William Mutimer, head of the Northampton Community Colleges Theatre Department, has announced the colleges plans for its next production of the 21-22 school year season. The drama The Burn will be presented live in person in the college's Lab Theatre, opening on Thursday, Nov. 18.
"NCC continues to follow all appropriate governmental guidelines; the auditions, rehearsals and performances are all following the protocols," said Mutimer. Audience members must correctly wear masks in the theatre.
Directed by Mutimer, the show will be presented on Thursday, Nov. 18 - Saturday, Nov. 20 and Monday, Nov. 22 at 7:30 p.m., and on Sunday, Nov. 21 at 2 p.m.
The Burn was written by Philip Dawkins, a Chicago playwright and educator. It premiered in 2018 at the Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago. When a high school production of The Crucible forces four girls together, tensions escalate into acts of bullying - both online and IRL. The Burn explores the link among the Salem Witch hunts, McCarthyism and Cancel Culture. Here we see what happens to a teacher and his students when a classroom conflict turns into an online witch hunt.
The cast includes:
Tara: Juanita-Renay GrayAndi: Olivia ByrneShauna: Tamara DeckerMercedes: Tatiana TorresErik: Michael J. Sheridan
Tickets are on sale at ncctix.org. Those with a valid NCC ID can attend at no charge with a donation of a non-perishable food item for NCC's HOPE Food Pantry for students. Tickets for all others are $5 each. For more information, visit ncctix.org.