Playwright Adam Chanzit Appears at Sonoma State University Today, 11/7

"The Great Divide," by Adam Chanzit, comes to the main stage at Evert B. Person Theatre from Nov. 1 to Nov. 10, 2012.

A special gala event, with a special appearance by playwright Adam Chanzit, is set for 5 p.m. today, Nov. 7 followed by the performance beginning at 6:30 p.m.

It will be the second visit to the SSU campus for Chanzit, who met with "The Great Divide" student actors back in September.

"The Great Divide" mirrors divisions between fractured family dynamics and their rural Colorado town balancing jobs and economic survival against the risk to long term water needs and health in this theatrical thriller ripped from current headlines and inspired by Henrik Ibsen‘s “An Enemy of the People.”

A rural Colorado town revives its economy by allowing a natural gas company to begin a “fracking” operation in its area, injecting chemicals into the ground to mine natural gas. But, when the chemicals get into the water table, the health of the town is at stake. What’s more important, short or long term survival - having energy and power as well as financial stability or protecting the environment and the water we need to survive?

The Sonoma State University production of "The Great Divide" is directed by Doyle Ott, who arranged to have Chanzit visit campus to meet with student actors just as rehearsals began.

"It can be a great help to have the playwright in the rehearsal process," said Doyle. "Sometimes in producing a piece we have to guess what a playwright may have intended with a line or situation in a play and it's terrific to have the chance to just ask. More importantly it makes for a richer collaboration. Adam discovered some things during the process of the first production of 'The Great Divide' last year in Berkeley and made changes based on that."

This production is part of "Water Works," is Sonoma State University campus wide project including fine arts and academics drawing on the theme of inland water flow as resource, theme and metaphor. The "Water Works" project features a variety of events and performances presented across the SSU campus in indoor theaters, classrooms, art galleries and outdoor site-specific events at bodies of water.

For more information visit www.sonoma.edu/waterworks.

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