CCC Drama Club Perform Friday and Saturday

Monday, November 26, 2007

Plattsburgh - The CCC Drama Club will perform "The Detainees Speak" on Friday, November 30, and Saturday, December 1, at 7:30 pm at the Stafford Center Theatre. Tickets are available at the box office 30 minutes prior to the performance.

Since 2002, at least 775 men have been held in the US detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. According to Department of Defense data, fewer than half are accused of committing any hostile act against the US or its allies. This production gives voice to the men bringing together 22 poems by 17 detainees most of whom are still in legal limbo.

 "Theatre can entertain and sometimes challenge us to keep the experience relevant to our everyday world," said Drama Club director Bonnie Black. "This weekend, we will push our students and others in the audience to a higher level of thought – it will not be ‘mere’ entertainment. This production will provide a social mirror through which we gain greater understanding of ourselves, our government and our global community."

This season, CCC Drama Club has brought theatrical opportunities that ranged from the National Player’s production of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night a few weeks ago to tonight’s original production of "Poems from Guantánamo – The Detainees Speak."

"Our audiences trust us," said Black, "and over the years have come to see many plays they haven’t heard of before attending. Many of these productions have been thought-provoking, providing new and edgy work important for our growth - as students and as a community of learning."