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Very Special Thanks
to our wonderful Tank Staff

BLACKOUT

Written By Shann Smith

Directed By Clare Solly

CONTENT WARNING: Suicide, mental illness, grief.
PRODUCTION WARNING: Flashing light, gun sound effects

Director's Notes

Twenty-something years ago, when I was fresh out of college, I swore to myself that if I were not on Broadway by thirty-eight-years-old, I would run a theater company (the joke is on me, as I help run two theater companies…) Had you asked me back then would I have ever imagined that I would direct a superhero play…well, I would have told you that I sure hoped I would, especially since I had probably just played “Sydney” in Superman The Musical (yes there is a video on YouTube if you’re curious). 

 

I could wax poetic on theater and how society needs it not only to gain empathy through story being shown by other humans, and by sitting in this dark room we all experience magic together… but that is for another day.  Instead, I would rather talk about superheroes and the faith that we feel when we see them.  Modern day gods, superheroes show us that even in dark times there is nothing to fear, or if there is, they will help us through it. Superheroes give us hope in the bleakest of moments.

 

So why this show and why now?

 

Mental health is starting to get more mainstream, which is great.  As a child of two psychology professors, mental stability has been a theme in my life.  At the beginning of the pandemic, I was more frightened of losing friends to depression than I was of COVID.  To this day, I’m still concerned about it.  As a board member of CoF I urged the team to put on readings of plays in early March of 2020, pulling in our friends and complete strangers to read with us, listen with us, and to commune with us, even if it was through a computer screen.  We read forty-two plays in just over two months.  Everyone who was in a reading was so thankful we gave them a few hours back in the land of theater.  Blackout was submitted to us through a call in what we called The Plague Play series, and from the moment I read it, I liked it.  There is just something about a superhero fighting for herself that hits me in all the feels.  It’s a story that needed to be witnessed.  And here we are trying to be its justice league. 

 

If it’s opening night, I might tear up during the preshow and will definitely be crying in the back of the house when the show is over, as this has been a labor of love, sweat, tears and I did have a paper cut while working on the props, so yes even blood.  All these humans who have had a hand in this production from Shann’s words to Tyler’s “of course you can direct this piece” when he took over as Artistic Director. To Sam, Jess, Tabitha, Lane, John who have had a hand in many more technical aspects then they’re getting credited for here.  To Ashley, Ethan and Riley who were in the virtual cast last spring and made the words live for me the first time. And to my current cast: Rob who jumps in and keeps the energy going, Erin who is always upbeat and sunshine, to Regina who brings the strength, and to Tyler who just believes in me - which is his true superpower, by the way.

 

Thank you for coming to see this show and sharing the eighty minutes with us. I hope it makes you know that you are the master of control, and your family (no matter if they’re related or not) believes in you.  And if you find yourself needing help, it is worth it to ask for it - take it from someone who has been there and back again.

-Clare

Playwright's Notes

Blackout.

This show had an interesting lifespan. It began as the second act of a very rough three-act play called Super. Super was about idolatry - the idea that we put people on a pedestal and that primes us for inevitable disappointment when we realize… they’re just people. Did I need three acts to say all that? Definitely not, but I don’t regret it. I’ve learned in my very short twenty-seven years to stop regretting works - even the cringe ones.

Not too long after Super got on its feet in the NY Theater Festival, I decided to do rewrites! Unfortunately, this also coincided with two very personal tragedies: A falling out with one of my best friends, and the death of my grandmother. It was the first time in my life that I truly understood what grief was. Like Cassie, our heroine, I shut down. My life seemed to stop. It felt like I didn’t understand how to feel anything else.

So, I did the only thing I remembered to do. I wrote. 

Super became Blackout. What started as a cautionary tale about not meeting your heroes became an intimate, intensely personal story about loss, grief, and family. It was the first time that writing something healed me. And after a tumultuous, painful workshop with a group that no longer exists and my own disillusionment with the theater industry - I thought that’s all it would do.

Then the Company of Fools reached out to me. In early 2022, I was informed that Tyler Riley, CoF’s illustrious Artistic Director, and Clare Solly, CoF’s intrepid Director of Motley Endeavors, wanted to do a virtual reading of Blackout. I was floored, because I totally forgot that I even sent them a draft. 

Cut to now.

Clare is directing Blackout’s first full production ever. Tyler is starring as probably one of my favorite characters I’ve ever/will ever write. We’re working with a cast of insanely talented performers in a space that I absolutely love. I couldn’t be happier or prouder of this show and these people. 

To the cast and crew, thank you for bringing these words to life. It means the world to me.

To you, the audience, thank you for coming to see it. I hope that you like it. I hope that it moves you. Heck, I even hope it makes you cry just a little bit.

Enjoy the show,

Shann Smith.

Support these Patrons of the Arts

We are making donations from every ticket purchased to both

- The Action Alliance https://theactionalliance.org/donate 

- Thrive Liveline https://thrivelifeline.org/about.html

Digital Program
Cast

Crew

Stage Manager - Sam Fellman

Sam (they/them) is a writer, part-time librarian, and always ready for the next project. Previous credits include a Luna Stage production of Torn Asunder (props master), a Synetic Theater production of Dracula (wardrobe supervisor), a Shakespeare in the Woods production of A Midsummer Night's Dream (stage manager) and Coriolanus (stage manager), and an Essex on Stage production of one-man show, I Am Gavrilo Princip (lighting designer).

Board Operator - Tabitha Booth

Tabitha is a woman of many talents. In 2021, her music video, “Curiosity” received Official Selection at Oniros Film Awards - NYC Edition. In 2020, “Death By Bridge” received Best First Time Producer Award and Grand Jury Best Music Video - January Edition. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Thomas Edison State University and has OSHA 62 HR SST. Her continuing professional experience ranges from scenery builds, prop design, A/V cabling, and board operation for off-Broadway, micro theatre, major tv networks, art galleries, music venues, independent film, fashion week, and international product brand photography. Booth is a proponent for ArtCube Nation Art department metro community; and, for our planet earth. Tabitha is an LGBTQIA+ ally.

 

Media and Sound Consultant - Lane McLeod Jackson

Lane is an actor, writer, director, and (unless you hear differently) human who has worked professionally in New York, New Jersey, and Ireland. Since he returned to performance in 2021, he's been cast regularly in short film and theatre pieces, including the off-broadway production of "And Then There Were None" and the award-winning, Caprices.

 

Intimacy Choreographer - Brooke M. Haney

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Brooke is thrilled to be back at Company of Fools for the fifth time. As one of the first 50 intimacy coordinators recognized as qualified by SAG/AFTRA, Brooke specializes in queer stories, BDSM/kink, stories of non-consent, and PTSD. They are the creator of The Actor’s Warm Down. Selected TV and Film: East New York, The Best Man: The Final Chapters, Harlem, Mayor of Kingstown, and Irish Exit (produced by Oscar Winners Trevon Free and Nicholas Maye starring Zaria). MFA from the University of Central Florida. IG: @brookemhaney www.brookemhaney.com

Director

Special Thanks

IndieSpace

3 Play Media

David Chu- C2 Captioning

Jackie Miles

New York Jets Community Relations Team

New York Giants

Corgi Spirits at the Jersey City Distillery

Audrey Riley

Courtney Riley

David Riley

Andrew Dunn

The Media Lunch Break Podcast

C & V Woodworking

Karayib Flame

Jeffrey Peter Art

Andrew Block

TDF

 

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