Sheen
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The Wyoming Valley is getting a presidential visit ahead of next month’s primary election.
Well, sort of.
Hollywood actor Martin Sheen, President Jed Bartlet on TV shot “The West Wing,” will visit King’s College on April 8, 9, and 10 to meet with students and appear in a limited engagement staged reading of the play “8” by Dustin Lance Black
As visiting artist, Sheen will participate in a closed-door session and rehearsal with theatre department students on April 8 and 9. His visit will culminate in the staged reading of “8,” by Dustin Lance Black and researcher Kate Sullivan Gibbens, where he will perform as Judge Vaughn Walker alongside King’s College students, faculty, and staff. The play will be presented as a limited engagement with two performances on April 10 at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. in the George P. Maffei II Theatre.
“I’m honored to return to King’s College, which 40 years ago awarded me an honorary degree,” said Sheen in a news release. “My affection for King’s and for the Holy Cross community are rooted in their dedication to truth and justice. This play is important in that it represents a major and foundational judicial decision affirming the fundamental right to be who we are. It is especially important at this time when rights and justice that we take for granted are in question.”
“8” is a federal trial reenactment of the closing arguments for Perry v. Schwarzenegger, which overturned California’s Proposition 8, and is based on court transcripts, firsthand observations, and collected interviews. It first premiered on Broadway in September 2011 under the direction of Tony Award-winning director Joe Mantello and starring Bob Balaban, John Lithgow, Morgan Freeman, and Bradley Whitford. It was performed as a benefit telecast in 2012, where Sheen starred as Theodore Olson alongside Brad Pitt, George Clooney, and Kevin Bacon. The American Foundation for Equal Rights and Broadway Impact, sponsors of the play, have licensed the script for free educational readings nationwide on college campuses and in community theaters.
“As a small liberal arts theatre program, we educate students on the varied aspects of theatre that they can expect in a professional setting,” said Dave Reynolds, M.F.A., chair and professor of theatre at King’s. “Mr. Sheen’s visit highlights the kind of innovative ensemble theatre that is the hallmark of our program here. Students on stage and off will learn so much from this invaluable opportunity and Mr. Sheen’s years of experience and wisdom.”
Limited tickets for “8” are available to the public for purchase online through Brown Paper Tickets here. The George P. Maffei II Theatre is located on the first floor of the College’s Administration Building. Parking is available on nearby streets and in the Holy Cross Hall (matinee and evening) and McGowan School of Business (matinee only handicapped, all evening) parking lots, both of which are accessed via the cul-de-sac on North Franklin Street.
Tickets will not be sold at the door.
Sheen made an impromptu appearance on campus last October when visiting his friend and King’s College law professor, retired Judge Joe Cosgrove. Having spontaneously met with students in the College’s theatre department during that visit, Sheen was inspired to return for a more formal program.
“At his previous impromptu visit to our campus, Martin Sheen did what our faculty and staff do every day,” said Rev. Thomas P. Looney, C.S.C., Ph.D., president of King’s College. “He engaged our students ‘with personal attention’ honoring their experience and mentoring them by sharing his passion. I am deeply moved by Martin’s generosity in returning to King’s to work with our amazing students.”