The Hope College Great Performance series will present the Los Angeles Theatre Works in “Seven” on Saturday, Feb. 22, at 7:30 p.m. in the Knickerbocker Theatre. Due to strong advance ticket sales, limited seating is available.
The play was created with seven award-winning women playwrights each interviewing an international woman leader, creating a monologue of her life. The documentary play is based on women who faced life-threatening obstacles before bringing heroic changes to their home countries of Pakistan, Nigeria, Ireland, Afghanistan, Guatemala, Russia and Cambodia.
Los Angeles Theatre Works, which performed at Hope College in 2013, works with actors to create a radio-style version of different works. “L.A. Theatre Works is a national theatrical treasure,” The Philadelphia Inquirer has declared.
Los Angeles Theatre Works has delighted audiences with its unique live radio theatre style performances in more than 200 cities with immediate and spontaneous performances featuring a first-rate cast and live sound effects. They create a sound-rich, intimate experience that draws audiences into the stories and performances.
Playwrights Carol K. Mack (who conceived the play), Anna Deavere Smith, Paula Cizmar, Catherine Filloux, Gail Kriegel, Ruth Margraff and Susan Yankowitz collaborated to create a tapestry of stories that weave together the words of these women, dramatizing their struggles and triumphs over resistance, death threats, entrenched norms and pervasive violence. Since the premiere in 2008, the piece has been translated into 27 languages and performed worldwide in more than 30 countries, sharing with an international audience these inspiring tales of bravery and perseverance. The women portrayed are Anabella De Leon (Guatemala), Marina Pisklakova-Parker (Russia), Mu Sochua (Cambodia), Inez McCormack (Northern Ireland), Farida Azizi (Afghanistan), Hafsat Abiola (Nigeria) and Mukhtar Mai (Pakistan).
“Seven” was created with the support of the Vital Voices Global Partnership, the non-governmental organization (NGO) that identifies, trains and empowers women around the world by unleashing their leadership potential to transform lives and accelerate peace and prosperity in their communities. These women have returned home to train and mentor more than 500,000 additional women and girls in their communities.
Please note that this performance includes adult themes.
Individual tickets are $23 for regular admission, $17 for senior citizens, and $6 for children 18 and under. Tickets are available at the Events and Conferences Office located downtown in the Anderson-Werkman Financial Center (100 E. Eighth St.). The office is open for ticket sales weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and can be called at 616-395-7890.
Audience members who need assistance to fully enjoy any event at Hope are encouraged to contact the college's Events and Conferences Office by emailing events@hope.edu or calling 616-395-7222 on weekdays between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.
The Knickerbocker Theatre is located in downtown Holland at 86 E. Eighth St., between College and Columbia avenues.