WWU faculty, alums, and students headline the slate for the Fairhaven Summer Repertory Theatre

This summer, Bellingham Theatreworks will produce three award-winning and thought-provoking plays - each with links to WWU faculty members, alumni, and with the participation from many current Western students  - inspired by the social issues of race and discrimination that have entangled the country for generations. 

Each of these productions will be performed in the round in the intimate Firehouse Arts and Events Center. Audience members will be sitting with the actors while they explore a comic satire, a classic tale, and an imagined fantasy all wrapped around finding our way for humility and humanity. 

The plays run in repertory beginning June 25 and will continue 6 nights a week for 4 weeks. The entire season schedule with complete descriptions of the plays can be found at www.BellinghamTheatreWorks.org. 

To Kill A Mockingbird 

Adapted by Christopher Sergel from the acclaimed novel by Harper Lee; directed by WWU Professor of Theatre and Dance Mark Kuntz.

Atticus Finch’s personal integrity and unwavering belief in justice is challenged as he defends a black man in the harsh world of a segregated American South. This story has been a staple of school reading and a regular argument for censorship and banning since its release in 1960. 

The Mountaintop 

Written by Katori Hall, directed by Troy Scarborough.

Katori Hall was the first black woman in history to win the Olivier Award for Best New Play for this fictional depiction of Martin Luther King Jr.'s last night on earth set entirely in Room 306 of the Lorraine Hotel on the eve of his assassination in 1968. The play includes moments of laughter and humility that help create a complex picture of this historically significant man and event. 

The Thanksgiving Play 

Written by Larissa FastHorse, directed by WWU alumna Kayla Adams. 

This comic satire is currently running in New York and celebrates the first time a play written by a Native American woman has been produced on Broadway! Two educators and two “actors” collaborate to make a modern (and politically correct/school appropriate) retelling of THE Story of the First Thanksgiving created by educated white allies … whatever that may be. The funhouse mirror of their process is sure to be as hilarious as it is cringeworthy. Information about starting times, tickets and all the artists can be found at www.BellinghamTheatreWorks.org.