Arts and Entertainment

Penn State Centre Stage's 'Polaroid Stories' tackles homeless youth crisis

Play to run Sept. 18-22 at the Penn State Downtown Theatre

Cameron Pillitteri, left, and Cat Rokavec, both students in Penn State’s Bachelor of Fine Arts Acting Program, rehearse a scene from "Polaroid Stories" at the Penn State Downtown Theatre. Credit: Patrick Mansell / Penn State. Creative Commons

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Playwright Naomi Iizuka's "Polaroid Stories," set to run Sept. 18-22 at the Penn State Downtown Theatre, challenges the audience with a series of vignettes and loosely connected visceral subplots about homeless youth. Inspired by Ovid's "Metamorphoses," the play uses Greek mythology to reveal the violence, addiction, relationships, and poor choices of its characters.

Iizuka weaves together two worlds that on the surface seem very different, but upon closer examination, the audience should see the common difficulty of surviving against forces that are perhaps too powerful to overcome without help.

Ciara Shaw, left, and Zackery Wold rehearse a scene from "Polaroid Stories" at the Penn State Downtown Theatre. The show kicks off the Penn State Centre Stage – Off-Centre season, opening Sept. 18. Credit: Patrick Mansell / Penn State. Creative Commons

Stage Manager Sarah Williams, left, shares notes and schedules with actors Cat Rokavec and Ciara Shaw prior to rehearsal for "Polaroid Stories" at the Penn State Downtown Theatre. The show opens Sept. 18 and runs through Sept. 22. Credit: Patrick Mansell / Penn State. Creative Commons

Brendan Berndt works through a scene during rehearsal for the Penn State Centre Stage – Off Centre production of "Polaroid Stories," opening Sept. 18 at the Penn State Downtown Theatre. Credit: Patrick Mansell / Penn State. Creative Commons

Cast and crew of "Polaroid Stories" conduct rehearsals for the show's Sept. 18 open at the Penn State Downtown Theatre. "Polaroid Stories" uses Greek mythology to tackle the topic of homeless youth through a series of vignettes. Credit: Patrick Mansell / Penn State. Creative Commons

Cameron Pillitteri, left, and Cat Rokavec, both students in Penn State’s Bachelor of Fine Arts Acting Program, rehearse a scene from "Polaroid Stories" at the Penn State Downtown Theatre. The show opens Sept. 18 and runs through Sept. 22. Credit: Patrick Mansell / Penn State. Creative Commons

Director Erik Raymond Johnson provides notes to members of the cast of "Polaroid Stories" during rehearsal at the Penn State Downtown Theatre. The production opens Sept. 18 and runs through Sept. 22. Credit: Patrick Mansell / Penn State. Creative Commons

Ciara Shaw, left, and Zackery Wold rehearse a scene from "Polaroid Stories" at the Penn State Downtown Theatre. The show kicks off the Penn State Centre Stage – Off-Centre season, opening Sept. 18. Credit: Patrick Mansell / Penn State. Creative Commons

Stage Manager Sarah Williams, left, shares notes and schedules with actors Cat Rokavec and Ciara Shaw prior to rehearsal for "Polaroid Stories" at the Penn State Downtown Theatre. The show opens Sept. 18 and runs through Sept. 22. Credit: Patrick Mansell / Penn State. Creative Commons

Brendan Berndt works through a scene during rehearsal for the Penn State Centre Stage – Off Centre production of "Polaroid Stories," opening Sept. 18 at the Penn State Downtown Theatre. Credit: Patrick Mansell / Penn State. Creative Commons

Cast and crew of "Polaroid Stories" conduct rehearsals for the show's Sept. 18 open at the Penn State Downtown Theatre. "Polaroid Stories" uses Greek mythology to tackle the topic of homeless youth through a series of vignettes. Credit: Patrick Mansell / Penn State. Creative Commons

Cameron Pillitteri, left, and Cat Rokavec, both students in Penn State’s Bachelor of Fine Arts Acting Program, rehearse a scene from "Polaroid Stories" at the Penn State Downtown Theatre. The show opens Sept. 18 and runs through Sept. 22. Credit: Patrick Mansell / Penn State. Creative Commons

Director Erik Raymond Johnson provides notes to members of the cast of "Polaroid Stories" during rehearsal at the Penn State Downtown Theatre. The production opens Sept. 18 and runs through Sept. 22. Credit: Patrick Mansell / Penn State. Creative Commons

In preparing for rehearsals, Director Erik Raymond Johnson found the statistics about homeless youth to be incredibly alarming.

"As a father and as an educator, the thought of what young people are doing to survive today scares me," Johnson said. "What scares me even more is the fact that I really didn’t know. Plays like 'Polaroid Stories' do not always offer us a solution. We are seemingly left with no hope. Perhaps the hope has to come from us."

"Polaroid Stories" is part of the Penn State Centre Stage Off-Centre season. All shows are general admission and tickets are $8.50.

Tickets are available at the Penn State Downtown Ticket Center, Eisenhower Box Office, Bryce Jordan Center, or by calling 814-863-0255 or 1-800-ARTS-TIX. For more information, visit https://theatre.psu.edu//polaroid. 

Last Updated September 13, 2018

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