Church & State (2016)
Written by Jason Odell Williams
Directed by Elina de Santos
Performed in repertory with OBAMA-OLOGY
Presented in association with Providence Entertainment Ltd
Three days before his bid for reelection in North Carolina, a Republican U.S. Senator makes a heartfelt and off-the-cuff comment after a school shooting to a blogger that calls into question his belief in God. The Senator's devoutly Christian wife and liberal Jewish campaign manager try desperately to contain the damage.
In a brutally honest and surprisingly funny way, the play sheds light on how our reaction to religion, gun control, and social media influences elections.
CAST:
Edward Hong
Tracie Lockwood
Annika Marks
Rob Nagle
Jen Sorenson
Stoney Westmoreland
REVIEWS
Subtle and gripping entertainment... Jason Odell Williams is a postmodern Clifford Odets - LA Times
"Every now and again a brilliant play comes your way, strong enough to knock you off your complacent ledge, inspiring social and political change within you, and entertaining us like not much you've ever seen before. Such is the world premiere of Church and State” - Edge Media Network
Powerful, thought-provoking comedy... sensationally acted and directed
WOW! - StageSceneLA
Oh, how satisfying it is to watch...and sweeps us to a stirring catharsis.
TOP TEN & RECOMMENDED - StageRaw
Marvelous new play...as timely as the nightly news. Absorbing, relevant and controversial...profound experience in the theater - Beachcomber Newspaper
Keep your eye on playwright Jason Odell Williams. If he keeps writing plays as extraordinary and impassioned as his latest play, ‘Church and State,’ he may in time be hailed as this country’s newest Eugene O’Neill. - Santa Monica Daily Press
A superb ensemble...Rob Nagle gives a stellar turn - LA Weekly
Timely and thought-provoking...fast-paced and entertaining. Excellent cast who can take potentially intellectual concerns and make them unique and emotionally personal
- Splash Magazine
Unequivocally bold play…faultless direction - TheatreSpokenHere
This is a mesmeric production of a captivating, thought-provoking new play sure to only advance the career of a promising new dramatist...under the brilliant directorial eye of Elina de Santos, this cast could not be better - ArtsinLA
Funny, human, devastating, brave and powerful... [With] very clear characters and tight writing, Church & State speaks to the lunacy of modern politics
- LA Theatre Bites (podcast)
Guns, God and Politics in "Church & State" - Jewish Journal
Entertainment, Politics and Our Gun Culture - Hollywood Revealed
NNPN Sets Church & State as 60th World Premiere - Broadway World
2016
SPECIAL EVENTS