Illustrated by Shey Paige Gillespie and Kenneth Chope
Pennywhistle is a world premier written by Chattanooga native, Brenton Haley, and is being produced at The Seed Theatre.
Review for Pennywhistle:
What do a clown, a magician, a fortune teller, a soap opera actor and an Elvis impersonator have in common? A weekly game of poker. Join the cast of Pennywhistle as they recount their perspective on the universe, share their traumas, and face depression and addiction together.
This playwright is revolutionary, taking a unique approach to topics like abuse, drugs, alcohol, and infidelity as the cast discusses these in a casual setting as they play poker and share their favorite chip dip. Pennywhistle breaches topics that are previously taboo, opening conversations about things people don’t talk about openly.
“Mental health is at the core of this,” Haley says. “If people can connect to and understand things that everyone faces (depression, loneliness, addictive tendencies, and conflict), they can realize there is no shame in seeking help.”
Mental health has had long standing stigmas in many cultures, and while the majority of people will face these things at one point or another in their lives, society largely still doesn’t talk about these issues. Haley means to take this stigma head on and open up discussions. With such a unique perspective on trauma and addiction, Pennywhistle is sure to blow viewers away with its wit and charm, all while tackling real life problems.
Pennywhistle comes just as The Seed Theatre launches its Art is Therapy interactive exhibit, which opens on April 20 from 5-8 p.m. Both the show and the exhibit are centered around mental wellness and how to cope with trauma. Proceeds from both events will be used to create a scholarship for therapy for people who can not afford it on their own.
Pennywhistle opens at The Seed Theatre at 6237 Vance Road on Friday, April 14, at 7 p.m. Additional evening showings will be April 15, 21 and 22, with Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. on April 16 and 23. The staff encourage mature audiences not to attend with young children, or with those sensitive to references to drugs, profanity, alcohol, assault, depression or suicide.
For more information, please call The Seed Theatre at (706) 280-0533. Tickets are on sale in advance at theseedtheatre.org and at the door.
From left, Garrell Woods, Brenton Haley, Calaghan Rudd, Veronica Miller, and Michael Harvey. Not Pictured: Nikki Sloan and June Harper.