WHY DID THE FOUNDING FATHERS GIVE US GUNS?
 
By
 
Andrea Lepcio
 
Cast of Characters
 
James Madison
 
Alexander Hamilton
 
Thomas Jefferson
 
George Washington

 The text is all quotes from the founding fathers on guns. 
 
At Rise: Madison, Hamilton, Jefferson and Washington stand around debating.
Actors can feel free to speak or rap or a combination.
 
James Madison
A standing military force, with an overgrown Executive will not long be safe companions to liberty.
 
Alexander Hamilton
But in a country, where the perpetual menacings of danger oblige the government to be always prepared to repel it, her armies must be numerous enough for instant defence. The continual necessity for this service enhances the importance of the soldier, and proportionally degrades the condition of the citizen.
 
Thomas Jefferson
The Greeks by their laws, and the Romans by the spirit of their people, took care to put into the hands of their rulers no such engine of oppression as a standing army. Their system was to make every man a soldier and oblige him to repair to the standard of his country whenever that was reared. This made them invincible; and the same remedy will make us so.
 
                                    Voices of agreement.
 
James Madison
A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the People to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.
 
                                    More agreement.
 
Thomas Jefferson
What country can preserve its liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance. Let them take arms.
 
James Madison
It may well be doubted, whether a militia thus circumstanced could ever be conquered by such a proportion of regular troops. Those who are best acquainted with the last successful resistance of this country against the British arms, will be most inclined to deny the possibility of it. Besides the advantage of being armed, which the Americans possess over the people of almost every other nation, the existence of subordinate governments, to which the people are attached, and by which the militia officers are appointed, forms a barrier against the enterprises of ambition, more insurmountable than any which a simple government of any form can admit of.
 
Alexander Hamilton
Little more can reasonably be aimed at, with respect to the people at large, than to have them properly armed and equipped; and in order to see that this be not neglected, it will be necessary to assemble them once or twice in the course of a year.
 
George Washington
A free people ought not only to be armed, but disciplined; to which end a uniform and well-digested plan is requisite; and their safety and interest require that they should promote such manufactories as tend to render them independent of others for essential, particularly military, supplies.
 
Thomas Jefferson
One loves to possess arms, though they hope never to have occasion for them.
 
 

I am in Atlanta this weekend teching Stait of Gibraltar with the fabulous Synchronicity team. We open this coming Friday.  

Contact:
Laura Soldati
The [L] Agency
Laura@TheLAgency.net
(404) 561.0102
 
Synchronicity Theatre to Present World Premiere of Andrea Lepcio’s
Strait of Gibraltar
March 31, 2017 – April 23, 2017
 
 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 25, 2017 (Revised)
 
ATLANTA, GA – Synchronicity Theatre will present the world premiere of Andrea Lepcio’s Strait of Gibraltar, a sexy romantic comedy turned terrorism thriller that looks at love, truth, prejudice, and civil rights in the age of the Patriot Act. Performances run from March 31 to April 23, 2017. For tickets or more information, please visit www.synchrotheatre.com or call 404-484-8636.
 
Sameer, a Moroccan man living in New York illegally, and Miriam, a Jewish-American, fall in love. A favor Sameer asks of Miriam results in their arrest. Sameer is suspected of terrorism and Miriam of money laundering. Strait of Gibraltar is a new play that examines the impact of the Patriot Act on our rights.
 
The production design recreates a nimble, shifting world that contrasts the intimacy and security of Miriam and Sameer’s relationship with the exposure and vulnerability the couple feels as they are being watched. Shifting walls and Instagram-style projections highlight the tension between what is personal and what is public; what is being watched and by whom.
 
Strait of Gibraltar is directed by Synchronicity’s producing artistic director Rachel May, and will include scenic design by Elizabeth Jarrett, and sound and lighting design by Kevin Frazier. The cast includes Atlanta-based actors Maggie Birgel as Miriam, Benjamin Sims as Sameer, Kathleen Wattis as Selma, Brian Ashton Smith as Tripp and Suehyla El Attar as Amina. Some cast members will also assume other roles.
 
