“Checking In,” an original theater piece on the powers of healing during a COVID-19 lockdown, opens with a recorded Zoom performance on Thursday, April 15 at 7:30 p.m. Presented by the St. Mary’s College of Maryland Theater, Film and Media Studies, the show performs through Sunday, April 18, with a final matinee performance at 2 p.m.
“Checking In” evolved from collaborative work between students in Assistant Professor of Theater Amy Steiger’s fall 2020 course on devising community-based theater and the St. Mary’s local community. Based on interviews students conducted with community members on subjects of race, gender and healing, a play took shape that focused on a group of people forced into lockdown in a medical waiting room. To keep themselves occupied, they share stories about their lives. As they transform the waiting room into a place for creativity and community, the group discovers that while there is no single path to healing that works for everyone, the acts of storytelling and of listening have power.
“Checking In” continues professor Steiger’s collaborative work with students and local community members on subjects of race, gender, class and social justice, begun with “Beyond the Sunset” and the 10-minute play festival of student-written plays, “Humanizing Histories.”
Access to the recorded Zoom performance is by ticket registration through Eventbrite at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/146999614805. Registration is required; performances are free. The first 10 patrons for each performance who register for tickets will receive a "care package" to make the Zoom performance an interactive experience.
“Checking In” performs at 7:30 p.m. from April 15-17, with a matinee performance at 2 p.m. on Sunday, April 18.
