On Friday, November 20 and Saturday, November 21 at 8pm and on then on Sunday, November 22 at 5pm, the Franklin Stage Company presents a one-hour performance of "Prometheus Bound," the final masterwork by the 5th century BC Greek playwright Aeschylus. This production is the culmination of over two months of rehearsal for the thirteen area students in grades 7-12 involved in FSC's very first After School Program for Teens. Director Josh Santiago, who helmed a rehearsed reading of Henrik Ibsen’s "An Enemy of the People" with a cast of teenagers in FSC’s 2015 season, inventively fulfills FSC’s mission to make classic texts relevant and compelling to contemporary audiences with his interpretation of this mythic tale about Prometheus, the Titan who defied the gods and gave fire to humankind, an act for which he was chained to a rock and subjected to perpetual punishment. The punishment is not only for stealing fire, but also for thwarting a plan by Zeus to obliterate the human race and start afresh on earth.  Prometheus not only prevents the destruction of humanity but, in fact, saves humanity at tremendous personal sacrifice.

The students involved have come together from Franklin, Delhi, Laurens, Walton, Unadilla and Oneonta to create a community of thoughtful, artistic young people working collaboratively, and this play challenges the audience to think in many layered ways about suffering, fear, courage and hope. While the text of the play is composed almost entirely of conversation and speeches, in Santiago’s production, the students are delving into the ritualistic roots of drama, incorporating music, dance, masks and costume into the art of storytelling - building the instruments and the masks, composing and performing the musical score, choreographing movement and designing costumes, as well as, of course, performing the play.

As always at FSC, admission is free (donations gratefully accepted) and reservations are recommended. Call 607-829-3700 or reserve@franklinstagecompany.org. FSC is located in Chapel Hall at 25 Institute Street in Franklin, opposite Franklin Central School. More details about FSC can be found at www.franklinstagecompany.org

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