Sex and Education
William Reinbold, Stephanie Zimbalist, Allison Lindsey
CAST
(in order of appearance)
SETTING
A Suburban High School
TIME
Last June
Sex and Education is performed without intermission
Running Time: Approximately 90 minutes
NOTE FROM THE PLAYWRIGHT
Sex sells. Just the word made you start reading this paragraph.
It may have been the tipping point in making you see this play. It is
why sex education classes were universally popular in school. No matter
the wholesome name your school gave it -- "Health," "Human
Development," "Choices and Challenges," it was Sex Ed and it held your
interest. Even the accompanying study of physiology was compelling
because of its context. The cardiovascular system became far more
interesting once you had a hint of what increased blood flow could do.
If
only an English teacher could utilize this same provocative context to
teach grammar, the very biology of our language. She could attract even
a quintessential jock to the subject, and perhaps, younger audiences to
a play about it. Hence, my comedy that cries for our educational
system. I’m not talking about the empty calories in cafeteria corn
dogs, but the poor nutrition in our classrooms. What has happened to
the taste for literature and composition? No other diet offers such
fiber. Which is apparently lacking in our national priorities.
Why
aren’t our educators regarded and compensated as are our elite
athletes? Where are the parades in their honor? Where are their perks?
Why aren’t they ushered past velvet ropes? Why don’t they get to hang
with Jay-Z? Why aren’t they out signing autographs, instead of
home, grading papers? Why doesn’t the red pen that graded its ten
thousandth paper fetch two grand on EBay? A red pen that was perhaps
prodded to inflate the grade of a promising student athlete, too busy
playing to study, so that he might one day go on to play for the NBA
with a reading ability challenged by the very print coverage of his own
success.
Don’t get me wrong -- I love pro basketball. I
just wish you could fill the Staples Center with young people who find
literature as dramatic, whose imaginations aren’t fired by thoughts of
wealth and fame, but by intellectual discovery. Here’s to the
demanding, caring, underpaid souls who fire those imaginations.
Mrs.
Monahan. Mr. Boyd. Miss Holodnick. Mr. Raleigh. You knew them by their
last names; you probably weren’t aware they had first names, or
families, and were stunned if you ran into them at the market or a
movie theater, realizing they had lives. But if you were lucky, one of
them changed yours. One of them woke you up to the world’s
possibilities, or your own. One of them saw beyond your challenged
social status to where you were headed, and spoke to you like an adult,
regardless of the fact you played in marching band.
One of
them was Miss Edwards. Who encouraged my brand of seriocomic writing,
even when analyzing Shakespeare. Who taught me that great writers did
not require suffering to be great, and that no word rhymes with
"orange."
This play is for her, and because of her.
─ Lissa Levin
FROM THE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
As you may know, through
the wonderful support of our audiences, a generous loan, and a surprise
grant, we have been able to stay alive, launch a comeback, and bring
you our current season. But our long-term survival was still a bit of a
question.
Then, in November, an anonymous donor stepped up with
a very special offer: If we could raise $25,000 by the end of the year
he would match it.
We made that goal in two weeks. Our donor was so impressed by the support we received, he agreed to continue matching all donations received by December 31st.
It’s
hard to believe what happened next. Hundreds of theatre-lovers eager to
invest in our future opened their hearts and their wallets. Our final
tally at midnight on the last day of 2013 was -- wait for it -- over
$130,000!!! And every dollar was matched by our extraordinarily
generous benefactor.
Now that we’re firmly on our feet, we’re
looking forward to strengthening our organization through expansion,
advertising, and outreach. I have always believed that the best
investment is in people. To that end, we have filled out our staff, and
hired our first-ever Director of Development, Karan Kendrick. Her focus
will be broadening our audience base and reaching out to the community,
while building new relationships for sustainability. She is a
delightful lady, and you will enjoy getting to know her.
What a difference a year makes! Needless to say, our gratitude is boundless.
Barbara Beckley
Artistic Director
SPECIAL THANKS
Maelee Rose Acosta Brad Brown
Irene Chambers Lisa Krampota Gary Light
Robert Moore, Moore's Deli Wadler Data Systems