The Asylum Theatre, in partnership with Cockroach Theatre Company and The Grief Dialogues Foundation, will commemorate the first anniversary of 1 October with an evening of theatre and guided conversation about life after loss.
The performance of short plays, in collaboration with local performing artists from across the community, will take place Wednesday, September 26th at the Art Square Theatre, to be followed by a supportive conversation on the general topic of grief led by specialist Dr. Robyn Donaldson.
General admission tickets are available for $20 (plus a $2 service fee) at cockroachtheatre.com.
Wednesday, September 26th - 8PM
Cockroach Theatre:
1025 S 1st St Ste 110, Las Vegas, Nevada
Tickets: $20 | Call 702-222-9661
A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Vegas Strong Resiliency Center, a place of healing and support dedicated to serving as a resource and referral center for residents, visitors and responders affected by the shooting at the Route 91 Harvest Festival. vegasstrongrc.org
The performance will be directed by Sarah O’Connell, Artistic Director of The Asylum Theatre, and Cockroach Theatre and the Grief Dialogues are co-producers..
“We believe that out of grief comes art.TM” Elizabeth Coplan, The Grief Dialogues
For two years, the Seattle-based Grief Dialogues worked with playwrights around the country to bring just the right mix of works for production. From 180 submissions, The Grief Dialogues Advisory Council, on which Asylum Artistic Director Sarah O’Connell served, evaluated 80 semi- finalists based on their adherence to the mission of erasing the stigma around dying, death and grief, and the play's ability to engage a diverse audience. 20 short plays were selected for the final “library” to choose from when presenting each performance. FUSION by Las Vegas playwright, Paul Atreides, was among the final selections.
“Art saves us when words fail us, and the local Las Vegas performing arts community wanted to offer the tools that Theatre provides for us to help cope with the toughest parts of life.
These new plays are an empathetic way to honor the first anniversary of VegasStrong but they are reflections on all kinds of loss, love and life moving forward. I believe that everyone will find a story that echoes their own experience among the collection. We are grateful to Dr. Donaldson for offering her professional expertise to help lead the conversation.
Cockroach Theatre is a special place, right next to the Las Vegas Healing Garden which many local artists, along with their friends and neighbors across the Las Vegas Valley, helped to create, working together as one family.” - Sarah O’Connell, The Asylum Theatre
The Asylum gathered 12 performers to collaborate who frequently appear with local companies including: Cockroach Theatre Company, A Public Fit, Majestic Repertory Theatre, Las Vegas Little Theatre and Nevada Conservatory Theatre. The Las Vegas production will also include a selection from the book Vegas Strong, an anthology of short stories by local authors who donate 100% of the proceeds from its sale to support for First Responders.