World premiere "Building the Wall" a call to action at the Fountain

LOS ANGELES - March 11, 2017 - PRLog -- As part of the National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere,  the Fountain Theatre presents a new play by Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning playwright Robert Schenkkan (The Kentucky Cycle, All the Way, Hacksaw Ridge), written in direct response to the immigration policies of the Trump administration, revealing how those policies might lead to a horrifying yet inevitable conclusion.

In the very near future, the Trump administration has carried out his campaign promise to round up and detain millions of immigrants. As a writer interviews the former supervisor of a private prison, it becomes clear how federal policy has escalated into something previously unimaginable.

Multiple-award winner Michael Michetti directs Bo Foxworth (All the Way at South Coast Rep and for HBO) and Judith Moreland (Ovation Award for the Fountain's Miss Julie: Freedom Summer) in Schenkkan's riveting, harrowing and illuminating cautionary tale.

"This is an urgent cry of warning from a leading voice in the American theater," says Fountain co-artistic director Stephen Sachs. "It's an opportunity for the Fountain to make its voice heard through our art. This project is more than a play. It's already ignited a national firestorm with theaters across the country signing up to produce it."

In an interview with BBC Newshour, Schenkkan noted that "Donald Trump is not unusual or extraordinary… this is the playbook of authoritarianism. The question, of course, is not what Donald Trump will do. It's what we, as citizens, will do to respond."

"Audiences can expect to be very rattled by this play," notes Michetti. "Robert lays out a clear path of where we could all too easily end up if we don't change course. But the idea is not for people to go home depressed. It's a call to action. We've got to stop this from happening. We need to step up and exercise our rights as citizens to create positive change."

To that end, the Fountain will host post-performance discussions throughout the run, and additional ancillary events are currently in the planning stages.

Robert Schenkkan is the author of The Kentucky Cycle, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Drama – the first play in the history of the Pulitzer to win before its New York premiere. He has written and published fourteen other full-length plays, including By the Waters of Babylon, Lewis and Clark Reach the Euphrates, The Marriage of Miss Hollywood and King Neptune, Handler, Heaven on Earth, Tachinoki and Final Passages. His Broadway hit All The Way, starring Bryan Cranston broke two box office records, winning the Drama League Award, the Outer Critics Circle Award, the Drama Desk Award, the Edward M. Kennedy Prize for History and Theater Award, and Tony Awards for Best Play and Best Actor, along with a stunning Emmy and Golden Globe-nominated film adaptation directed by Jay Roach. His play The Great Society is a sequel to All The Way, and had its world premiere at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in July, 2013. His other TV credits include The Pacific, The Andromeda Strain and Spartacus. He co-wrote the feature films The Quiet American and the Oscar-nominated Hacksaw Ridge.

National New Play Network (NNPN) is an alliance of non-profit professional theaters dedicated to the development, production, and continued life of new plays. Since its founding in 1998, NNPN has supported more than 200 productions nationwide through its innovative National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere program, which provides playwright and production support for new works at its Member theaters. Additional programs - its annual National Conference, National Showcase of New Plays, and MFA Playwrights Workshop; the NNPN Annual and Smith Prize commissions; its residencies for playwrights, producers and directors; and the organization's member accessed Collaboration, Festival, and Travel banks and online information sessions - have helped cement the Network's position as a vital force in the new play landscape. NNPN also strives to pioneer, implement, and disseminate ideas and programs that revolutionize the way theaters collaborate to support new plays and playwrights.

Building the Wall opens March 18 and runs through May 21, with performanceson Saturdays at 8 p.m.; Sundays at 2 p.m.; and Mondays at 8 p.m. (dark Monday, March 20). Three preview performances take place on Wednesday, March 15; Thursday, March 16; and Friday, March 17, all at 8 p.m. Tickets range from $15–$35; every Monday is Pay-What-You-Can. The Fountain Theatre is located at 5060 Fountain Avenue (at Normandie) in Los Angeles.Secure, on-site parking is available for $5. The Fountain Theatre is air-conditioned and wheelchair accessible. For reservations and information, call (323) 663-1525or go to www.FountainTheatre.com. Like us on Facebook:www.facebook.com/TheFountainTheatre. Follow us on Twitter:@fountaintheatre (https://twitter.com/fountaintheatre).