Show times for Strait of Gibraltar are Wednesdays through Saturdays at 8 p.m., and Sundays at 5 p.m. All performances will be at Synchronicity Theatre in Midtown Atlanta’s Peachtree Pointe complex.
 
Single ticket prices range from $15-50 and are available online at www.synchrotheatre.com. Sunday, April 9 is Inside Scoop.  Patrons can enjoy complimentary ice cream sundaes and a Q&A with the artists after the 5 p.m. performance. Pay-What-You-Can Industry Nights are each Wednesday, and Monday, April 10 at 8 p.m.
 
Community partners on this production are Islamic Speakers Bureau of Atlanta, American Jewish Committee, InterfaithFamily/Atlanta, Congregation Bet Haverim, and the Anti-Defamation League. There will be moderated post-show discussions after every performance, and on Tuesday, April 11 at 6 p.m. and Saturday, April 22 at 4:30 p.m., the Islamic Speaker’s Bureau will present a free presentation on The American Muslim at Synchronicity Theatre.
 
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Audiences attending the show can receive 10% off their final bill by showing their ticket stubs at Tavernpointe, across the lobby from the theatre. There will also be production-themed drinks and offers during the 2016-2017 season.
 
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CALENDAR INFORMATION
 
World Premiere of Strait of Gibraltar
By Andrea Lepcio
March 31, 2017 – April 23, 2017
 
Directed by Rachel May
Sound and Lighting Design by Kevin Frazier
Scenic Design by Elizabeth Jarrett
Media Design by Amanda Sachtleben
Properties Design by Elisabeth Cooper
 
Show times:
Wednesday–Saturday at 8 p.m.
Sunday at 5 p.m.
 
Synchronicity Theatre
One Peachtree Pointe Complex
1545 Peachtree Street NE
Atlanta, GA 30309
 
Sunday, April 9 is Inside Scoop.  Patrons can enjoy complimentary ice cream sundaes and a Q&A with the artists after the 5 p.m. performance.
 
Pay-What-You-Can Industry Nights are each Wednesday, and Monday, April 10 at 8 p.m.
 
CAST
Maggie Birgel                 Miriam
Benjamin Sims               Sameer
Kathleen Wattis               Selma, Various
Suehyla El Attar             Amina, Various *
Brian Ashton Smith         Tripp, Various
                        + Denotes member of Actors Equity Association.
 
Single ticket prices range from $15-50 and are available online at www.synchrotheatre.com.
 
The world premiere of Strait of Gibraltar by Andrea Lepcio is a sexy romantic comedy turned terrorism thriller. Miriam, a Jewish woman, and Sameer, a Muslim man from Morocco, meet at a party and fall in love at first sight. When Sameer tells Miriam he’s in the country illegally, she offers to help; but, is everything as it seems? A smart, riveting play that looks at love, truth, prejudice, and civil rights in the age of the Patriot Act.
 
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ABOUT SYNCHRONICITY THEATRE
Synchronicity Theatre, led by Producing Artistic Director Rachel May and Managing Director & Artistic Associate Lee Nowell, produces smart, gutsy, high quality theatre that sparks community connections and uplifts the voices of women and girls. Synchronicity supports women artists, forges long-term and effective community partnerships and develops new work. Synchronicity was founded in 1997 by four women with a desire to work collaboratively and bring challenging, meaningful theatre to Atlanta audiences. We now reach nearly 8,000 patrons through our season of plays for adults (Bold Voices) and families (Family Series); community outreach; and educational programming, including our Playmaking for Kids (PFK) summer camps and after school programs and our award-winning Playmaking for Girls (PFG) program. Our intimate theatre in the heart of midtown at Peachtree Pointe became our home in the summer of 2014.  

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