Thrown Stone will perform a staged reading of Gwydion Suilebhan’s The Butcher for the Michael Chekhov Theatre Festival on September 23, 2pm, at the Ridgefield Theatre Barn.
Inspired by real-life events, The Butcher, which premiered at the Gulfshore Playhouse in 2015, tells the tale of two strangers —
Jane, an Evangelical Christian struggling with her faith, and Massoud, an Iranian Halal Butcher steeped in tradition, together witness a peculiar and shocking event. As they and their families try to make sense of these bewildering circumstances, they question their faith, their firmly-held beliefs, and the choices that their cultures have forced them to make.
“Throughout Gwydion’s captivating play lies an undercurrent of seeking understanding and connection,” says Thrown Stone Co-Artistic Director Jason Peck. “It highlights our common humanity despite our disparate beliefs, traditions, and opinions. The Butcher is a conversation we need to have right now.”
The Butcher continues Thrown Stone’s collaboration with the Michael Chekhov Theatre Festival, which presented the first U.S. reading of Milk by Ross Dunsmore last year. Milk went on to be Thrown Stone’s debut production, recently ending its critically-acclaimed U.S. premiere at the Ridgefield Conservatory of Dance.
TICKETS
$20 Regular Admission; $45 Three-Show Festival Pass.
On sale now at: chekhovfestival.com
REVIEWS
- “As it turns out, art (or theater) can change the world. It just takes people to start the conversations. Gwydion Suilebhan’s world premiere play is proof of that.” Naples Daily News »
- “‘The Butcher’ is like nothing else I’ve seen… It’s entertaining and smart, sure, but it also has the potential to change the way we think about religion and the seemingly insurmountable cultural divide. And it attempts to inject some humanity in the ‘us versus them’ mentality between Christians and Muslims, believers and non-believers.” Fort Myers News-Press »
- “[A] play that is so good, I suspect it will be picked up by every major regional theater company in the country… [T]he discussions on the way home and late into the week following will say a lot about you and how much you love real theater.” Sanibel-Captiva Islander »
CREATIVE TEAM
- Gwydion Suilebhan, Playwright
- Jason Peck, Director