Upstart contemporary theater troupe Shrapnel Stage Company will perform the first play in the 80-seat black box theater in the Shreveport Regional Arts Council’s Central Artstation Engine Room in downtown Shreveport.
The play “The Other Place” opens May 5.
John Daniel is artistic director and founder of Shrapnel Stage Company. He says “The Other Place” is about a woman who creates a drug to combat dementia when her own mind plays tricks on her.
“I read the play a couple years ago and I couldn’t put it down. It’s very fast-paced,” Daniel said. “In one second Juliana will be talking to one person, in the next second she will be talking to another person. Time will shift and you have to get your bearings. I thought this is fascinating. I would love to be in the audience for this.”
Daniel is no stranger to audiences. He’s on the stage around Shreveport and is a film actor, mostly recently with a role in the 2015 mystery/drama “Dark Places” starring Charlize Theron. He says the impetus for his company is to stage works that fly under the radar.
“We want to do shows that for whatever reason the public may not have heard of. Whether that be shows that push the envelope, don’t push the envelope, we’re not necessarily trying to be controversial, we just want to do shows that get other views and make you look at life a little differently,” Daniel said.
Shrapnel actors will host an afternoon with Shel Silverstein at Barnes and Noble in Shreveport Sunday. The actors will read the poems for kids from 3 – 5 p.m. The theater company will get a percentage of all proceeds from purchases Sunday at the bookstore and café, 6646 Youree Dr.
Tickets for “The Other Place” are at brownpaperbagtickets.com. “The Other Place” runs for five performances May 5 – 8.
