(TRENTON, NJ) -- Passage Theatre Company is presenting an outdoor reading of The OK Trenton Project, written by David Lee White, Richard Bradford and the members of The OK Trenton Ensemble and directed by C. Ryanne Domingues, on June 12th at 5:00pm. This play is being developed through Passage Theatre’s PlayLab Program. 

The OK Trenton Project is a documentary-style play about the reaction to a community sculpture entitled “Helping Hands,” which was designed and built by local students and installed on a vacant city-owned lot in Trenton, NJ. Following concerns that the sculpture too closely resembled a gang symbol and could send the wrong message to residents, the piece was ultimately removed. Told through the words of Trenton’s law enforcement, city officials, artists, residents, and students, this play tells the story of what one piece of art can mean to a community. 

The project’s ensemble consists of Kevin Bergen (he, him, his), Richard Bradford (he, him, his), Carmen Castillo (they, them, theirs), Jonathan Conner (he, him, his), Jane Cox (she, her, hers), Victoria Davidjohn (she, her, hers), Ryanne Domingues (she, her, hers), Kara Jönsson (she, her, hers), Alexandra Kostis (she, her, hers), Dara Lewis (she, her, hers), Bruce Lindsay (he, him, his), Robin Shane (she, her, hers), Wendi Smith (she, her, hers), Yoshinori Tanokura (he, him, his), and David Lee White (he, him, his). Some of these individuals are actors in the show, while others are designers, writers, stage managers, or visual artists. As an employer, Passage Theatre Company supports an individual’s right to use gender inclusive pronouns when identifying themselves without judgements or assumptions. Please help us honor our artists’ right to choose by using the pronouns indicated alongside their name when referencing them individually. 

The reading will take place at the Amphitheatre inside of Mill Hill Park with social distancing and other precautions to ensure the safety of the audience and performers. Audience members will be seated in pods distanced 6 feet apart from each other. Masks are required for patrons when they are not seated in their pods; however, they can be removed once seated. Audience members are encouraged to bring seat cushions for maximum comfort during the reading. In lieu of tickets, Passage is recommending a suggested donation of $10 per person or $25 for groups of four. Funds will be used to pay artists participating in this event. Reservations will be required and can be made online at www.passagetheatre.org. 

Passage is pleased to announce that the Wegmans grocery store in Princeton, NJ, has generously donated bottled water for the performers and patrons to consume during the outdoor event. Passage is sincerely grateful for Wegmans’ support of this project and the community of Trenton. 

Tickets are now on sale for Passage’s outdoor reading of The OK Trenton Project by David Lee White and Richard Bradford and the members of The OK Trenton Ensemble and directed by C. Ryanne Domingues. Suggested donations for tickets are $10 per person or $25 for a group of 4 people. For ticket reservations, visit www.passagetheatre.org, or call us at (609) 392-0766. 

Passage’s Artistic Director and the Director of The OK Trenton Project, C. Ryanne Domingues, says “We are incredibly excited to return to in-person performances, and to do so with a show that is so close to our community. We have all been apart for so long, and we thought this would be a great way to wave to our neighbors and have a shared (socially distanced) experience to kick off the summer months. We are sharing the script of THE OK TRENTON PROJECT at this stage in its development so that local residents can ask questions and give feedback about the piece. We've been working on it for years, and now it's time for the community to see what we've been up to!” 

Passage’s PlayLab creates and develops new work in order to advance and diversify the art-form and our collective culture, affording emerging and established playwrights a platform for sharing diverse perspectives on complex and important issues. Passage’s PlayLab has two main components: Devised Work and New Play Development. As part of the PlayLab program, The OK Trenton Project is being developed into a full production which will be premiering at Passage in February of 2022. 

Passage Theatre’s season is made possible in part by the Anonymous; Janssen Pharmaceuticals; Mary G. Roebling Foundation; Mathematica Policy Research; N.J. State Council on the Arts, a partner agency of the NEA; National New Play Network's Bridge Program; New Jersey Arts and Culture Recovery Fund; New Jersey Manufacturers (NJM); New Jersey Theatre Alliance, The Stages Festival; New State Council of the Arts, NEA; NJ Economic Development Authority; Otsuka Pharmaceutical; Princeton Area Community Foundation; PNC Bank; The Bunbury Fund of the Princeton Area Community Foundation; The City of Trenton; The Curtis McGraw Foundation; The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation; The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey; The MAP Fund; The Shubert Foundation; Thomas Edison State University; Trenton Downtown Association; Trinity United Methodist Church, Ewing, NJ; Virginia Brown Martin Fund of the Philadelphia Foundation; Wegmans Princeton; and WIMG 1300.