The world premiere of Responders, by Arkansas native Joseph Scott Ford, will open in TheatreSquared’s Spring Theatre on June 5 in co-production with Arkansas Repertory Theatre (Little Rock, AR) and will run through June 30. Tickets, ranging in price from $43 to $68, can be purchased by calling (479) 777-7477 or by visiting theatre2.org/responders.
A genre-bending dark comedy about just trying to do the right thing, Responders was originally workshopped at T2’s 2022 Arkansas New Play Festival, where it kept audiences on the edge of their seats. In the play, two small-town paramedics are the first to arrive at a macabre scene. Since the cops got a flat, and there’s no help to render, all they can do is wait—until they realize every school bus in the county is about to drive right by. When the local star reporter arrives to film the whole fiasco, things go from bad to ridiculous.
Though the play is rife with comedic elements, Ford points out that the themes of the show go deep.
"This play, first and foremost, was born from a sensitivity to the plight of depression and the status of mental health in our country, in our world, and how hard and important it is to talk about that," he says. "One of the best ways to explore a difficult topic is through comedy, and so out came this funny play about a not funny thing. Then there were a couple other deeper themes that showed up in the play: the welfare of our veterans when they return from duty, and how good or not good of a job we as a society do of welcoming them back and reintegrating them into the world after combat."
The show is directed by vickie washington, returning to TheatreSquared after directing the workshop production of Responders in 2022. A T2 favorite, she has also directed School Girls, Or, the African Mean Girls Play; The Mountaintop; and will direct Primary Trust in the 2024/25 season.
Bradley Campbell (Daryl,) Kelsey Claire (Ang) | Photo Credit: TheatreSquared
The show’s acting company includes Bradley Campbell, Kelsey Claire, Miranda Jane, and Edwin Green.
The creative team includes Sydney Lynne, Scenic Designer; Jennifer McClory, Costume Designer; Levi J. Wilkins, Lighting Designer; PA Worthington, Sound Designer; and Emely Zepeda, Production Stage Manager.
"It’s been an incredibly delightful journey to see this work bloom; from the 2022 Arkansas New Play Festival to this full production here on the Spring Theatre stage, Responders is an insightful play that we can’t wait for audiences to see," says T2’s Executive Director Shannon A. Jones. "This show seamlessly blends joy, depth, and comedy while also sparking important conversations, reflecting our commitment to bringing thought-provoking and relevant new works to our stage.
"This show also marks our 4th official co-production with our friends at Arkansas Rep down in Little Rock," Jones continues. "Theatre is, at it's core, a way for us to stay connected with one another. We're thrilled that we're able to share this important production with our longtime collaborators."
Ford says this show is both an important milestone for him as well as "a love letter to the people of Arkansas."
"This play was really, really inspired by the people of Arkansas and the South," he says. "I hope that they know this show is, in many respects, for them. Before I moved to New York to pursue the arts, I wrote something in a journal. I sort of dreamed about what success would mean to me. And I said, ‘Well, success would be if I could actually figure out how to make a good piece of art, and bring that back to the people who gave me the foundation of my life. That would feel like success.’ And it does. So this, to me, is a dream come true. And I think it's a show that TheatreSquared audiences are going to love and talk about for a long time."
Tickets
Performances of Responders are scheduled Tues-Sat at 7:30pm, and Sat and Sun at 2pm at TheatreSquared’s Spring Theatre on 477 W. Spring Street in downtown Fayetteville, Arkansas. Tickets range from $43-$68. All fees are included, with no additional charges at checkout.
Subscription packages for TheatreSquared include full six-play packages starting at $180, with four play flex packages starting at $106. Benefits for season ticket holders include savings of up to 20% on every show, free unlimited exchanges, discounted reserved parking, and same-day discounts on T2 merchandise and in The Commons Bar/Café.
Through T2’s Lights Up! For Access program, supported by the Walmart Foundation, SNAP benefit recipients can purchase $1 tickets, while students and patrons under the age of 30 can purchase $15 tickets. Fully subsidized, free tickets are also available for clients of a number of local community service organizations. For more information, visit www.theatre2.org/lights-up.
Subscription packages and single tickets can be reserved by calling TheatreSquared at (479) 777-7477 or by visiting www.theatre2.org/subscribe.
About TheatreSquared
TheatreSquared’s signature offering of bold new plays in an intimate setting has driven its growth to become the state’s largest theater, offering more than 350 performances annually in an intimate setting. Its pioneering work has been recognized with the 2022 Obie Award as well as critical acclaim from The New York Times ("Best Theater of 2020" list), The New Yorker, and The Wall Street Journal. The playwright-led company is one of mid-America’s leading laboratories for new work, having launched more than 70 new plays. Notable collaborators have included Candrice Jones, Bryna Turner, The Kilbanes, Sarah Gancher, José Cruz Gonzales, Mary Kathryn Nagle, Qui Nguyen, Mona Mansour, Amy Evans, and many others. TheatreSquared’s home—winner of the 2021 International Architecture Award—is a cultural landmark. Offering far-reaching access and education programs and an open-all-day gathering space, the Commons Bar/Café, TheatreSquared remains rooted in its founding vision, that "theater—done well and with passion—can transform lives and communities."
Major funding for the TheatreSquared Season 18 is provided by the Walton Family Foundation; the Walmart Foundation; the Willard and Pat Walker Charitable Foundation; the Windgate Foundation; the Shubert Foundation; the Tyson Family Foundation; the Arkansas Arts Council, an agency of the Department of Arkansas Heritage; the National Endowment for the Arts; Bob and Becky Alexander; Jane Hunt; Barbara Shadden; Todd Simmons and Melissa Hall Simmons; and Simmons Foods.
Marketing support for TheatreSquared Season 18 is provided by Experience Fayetteville, the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Fayetteville Flyer, 3W Magazine, CitiScapes, KUAF, 5NEWS, MailCo USA, iHeart Radio, NWA Daily, ROARK, and Fayetteville City Lifestyle.