Mirror Stage Presents 'Feed Your Mind West Coast' Premiere Reading of GROUND, 4/28

Mirror Stage continues reflecting the diversity of the community on stage in high quality, progressive productions that play it smart without always playing it safe with West Coast premiere reading of Ground tonight, April 28 at 8pm and Sunday, April 29 at 2pm at the Ethnic Cultural Theatre in Seattle. Feed Your Mind: Ground will be directed by Suzanne M. Cohen and feature Michael D. Blum (Chuy), Erwin Galán (Carl), Peggy Gannon (Zelda), Daniela Melgar (Angie), John Murray (Cooper) and Pilar O'Connell (Ines).

After 20 years away, Zelda inherits her father's pecan farm, and returns home to a vastly changed world at the border between the United States and Mexico. In choosing whether to keep or let go of The Farm, Zelda's beliefs about family, home, and community are tested in the face of a shifting political and social landscape. A moderated discussion with the artists follows every performance.

Ground highlights the multi-faceted impact of changing immigration policies on life at the border. "Essentially it's a story about a once cohesive community-and the families within it-that has been fractured by changes in U.S. immigration policy," said Dillman. Ground received its world premiere at the 2010 Humana Festival of New American Plays at Actor's Theatre of Louisville. It was originally commissioned by Northlight Theatre, Skokie, IL (BJ Jones, Artistic Director; Timothy J. Evans, Executive Director).

Lisa Dillman is a Chicago-based playwright and teacher whose credits include Ground (2010 Humana Festival/Actors Theatre of Louisville), Detail of a Larger Work (Steppenwolf Theatre), Flung and Half of Plenty (American Theatre Company), and The Walls (Rivendell Theatre Ensemble/Steppenwolf Visiting Company Initiative). American Wee-Pie was presented as the January 2012 selection in The Construction Zone at ACT Theatre. She begins a residency at Hedgebrook in early May, and will be attending the performances and participating in the post-play discussions.

Theatre That Gets People Talking, Feed Your Mind is Mirror Stage's ongoing series of staged readings that examine topical issues from different perspectives, featuring 100 percent local professional actors. The plays are presented simply: no costumes or sets-just the actors and the text. Following every performance, a discussion with the audience and artists further explores the relevance of issues raised in more depth.

Feed Your Mind: Ground by Lisa Dillman runs April 28-29, 2012 at the Ethnic Cultural Theatre, located at 3940 Brooklyn Ave NE in Seattle. Saturday evening admission is $10. Sunday matinee admission is $8. Half-price tickets are available for Senior Citizens and students, and every performance has ten Pay-What-You-Can rush tickets ($1 minimum) for purchase at the door. Free parking is available in University of Washington's lot W12, located at just south of the Ethnic Cultural Theater on Brooklyn Ave NE. For more information, visit http://www.mirrorstage.org/ground.

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