A casual chat with Patrick about Talk Back Theatre and the upcoming reading!

Let's talk about Reason #3 to see ANOTHER REVOLUTION: the real world issues. As part of its mission, TBT collects contributions for a cause chosen by the playwright that reflects the themes or subject matter of her play. This cycle, playwright Jacqueline Bircher has chosen to support the Stoneman Douglas students and their March for Our Lives, a contemporary testament to student activism.

From Jacqueline:

In 1968, student protesters were on the front lines of the Civil Rights and anti-Vietnam War movements, fighting against a culture that perpetuated racism and forced their peers into a senseless war. Now, exactly 50 years later, the courageous students of Parkland, FL are following in their footsteps, turning thoughts into action, and a tragedy into a movement.
I hope you'll join me in supporting these fearless young men and women by donating to the March For Our Lives. They are the direct descendants of the students of the 1960s who fought for peace, equality, justice, the environment, and the future of this tiny blue dot we call home.
As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr told us: "the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice." Stand with these kids. They're bending the universe.

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Please consider contributing via the link below, or in person at our March 8 staged reading event of ANOTHER REVOLUTION.

​GoFundMe here: https://www.gofundme.com/8psm8-march-for-our-lives

Tickets are now ON SALE! A perfect time to give you Reason #2 to see ANOTHER REVOLUTION... The playwright! Check out our micro-interview with Jacqueline below!

Here's her bio to get you up to speed:

Jacqueline Bircher is a playwright and screenwriter born and raised in New York City. Plays include ANOTHER REVOLUTION (2017 Primary Stages ESPA*Drills winner), WEBSTER'S BITCH (Clutch Productions, Little Theatre of Alexandria) and THE RULE OF THIRDS. Her short plays REACTION, THIN ICE, and YESTERDAY SOMEWHERE have been produced in the Detention series at Primary Stages, and her screenwriting work has been featured at the WILDsound Film Festival and recognized by the Creative World Awards and WeScreenplay’s Diverse Voices competition. She studied creative writing and literature at Oxford University and Fordham College at Lincoln Center, where she was the recipient of the Ully Hirsch/Robert F. Nettleton Prize and the Margaret Lamb Prize for Fiction.

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TBT: What drew you to playwriting? When did you start?

JB: Growing up in New York City, I was exposed to theater from a very young age. I wrote my first play when I was 17, and though I took quick detour into fiction, I soon discovered that playwriting felt like home.

TBT: What is your favorite thing about writing for the stage? What brought you back from your fiction detour?

JB: For me, the best thing about writing for theater is the collaboration process. A play takes a village, and I've seen beautiful things come out of this creative exchange. ANOTHER REVOLUTION in particular has had many generous and gentle hands help guide it into the world so far, all of which I am profoundly grateful for. Without them, and all those collaborators still to come, this play would definitely not be as good, as deep, as funny, or as alive as I know it's meant to be.

TBT: Who are your playwright idols? What inspires you about their work?

JB: All the playwrights I admire most have an ear for dialogue the way some people have an ear for music. Amy Herzog's plays are knock-your-socks-off good, with a human rhythm that feels so lived-in you almost can't believe someone wrote it. Joshua Harmon is another favorite of mine, with language that bites right to the core (except when he's your playwriting teacher and it turns out he's the nicest man alive). And finally, I can't possibly forget Nora Ephron, whose plays, films, and prose are consistently funny, truthful, and kind. She was also apparently known to throw a mean dinner party, which is what I aspire to most of all.

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Join Jacqueline and TBT on Thursday, March 8 at 7:30pm at the Chance Theatre in Anaheim for a staged reading of ANOTHER REVOLUTION, followed by a panel-led community conversation. Check out our event page for details!
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Time to roll out the Top 4 Reasons to See ANOTHER REVOLUTION! Reason #1? The script!

For those of you just joining us, here's a snapshot of the story:

"Kat and Henry, two graduate students from opposing scientific disciplines, are forced to share a lab at Columbia University in 1968. Amid interpersonal differences, a campus devolving into political chaos, and the uncertainty and turmoil of the outside world, they each discover what it’s like to be thrown into someone else’s orbit."

But let's go beyond the summary and hear what playwright Jacqueline Bircher has to share about this timely piece. We asked her to answer a few questions we could share with you, to get you excited for the reading in March!

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TBT: Who or what inspired Another Revolution?

JB: After the 2016 election, I was noticing more and more how the news cycle seemed to be offering up an endless and overwhelming stream of bad news. Which got me thinking... there had to be a year that was worse than this, right? This feeling couldn't possibly be new. So, I started doing some research and discovered that yes, in fact, there was a year that was worse. That year was 1968. With the country in the midst of the Vietnam War and the Civil Rights movement, a culture of protest emerged not unlike what we're seeing today. The more research I did (and I did a lot of research, including reading books, conducting interviews, and watching endless documentaries), the more I found a kinship with those young people that I hadn't originally expected.

TBT:Can you talk about that research process?

JB: Placing two scientists at the center of this play became another way to explore in microcosm the divisive culture of the time. But, it also required an additional layer of research -- about ecology, astrophysics, and academia -- that deepened the language of these characters in ways I'm really proud of. In the end though, even against the backdrop of a time period in which I wasn't alive and two scientific disciplines I hadn't studied, this play became mostly about discovering friendship in the unlikeliest of times and places, which was a joy to write and didn't require any outside research at all.

TBT: What kind of conversations do you hope Another Revolution sparks?

I hope this play inspires conversations about social responsibility, institutional accountability, and our place as citizens in a world that often feels like it's spinning out of control. The progress we've made in the 50 years since 1968 is a direct result of the voices of that time who were unafraid to speak truth to power, and the progress we'll make in the next 50 years will be up to us and what we're willing to fight for.

But, while all of that is important, the thing I'd love most for people to be talking about after seeing this play is that small acts of kindness and understanding can be transformative. In the end, we're all just people trying really hard to do our best.

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Join Jacqueline and TBT on Thursday, March 8 at 7:30pm at the Chance Theatre in Anaheim for a staged reading of ANOTHER REVOLUTION, followed by a panel-led community conversation. Check out our event page for details!
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Fall 2017 open call is, well, open! TBT is seeking woman playwrights to share their new plays! As always, we are looking for stories that deal with important social, political, and/or environmental issues, and this cycle we are also asking that those plays feature woman characters. Visit the Submission Guidelines page to access the form.

Share the news with your favorite woman playwrights!

Last night, TBT had its first staged reading and forum! We are so grateful to our amazing playwright and the beautiful cast that brought his words to life at the Garden Grove Amphitheater. We had a full house, raised $120 for the Autism Society of America, and enjoyed an engaging community discussion about honestly in art, personal responsibility, and the complexity of family.

We can't wait for the March 2018 reading...but we have to choose the play, first! The cycle we will seek plays by woman playwrights that feature woman characters. Check our Submission Guidelines during the month of October to submit!

'Til next time!

We have a great cast to bring us into the world of 1990s Leominster, Massachusetts! TBT is thrilled to start rehearsals tomorrow with

​Ahmed T. Brooks
Juliet Fischer
Rob Harryman
Sarah McGuire
& Marisa Shlichtman

Click "read more" to check out this ensemble's credits!