SOUTH HOLLAND, IL–The SSC Playhouse of South Suburban College closes the 2014-2015 season in April with a week-long run of John Guare’s Tony-Award and Pulitzer-Prize winning 1990 classic American play, Six Degrees Of Separation. Performance dates include Tuesday through Saturday evenings from April 21–25 at 8:00 p.m., with 2:00 p.m. matinees on Saturday, April 25 and Sunday, April 26, 2015. Performances will take place in the Kindig Performing Arts Center at SSC’s Main Campus in South Holland.
John Guare’s ingenious web of intrigue exposes the twisted paths of fawning, wealthy social climbers who dare to slap the hand of God. By ripping off the mask of pretention, Guare shows us the hypocrisy of so-called sophisticates as he guides us through the depth and the meaning of our own lives.
The play opened to rave reviews with well-known stars Courtney B. Vance (Law & Order) as Paul, played by actor Will Smith in the film version, and Stockard Channing (Grease) as Ouisa, a role she reprised for the film. Paul “Poitier” appears one evening at the Central Park West home of wealthy New York City art dealers Ouisa and J. Flanders Kittredge. Paul is admittedly embarrassed about bursting in unannounced, but he was just mugged in Central Park. He tells the couple that he remembered their address from a night when his Harvard friends, including the couple’s children, were dishing about their parents. The couple is noticeably flattered, and invites the wounded young stranger inside their home. When Paul’s real brilliance and his “father’s” fame win over the affection of the cloying couple, they insist that Paul stay the night. The real drama begins the next morning when the Kittredges find their beloved Paul with a street hustler, and themselves with nothing more than an anecdote.
The SSC Playhouse cast includes Columbus Bradberry, Jr. of Hazelcrest, Kanisha Brookins of Matteson, Jeremiah Caldwell of Riverdale, Leslie Doumas of Griffith, IN, Julian Hall of South Holland, Daniel P. Harrison, Jr. of Lynwood, Martell Jefferson of Thornton, Michael Lawyer of Lansing, Terrence L. Mackey of Markham, Betty S. Neil of Markham, Amy Pniewski of Thornton, Rob Smagacz and Aaron Vinson of Calumet City, Jeannda Welton of Park Forest, and Paul Williams, Jr. of South Holland. Michelle Castellanos of Lansing is the stage manager. The set is built by Dean Scalzitti of Hegewisch, lighting design is by Lydia Bellamy-Palma of Park Forest, costumes and props are by JoAnna Tassin of Park Forest and Amy Pniewski of Thornton, sound design is by SSC student Jordan Swierczyna of Oak Lawn, and Dominic Bellamy-Palma of Park Forest is the production stage manager. The production is directed by SSC Playhouse Director Bobbie Saltzman of Beverly.
The SSC Playhouse, now in its 14th year, offers ten fully-accredited college classes to provide students ample preparation for success in four-year college and university theatre programs.
Tickets are $8 for adults, $6 for seniors and students. SSC students and employees get a buy one, get one free deal. Members of the armed forces, veterans, firefighters, and police officers with current, valid ID are welcomed free of charge. For more information or to reserve tickets, contact the 24/7 Box Office voicemail line at (708) 210-5741 or e-mail boxoffice@ssc.edu. SSC is located at 15800 S. State Street in South Holland, Illinois, between Sibley Boulevard and 159th Street.
