ONLINE: Lewiston/Clarkston

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Jerrod Langwinski and Josh Krause (left to right) in the Forward Theater production "Clarkston," 2021.

Lewiston/Clarkston, through April 25: This innovatively structured play (or rather, two linked plays with what would be, during an in-person performance, a communal audience dinner at intermission), is coming to us from Forward Theater. It will be filmed live at the Playhouse at the Overture Center and available on demand through April 25. Both plays deal in different ways with the legacies of 1800s explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark on the contemporary American landscape. The scheduled talkbacks should prove interesting, especially a Q&A with playwright Samuel D. Hunter (7 p.m., April 18; note time/date change); talkbacks on Zoom with the actors and directors take place at 8:30 p.m. on April 15 and April 21 and 4 p.m. on April 18 and April 25. As for the food, Forward has partnered with Ian's Pizza, Quivey's Grove and North and South Seafood & Smokehouse for delivery to eat between Lewiston and Clarkston. Find tickets here, and more info on talkback links and food choices at forwardtheater.com.

press release: By Samuel D. Hunter; directed by Jennifer Uphoff Gray

TWO PLAYS. ONE EVENT

In Lewiston, Alice is an aging descendant of Meriwether Lewis, who sits at her roadside stand selling cheap fireworks while developers swallow the land around her. Enter Marnie, Alice’s long-lost granddaughter, proposing to buy the land and save her family’s legacy.

In Clarkston, Jake is a young descendant of William Clark, who has made the journey out west from his home in Connecticut, anxious to find meaning in his own history. He meets Chris during a late-night shift at Costco, forming an awkward bond.

Can these individuals learn to help each other as they struggle to make a home in the vastness of the American landscape?

For each presentation, Lewiston and Clarkston will be performed together as a unique theatrical event.

“Theater of the most deeply moving kind. By evening’s end, you’ll have a palpable sense of having shared something special with your fellow theatergoers.” – The Hollywood Reporter

Online tickets are available for purchase here. Adults: $40; 42 Below (Discount for ages 42 and under): $20; Students/Educators: $10; Artists: $10.

Forward is hosting 'Lewiston/Clarkston' playwright Samuel D. Hunter for a live Q&A. This talkback is free to the public, held online on Thursday, April 22, at 5pm. Registration and info will be available on forwardtheater.com.

Through an agreement with Actors’ Equity Association, Forward is among the first group of Wisconsin theaters to return to in-person rehearsals and stage performances. Instead of offering performances to live audiences, a filmed version will be offered online. Originally intended as a communal experience with a scheduled meal break between performances, Forward is partnering with local restaurants to offer takeout and delivery options to bring the experience to audience’s homes.

Audiences are invited to join one of six talkbacks with the actors and directors, hosted and streamed live via Zoom. Talkbacks are scheduled for Friday 4/9 at 8:30pm, Sunday 4/11 at 4:00pm, Thursday 4/15 at 8:30pm, Sunday 4/18 at 4:00pm, Wednesday 4/21 at 8:30pm, and Sunday 4/25 at 4:00pm.