In partnership with the Office of the President, the School of Theatre and Dance today (April 20), will perform a play to raise awareness for gun safety and violence.
NATURAL SHOCKS will be performed at 7:30 p.m. in G21 Ming Hsieh Hall. The story takes place on the 19th anniversary of the Columbine High School shooting and the day Parkland, Florida students are organizing a national school walkout.
Based on Hamlet’s “To be or not to be,” NATURAL SHOCKS is written by Lauren Gunderson, America’s Most Produced Playwright. Gunderson is waiving royalties for readings to raise awareness for gun violence and raise money for charity. As of April 17, there are 147 confirmed readings across 45 states and Washington, D.C. WVU is hosting the only reading in West Virginia.
NATURAL SHOCKS bursts to life when the audience meets a woman waiting out an imminent tornado in her basement. She overflows with quirks, stories and a final secret that puts the reality of guns in American in your very lap. The play is part confessional, part stand up and part reckoning.
WVU will put its own twist on the story, utilizing four women for the typically one-woman role – Assistant Professor Radhica Ganapathy, Associate Professors Laura Hitt and Jessica Bishop and Teaching Assistant Professor Irene Alby.
“By using four actors in the play, we are hoping to drive home the sentiment that this story isn’t just one woman’s story, it is many women’s story,” said Joshua Williamson, director of the School of Theatre and Dance.
NATURAL SHOCKS is free and open to the public, but donations will be accepted for the Rape and Domestic Violence Information Center. The event is non-ticketed, seating is on a first-come-first-served basis.