#ENOUGH Plays to End Gun Violence
An evening of 7 short plays written by high school students around the country.
Readings by actors from Wisconsin followed by a talkback with
actors & directors and a call to action from local organizations.
December 14th at 7pm, on Zoom
This event has passed. Thank you for your support! Please watch for future opportunities related to this project.
Plays include:
Loaded Language * Malcolm * Ms. Martin’s Malaise
Togetha * Hullabaloo * Ghost Gun * Guns in Dragonland
Directors: Lindsey Hoel-Neds, Colette Shumpert
Production Assistants: Debra Gillispie and Linda Telfered
Co-Sponsors:
Brady United Against Gun Violence, Loved & Lost Corporation,
Mothers Against Gun Violence, Wisconsin Anti-Violence Effort,
and the Wisconsin Council of Churches
MEDIA RELEASE
Contact Info:
Rev. Kerri Parker, Wisconsin Council of Churches
Michael Cotey mcotey@enoughplays.com www.enoughplays.com
#ENOUGH: Plays to End Gun Violence Nationwide Reading Premieres in 48 Cities on December 14, 2020
Wisconsin Council of Churches hosts Zoom reading at 7 pm on December 14
STATEWIDE– The Wisconsin Council of Churches is proud to announce its participation in the Nationwide Reading of the seven winning plays of #ENOUGH: Plays to End Gun Violence, a national short play competition for middle and high school students. On December 14, 2020 — the 8-year remembrance of the shootings at Sandy Hook — the winning titles will be performed through the Council and over 48 organizations across the country and abroad.
A panel of nationally-recognized dramatists – Lauren Gunderson, Academy Award winner Tarell Alvin McCraney, Pulitzer Prize winner Robert Schenkkan, Tony Award winner David Henry Hwang, and Karen Zacarías – selected the plays out of 184 submissions from twenty-three states and three countries in #ENOUGH’s call for teens to write 10-minute plays that confront the issue of gun violence.
The plays – all written by high school students – tackle gun violence through different lenses, from the threat of and anxiety over school shootings, police shooting, community violence, race, and gun culture in American history.
#ENOUGH has made the plays available for free to schools, theatres, and community organizations to stage a reading of them, either virtually or in-person where possible, and follow that reading with a post-show discussion on gun violence that’s specific to their community.
“We can’t talk about gun violence in America only in the aftermath of the most tragic incidents,” says Michael Cotey, producer of #ENOUGH, “Through the Nationwide Reading we’re allowing every community to create the space and address the impact of gun violence now.”
The Wisconsin Council of Churches released a study-action guide, “Who is My Neighbor: Multigenerational Conversations on Faith and Gun Violence” earlier this year. “We’ve been strong advocates for sensible legislation to keep people safe. We’re proud to partner once again with Wisconsin Anti-Violence Effort and Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, as co-sponsors for this event,” said the Rev. Kerri Parker, Executive Director of the Council.
The event will include a reading of the plays, a talkback by participants, and an invitation to action. Admission is free; donations will be accepted, and will advance local efforts to reduce gun violence. Register beginning December 1st at wichurches.org/events.
More details on all seven winning playwrights, including bios and headshots, and their plays, can be found online here.
About #ENOUGH: Plays to End Gun Violence: #ENOUGH: Plays to End Gun Violence is a theatre activism campaign launched by Michael Cotey in 2019. #ENOUGH strives to spark critical conversations and incite meaningful action in communities across the country on the issue of gun violence through the creation of new works of theatre by teens. # ENOUGH’s mission is to promote playwriting as a tool of self-expression and social change, harnessing this generation’s spirit of activism and providing a platform for America’s playwrights of tomorrow to discover and develop their voices today. enoughplays.com
About the Wisconsin Council of Churches: The Wisconsin Council of Churches is a statewide ecumenical organization with ties to twenty Christian traditions — over 2000 congregations — and other faith-based organizations. The Council’s work includes preparing leaders and churches for public witness rooted in Christian concepts of justice, and fostering ecumenical innovation — equipping churches to make courageous decisions for vital ministry in a time such as this. wichurches.org
