere before they travel to the New Orleans Fringe Festival, and the Appalachia-based company is excited to share their work with the Tri-Cities first.
“We are thrilled not only about bringing Human to the New Orleans Fringe Festival, but also about the opportunity to premiere the show here in the Tri-Cities, our home base, says Vance, Human Playwright and Artistic Director of The Drifting Theatre. The Kingsport Theatre Guild has been great, welcoming us into their season.‚ Were just bursting to share this play with the community
Fans of Shakespeare will recognize some familiar characters in Human, as this new fantasy incorporates classic characters from A Midsummer Nights Dream. Caught in the middle of a planet-damaging feud between Queen Titania and King Oberon, a human named Kellen tries to understand his identity in the Fae world. Meanwhile, Ramona, a newly-diagnosed Type 1 Diabetic, longs for independence. When Kellen breaks the boundary between worlds, he sets in motion a chain of events that will change his life and Ramonas as well. Though the setting may be whimsical, suspense and passion are around every corner.
While Human is a great show for adults and teens, Vance says it may not be for everyone. Some of the topics discussed in the play are probably too ‚¬adult for the young members of your family.‚ Also there is some very mild language. Even though the show is a fantasy and its a lot of fun, the subject is real, and at times intense. Youll spend some time on the edge of your seat.
RaChelle Cheeks, Director of the Kingsport Theatre Guild, is not only excited to welcome The Drifting Theatre to the Kingsport stage, but she also takes part in the show, playing Fennel and Sycorax. I love the positivity that always surrounds a Drifting Theatre production, she said. Audiences will want to come see Human because it is a beautiful story told through beings who dont possess the ability to hold back emotion.‚ If you want to feel love, hate, fear, anger, joy and every emotion in between through the eyes of liberated and, somehow, trapped creatures, then you want to see Human.
The show runs at 150 minutes (2-and-a-half hours) and will be performed at the Kingsport Renaissance Center’s Theater in Kingsport on Thursday, November 14th, at 7pm; Friday, November 15th, at 7pm; Saturday November 16th, at 2pm and 7pm; and Sunday, November 17, at 2pm. Tickets are available online at http://kingsporttheatre.org/ or by calling 423-392.8427.
Alaska Reece Vance is an emerging playwright who has had several of her plays presented in NYC.‚ Her musical The Disorientation of Butterflies sparked controversy at the 2011 New York International Fringe‚ Festival.‚ She received‚ a FringeNYC outstanding excellence award in directing for The Disorientation of Butterflies.