The Sudbury Theatre Centre’s Young Company premieres a original production beginning April 1 collectively written by Sudbury playwrights Lara Bradley, Rick Duthie, Cora Eckert, and Caitlin Heppner, as #TheWaterTower takes to the stage.
Exploring one of the most pressing issues facing teenagers today, cyberbullying, #TheWaterTower chronicles the experience of four teenagers who must navigate dangerous digital waters as they learn how to stand up for themselves and one another.
When a provocative image of a teen girl is posted on an online social network called the WaterTower, the fabric of an entire community unravels, and the lives of these four are thrown into turmoil. 14 year-old Jayden (Dante Mullin Santone). 15 year-old Ariel (Katie Wise), 16 year-old Mackenzie (Alex Goudreau), and 17 year-old Hailey (Kassandra Bazinet), must confront both themselves and a malicious and faceless online presence that haunts them all.
The play is a vivid reminder of the complex lives of teens, increasingly lived online, where the judgment of one second’s ill-advised choice can never be eradicated from the online archive.
Directed by Matthew Heiti, the play was commissioned by STC to present a honest and authentic view inside a generation that is increasingly growing up online. Of the four playwrights, Bradley, Eckert, and Heppner are alumni of STC’s Playwrights’ Junction, also led by Heiti. The play also uses many production elements including lighting, sound, video, and projections, to draw the audience into both the real and the online world.
#The WaterTower is on stage at the Sudbury Theatre Centre for a limited engagement of four public performances: April 1 at 7:00 p.m., April. 2 at 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m., and April 3 at 2:00 p.m. Student matinee bookings are also available daily through April. 8.
Tickets for the public performances are $18 for adults and seniors and $10 for students. Book tickets through the STC Box Office in person at 170 Shaughnessy Street in Downtown Sudbury, by calling 705 674 8381, or online at sudburytheatre.ca.
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