Meadows and Kitchen Dog Present “Plays to End Gun Violence”

Kitchen Dog Theater in Dallas is partnering with the SMU Meadows Division of Theatre to participate in “#ENOUGH: Plays to End Gun Violence,” a one-day, nationwide reading of seven short plays by high school students that confront the issue of gun violence. The plays, which were selected in a national competition held by #ENOUGH for middle and high school students, will be read by 50 theatres and schools across the country and abroad on December 14, the eight-year remembrance of the shootings at Sandy Hook.

SMU theatre students are acting as stage managers, directors and actors for the Dallas production, which will be livestreamed via Zoom from Kitchen Dog’s stage. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students, and 50% of the proceeds will be donated to the North Texas chapter of Moms Demand Action, a grassroots movement of Americans fighting for public safety measures that can protect people from gun violence.

Full details are available in the following Kitchen Dog Theater press release:

“#ENOUGH: Plays to End Gun Violence” Nationwide Reading

Premieres in 49+ Cities on December 14, 2020

Kitchen Dog Theater to livestream a reading & talkback for the DFW Community

Kitchen Dog Theater (KDT), in collaboration with the SMU Meadows Division of Theatre, is proud to announce its participation in the Nationwide Reading of the seven winning plays of #ENOUGH: Plays to End Gun Violence, a national short play competition for middle and high school students. On December 14, 2020 – the 8-year remembrance of the shootings at Sandy Hook – the winning titles will be virtually performed live via the Zoom platform by current SMU theater undergrads at Kitchen Dog as well as at 49 other theatres and schools across the country and abroad.

A panel of nationally recognized dramatists – Lauren Gunderson, Academy Award winner Tarell Alvin McCraney, Pulitzer Prize winner Robert Schenkkan, Tony Award winner David Henry Hwang, and Karen Zacarías – selected the plays out of 184 submissions from 23 states and three countries in #ENOUGH’s call for teens to write 10-minute plays that confront the issue of gun violence.

The plays – all written by high school students – tackle gun violence through different lenses, including the threat of and anxiety over school shootings, police shooting, community violence, race, and gun culture in American history.

#ENOUGH has made the plays available for free to schools, theatres, and community organizations to stage a reading of them, either virtually or in-person where possible, and follow that reading with a post-show discussion on gun violence that’s specific to their community.

"We can't talk about gun violence in America only in the aftermath of the most tragic incidents," says Michael Cotey, producer of #ENOUGH. "Through the Nationwide Reading we're allowing every community to create the space and address the impact of gun violence now."

“I am proud Kitchen Dog is able to host this important nationwide event for our community,” says KDT Co-Artistic Director Tina Parker.  “Frank conversation and taking action now, no matter how difficult or uncomfortable it is, can truly save lives later.”

More details on all seven winning playwrights, including bios and headshots, and their plays, can be found online here. 

About #ENOUGH: Plays to End Gun Violence: #ENOUGH: Plays to End Gun Violence is a theatre activism campaign launched by Michael Cotey in 2019. #ENOUGH strives to spark critical conversations and incite meaningful action in communities across the country on the issue of gun violence through the creation of new works of theatre by teens. # ENOUGH's mission is to promote playwriting as a tool of self-expression and social change, harnessing this generation's spirit of activism and providing a platform for America's playwrights of tomorrow to discover and develop their voices today. enoughplays.com

About Kitchen Dog Theater: Founded by SMU graduates and now in its 30th season, Kitchen Dog Theater has established itself as one of the leading theaters in the region, boasting a 34-member artistic company of the area’s top talent. A staunch advocate of new work, KDT is a founding member of the National New Play Network, producing timely, provocative plays that may otherwise have never been seen in Dallas.

#ENOUGH: Plays to End Gun Violence is a one-time-only, COVID-safe event and will be performed live via the Zoom platform on Monday, December 14 at 7PM.  Ticket prices are $10 for adults and $5 for students. The performance will be followed by a live interactive talkback with artists, students, local activists, and the audience on how gun violence impacts our community.

Please note: this performance contains some adult language and descriptions of gun violence.

For tickets and more information, please call the Kitchen Dog Theater box office at 214-953-1055 or buy online at kitchendogtheater.org.

Kitchen Dog Gives Back: Kitchen Dog is proud to partner with the North Texas Chapter of MOMS DEMAND ACTION. Moms Demand Action is a grassroots movement of Americans fighting for public safety measures that can protect people from gun violence, and 50% of all tickets sold for the performance will be donated back to this incredible beneficiary. To learn more about this organization, go to https://momsdemandaction.org.

This production is supported, in part, by the City of Dallas Office of Cultural Affairs, Communities Foundation of Texas, Dallas Tourism Public Improvement District, Del Shores Foundation, Fichtenbaum Charitable Trust, Moody Fund for the Arts, National Endowment for the Arts, National New Play Network The Shubert Foundation, Sullivan Perkins, TACA, Texas Commission on the Arts, and individual donors.