The Sunflower Theatre will bring Paul Fleischman’s novella “Seedfolks” to life as a readers’ theater production in August, just in time for end-of-summer harvesting, a time especially important for gardeners.
The Sunflower Theatre, 8 E. Main St., will show the production Aug. 9-11. Shows on Aug. 9 and 10 are at 7 p.m., and Aug. 11 at 2 p.m.
The novella was published in 1997 and has since won several awards, including the American Library Association Best Books for Young Adults (1998), the Buckeye Children’s Book Award, Grades 6-8 (1999), and the Special Book Award of China.
The show features 13 characters living in Cleveland, Ohio. They work together to transform an empty lot in their neighborhood into a community garden, while experiencing personal transformations of their own, according to a news release from the Sunflower Theatre.
“In the process they learn about their neighbors – and about themselves. This story has a lot to teach us about reaching beyond our differences to achieve common goals,” says Heidi Brugger, who is directing the piece.
This will be the third readers’ production that the Sunflower Theatre has hosted. The first was in November 2017, and the second was a Valentine’s Day show held in February 2018.
The production will feature veteran and new talent alike. Returning talents are Joe Butterfield, Heidi Brugger, James Campuzano, Elizabeth Dickey, Sophia Dickey, Terri Helm and Heather Musclow. New faces to the Sunflower Theatre are Jonnie Ryan, Shawn McAllister, Sylvia Clahchischilli, Todd Gunter, Lola Eckhart and Read Brugger. Gunter, Eckhart, and Brugger are gardeners with Common Ground Community Garden at the Cortez Recreation Center, according to the release.
“I’m excited to have local community gardeners doing some of the readings,” the director said. “People who work the soil have a different feeling for the plants and the soil, for the annual processes of gardening, and that adds to the power of their voice,” Brugger said.
Tickets are available online at https://sunflowertheatre.org/ at $20 for adult tickets and $10 for children aged 12 and under. The production is being supported by the LOR Foundation.
