STAPLES PLAYERS PRESENTS “INFINITE BLACK SUITCASE”

STAPLES PLAYERS PRESENTS “INFINITE BLACK SUITCASE” By EM LEWIS

A MAJOR BLACK BOX THEATRE PRODUCTION

Staples Players is proud to present  A Major Black Box Theater Production, INFINITE BLACK SUITCASE by EM Lewis.  Performances are at 7:30 PM on Thursday, May 29, Friday, May 30 and Saturday, May 31, with a matinee performance on Sunday, June 1 at 4:00 PM. 

Staples High School is the first high school in the country to perform the show through special permission with the play’s author, EM Lewis, and its publishing company, Samuel French.  Samuel French, which is the largest Theatrical publishing company in the world,  plans to feature the Staples Players production and their collaboration with the playwright, EM Lewis, on their website which will in fact be the  "East Coast Premiere" of the show.  

David Roth and Kerry Long are directing the Black Box production and are very excited to work on  such a contemporary and new work and to have access to the insights of the playwright.

Kerry Long adds that “The play deals with the different situations we find ourselves in relating to death and dying. Infinite Black Suitcase is a series of vignettes which follow a group of occasionally intersecting characters as they find their way through tough situations that none of us want to find ourselves in but all of us do - a sick wife, a dying partner, feuding exes, etc. While this sounds like a pretty morbid topic, the playwright handles it with a lot of humor and honesty. The characters face situations that are universal and deal with them in a very real and very honest way. How do you let go of your loved one when you didn't get to say goodbye? How do you deal with the death of a spouse, a parent, a friend? How do you start dating again when you have lost your spouse? What happens when you are nearing the end of your days and your husband already owns a burial spot with his first wife?”

Roth and Long chose this play because “While this all sounds rather heavy, the show is ultimately very touching, thought provoking and, yes, even humorous. We thought that it would be a great choice for Staples, as it is packed with meaty characters. Each character has depth and a real conflict and gives our young actors a great challenge to tackle, plus it opens up great dialogue in rehearsal. We even had a specialist in grief and grieving come in and talk to the cast about death and the grieving process, which was enlightening to all of us.”

Purchase reserved seats in advance at staplesplayers.com or at the door for cash or check only (as available) beginning 20 minutes before performances.  Tickets are  $15 for Adults and $10 for Students.

Seating in our Black Box Theatre is very limited so buy early!

This drama contains mature language and subject matter and is not appropriate for children 12 and under. This play is presented without an intermission and with a running time of approximately 80 minutes". Late-comers cannot be seated in this space so please arrive on time.

The Black Box Theater entrance is located near the upper parking lot on the Field House side of Staples High School. 

Infinite Black Suitcase is presented by special arrangement with SAMUEL FRENCH, INC.

PRODUCTION TEAM:

Directors: David Roth and Kerry Long

Set Design and Technical Director:  Peter DiFranco

Co-Technical Director:  Dave Seltzer

Costume Designers:  Marjorie Watt and Priscilla Stampa