Eagles Mere Friends of the Arts is producing the East Coast premiere of the playwright James Christy Jr.’s The Forever Question, directed by Harriet Power.

Winner of the 2018 New Comedies Festival, this rollicking play asks that eternal question: Why in the world do we have kids? We know it’s the end of our independence, peace, intelligent conversation…yet we keep doing it, over and over. Why?

Meet Mike (James Blouch), a loving father, happy with his marriage and his life in general. And meet Carolyn (Sophia Barrett), who’s clear: it’s time for Number 2. Their search for The Answer becomes a freewheeling, zany, and ultimately heartfelt dive into their own childhoods, the mysteries of puberty and dating, the uninvited opinions of everyone else – and their own roles as children of aging parents. A celebration of family in all its joyful craziness. Best enjoyed by those 16 and older.

ADVANCE TICKET PURCHASE STRONGLY RECOMMENDED

East Coast Premiere of The Forever Question

Saturday, July 29, 2023 ~ 8:00 PM

David A. DeWire Center, 891 LaPorte Ave, Eagles Mere

Eagles Mere Friends of the Arts is delighted to announce that theater is returning to Eagles Mere with the East Coast premiere of an award-winning comedy on July 29!

The play, The Forever Question by James Christy Jr., will be directed by Eagles Mere’s own Harriet Power, working with Philadelphia-based professional actors Sophia Barrett and Jake Blouch and supported by an outstanding group of theater experts. You can read more about Harriet, Sophia and Jake – chosen as Eagles Mere’s 2023 Artists in Residence – below.

Winner of the 2018 New Comedies Festival, this rollicking play asks that eternal question: Why in the world do we have kids? We know it’s the end of our independence, peace, intelligent conversation…yet we keep doing it, over and over. Why? Meet Mike (Jake Blouch), a loving father, happy with his marriage and his life in general. And meet Carolyn (Sophia Barrett), who’s clear: it’s time for Number 2. Their search for The Answer becomes a freewheeling, zany, and ultimately heartfelt dive into their own childhoods, the mysteries of puberty and dating, the uninvited opinions of everyone else – and their own roles as children of aging parents. A celebration of family in all its joyful craziness. Best enjoyed by those 16 and older.

Inside Look: A Mini Course in Creating a Production

In addition to the play, we are offering a rare opportunity for a few privileged theater-goers to interact with the director and cast by observing selected rehearsals.

Click here to learn more about the class.

Meet Eagles Mere’s 2023 Artists in Residence

Once rehearsals begin on July 17 you might see Sophia, Jake and Teddy, their dog, strolling through town!

Actors Sophia Barrett and Jake Blouch

Sophia Barrett is delighted to join Eagles Mere Friends of the Arts this summer and share the stage with her husband for the first time! Previous credits: In the Next Room (or The Vibrator Play), Three Sisters (Hedgerow Theater); Pure Medea (Automatic Arts), Michael & Edie, Big Love, Red Herring (Villanova Theatre); Five Women Wearing the Same Dress (Cape May Stage); Some Girl(s), Boeing Boeing (Lynn University). By day, Sophia works at Reconstructing Judaism, the central organization of the Jewish Reconstructionist movement. M.A., Villanova University.

Jake Blouch is a Philadelphia-based actor and musician. He’s very excited to share the stage with his wife Sophia for the first time! Previous credits include The Importance of Being Earnest, Meteor Shower, Rocky: The Musical (Walnut Street Theatre); Man of La Mancha, Something Wicked This Way Comes, One Man Two Guvnors, Honk! (Delaware Theatre Company); See What I Wanna See (11th Hour Theatre Co., Barrymore Award); Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf (Theater Exile); A Skull in Connemara, Emma, Henry V, The Liar, A Man for All Seasons (Lantern Theatre Company); Man of La Mancha, Mauritius (Act II Playhouse). Co-creator of Mythic Thunderlute: A DnD Podcast Musical, presented by Broadway Podcast Network. Mytherthunderlute.com.

Director Harriet Power

Harriet Power (Director) is thrilled to bring this delightful play, cast & creative team to Eagles Mere. A nationally-recognized director & dramaturg, recent directing includes Hedgerow Theatre (Sarah Ruhl’s In the Next Room or the Vibrator Play, Chekhov’s Three Sisters), Peoples Light (I Will Not Go Gently), 1812 Productions (The Roommate, Why I’m Scared of Dance & Gently), InterAct (Human Rites – 2018 Virginia Brown Martin Award winner), Orbiter 3/FringeArts (The Brownings – 6 Barrymore noms. including Outstanding Production), Simpatico (Ironbound; In a Dark Dark House – 4 Barrymore noms. including Outstanding Production), & Act II Playhouse, where she was Associate Artistic Director 2008-12. She’s directed new plays at RADA (London), New Dramatists, PlayPenn, Bay Area Playwrights Festival, West Coast Playwrights, Iowa Playwrights Festival, & International Women Playwrights Festival. Artistic Director of Venture Theatre, Philadelphia’s multiracial theatre, 1994-98. Awards include 3 Barrymore nominations for “Outstanding Direction,” winning for Angels in American: Perestroika. Emeritus Professor of Theatre & Adjunct Professor of Law, Villanova University.
https://www1.villanova.edu/villanova/artsci/theatre/facstaff/biodetail.html?mail=harriet.power@villanova.edu&xsl=bio_long

For more about playwright James Christy Jr, see https://www.jameschristyjr.com