From Artistic Director, Sabrina Hamilton
“This year, I decided not to program the festival until after the election. After the results were in, I went on a listening tour of the Valley to find out what people wanted from us. The result — our upcoming 5-week season curated on the theme of “TACTICS FOR TRYING TIMES. So whether it’s living a life of activism and resistance, finding the humor in the situation, examining your footprint on the planet, or reclaiming civil discourse and debate – COME JOIN US!”
PERFORMANCES

THE SOCIETY OF CIVIL DISCOURSE
August 4 & 5 at 8pm; August 6 at 7pm (Note non-standard curtain time)
Created by TEAM SUNSHINE PERFORMANCE CORPORATION and THE PHILLY PIGEON/Jacob WintersteinAn interactive performance event that celebrates the pleasure of passionate debate and provides a safe and fun space to indulge in the practice of oratorical muscle-flexing. The event unfolds in three phases…
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DEATH OF A MAN July 28 & 29 at 8pm; July 30 at 4pm
NEW WORLD PERFORMANCE LAB
Two years ago, NWPL set out on an expedition to understand their hometown’s relationship with rubber. Through the pillaging of natural rubber in the Amazon forests, and the working class citizens who broke their backs building tires – Akron, OH became the "Rubber City." Colombian actor, Jairo Cuesta performs a ritual of storytelling, a sacrifice to heal the city…
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Two years ago, NWPL set out on an expedition to understand their hometown’s relationship with rubber. Through the pillaging of natural rubber in the Amazon forests, and the working class citizens who broke their backs building tires – Akron, OH became the "Rubber City." Colombian actor, Jairo Cuesta performs a ritual of storytelling, a sacrifice to heal the city…
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KOFEST STORY SLAM Saturday, July 21 at 8pm – One Night Only!
You’ve heard of poetry slams – competitive poetry events. This is one is for first person, true stories – told live and without notes and all on our season theme of “HABITAT (human).” Story Slam Slotting will begin in June, but start thinking of stories that fit the theme…
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TENSE VAGINA: an actual diagnosis July 14 & 15 at 8pm; July 16 at 4pm
created and performed by SARA JULI
A solo show about motherhood — its beauty, challenges, isolation, and comic side revealing “all that is awesome and all that sucks when it comes to being a mother”…
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A solo show about motherhood — its beauty, challenges, isolation, and comic side revealing “all that is awesome and all that sucks when it comes to being a mother”…
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JIMMY & LORRAINE July 7 & 8 at 8pm; July 9 at 4pm
by TALVIN WILKS
Performed by HARTBEAT ENSEMBLE Jimmy & Lorraine is a meditation on the American political climate of the late '50s and early '60s through the lens of two significant artists of the time, James Baldwin and Lorraine Hansberry...
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Performed by HARTBEAT ENSEMBLE Jimmy & Lorraine is a meditation on the American political climate of the late '50s and early '60s through the lens of two significant artists of the time, James Baldwin and Lorraine Hansberry...
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WORKSHOPS

TELLING TALES WITH CRANKIES
INES ZELLER BASS
Sandglass Theater
July 3-8, 2017
A crankie is an old storytelling art form that has recently become hot again. A long illustrated scroll is wound around two spools and set into a box with a viewing window. The scroll is…Read More

COMPASSIONATE CREATIVITY
with Kali Quinn
of the Center for Compassionate Creativity
July 10-15, 2017
What is the relationship between creativity, mindfulness, self-care, and bettering the world? How do you integrate love, work and play? Come jumpstart your creative process and…Read More

FIRST PERSON: Crafting Your Story for Performance
This workshop is sold out.
with Gerard Stropnicky, Co-Founder, Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble
July 17-22, 2017
Why do some stories – some performances – spark your imagination, set fire to your soul, and leave you transformed, while others just sit there? Is it the content, or the telling? The framing, or the style? Can story be employed to bring laughter, or tears, or understanding, or lasting social change, or…Read More