NC Stage kicks off its 2016-17 Mainstage season with George Brant’s Grounded, a dramatic script that dares to delve into the issues of modern warfare.
When a hot-shot Air Force F16 fighter pilot becomes unexpectedly pregnant, she is removed from her super-sonic life in the sky and assigned to a trailer in the Nevada desert to fight the “war on terror” piloting a drone. As she adjusts to her new role as warrior-by-day, and mother-and-wife-by-night, she is challenged in ways she never dreamed of while she was actually flying planes in combat. A powerful story of a solider pulled out of the battlefield and thrust into domestic life, from the blue abyss to a small grey screen, and into a reality she never imagined. Grounded features actress Blythe Coons and will play at NC Stage September 21st – October 9th, 2016.
Immediate Theatre Project, or ITP, is perhaps best known as the Partner Company in Residence at NC Stage, a position they have proudly occupied since 2008. In that capacity, they have produced plays as varied as The Glass Menagerie, Venus in Fur, An Iliad, and last spring’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?as part of NC Stage’s Mainstage Season. This piece is deeply connected to this particular moment in American culture. “Drones are changing the game,” says ITP Producing Artistic Director Willie Repoley. “And sometimes it’s hard to tell is the change is good or bad. But whether we’re talking about attacks that hit civilians in Afghanistan, or the efficient killing of the police shooter in Dallas, the ability to kill by remote control robots brings an entirely new set of moral calculations to play.”
The artistic team had the opportunity to meet with Major General Rick Devereaux, USAF (Ret.)
Asheville, NC, who was heavily involved in the early evolution of training Air Force pilots to operate RPAs (remotely piloted aircrafts). After reading the script and asked for his opinion on the play, Maj. General Devereaux stated: “The scriptwriter obviously did his homework on Grounded, revealing a deep and nuanced understanding of the evolution of U.S. Air Force drone pilot culture and its unique combat stresses. It highlights the tension and ‘culture clash’ between ‘manned’ and ‘unmanned’ pilot communities.” When asked if he thought that the play was relevant to our community he explained that it is “a perfect play for the most thoughtful Ashevillian theatergoers. Grounded confronts the implications of remote control warfare at a deeply personal level. It shatters stereotypes of drone warfare being sanitized, scripted, or robotic, relating the compelling story of a reluctant female fighter pilot turned drone operator who faces a deeply personal moral dilemma.”
Actress Blythe Coons, the sole performer of this one-woman play, offered her own insights into the applicability of this topic in our nation. “It’s so relevant to the world we are living in. The piece has a lot to do with personhood: how do we make decisions that will affect so many other people in life or death? What gives someone the right to play god?”
The production opens Sept. 21st and runs through Oct. 9th, Wednesdays- Saturdays at 7:30PM and select Saturdays and Sundays at 2:00PM.
Discretionary Warning: This play contains strong language, some sexual content, and descriptions of violence and may not be appropriate for children.
Tickets are available by calling 828-239-0263 or visiting our website online at www.ncstage.org.
GROUNDED
Where: North Carolina Stage Company, 15 Stage Lane in downtown Asheville, NC
Dates: Sept. 21st – Oct. 9th, 2016
Performance: Wed.-Sat. at 7:30 PM, Sunday at 2:00 PM, Select Saturdays at 2PM
Ticket Prices: Check website for current pricing.
Special Events/Discounts:
Pay-What-You-Wish Night: All tickets are $6-$20. Wed., Sept. 21st at 7:30 PM.
Happy Hour and 1/2: Complimentary hors d’oeuvres before curtain. Thurs., Sept. 22nd at 6PM.
$1 Beer Night + Actor Q&A: $1 Beer at concessions bar + Q&A following the show. Friday Sept. 23rd at 7:30PM
Opening Night Toast: Complimentary champagne and dessert with the cast and crew following curtain. Sat., Sept. 24th at 7:30 PM