World premiere of a newly commissioned work, inspired by the DC Sniper events.
Forest Treás (pronounced ‘Triage’) examines the unforeseen effects of the Information Age on a community in violent crisis.
October 2002. The ongoing Beltway Sniper crisis looms over the residents of Forest Treàs, a neighborhood on the outskirts of Washington, DC. As the Neighborhood Association struggles to maintain a sense of calm and security, a documentary filmmaker proposes a radical solution: put cameras everywhere and live-stream their neighborhood.
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Running Time: 90 minutes, no intermission. Pointless does not offer extended advisories about subject matter, as sensitivities vary from person to person. If you have any questions about content, contact us.
SYNOPSIS
“a powerful and poignant production...the technical components are remarkable, and the cast’s performances are outstanding.”
DCIST | “achingly relevant”
THE KOJO NNAMDI SHOW | Looking Back At the Beltway Sniper Media Frenzy. GUESTS: Rod Lamkey, Jr., Freelance photographer; @rlamkey. Kelly Colburn, Director, Forest Treás. Navid Azeez, Writer and Composer/Sound Designer, Forest Treás.
WASHINGTON CITY PAPER| In this world premiere drama presented by Pointless Theatre, playwright Navid Azeez has chosen neither to dramatize the investigation of the crimes nor the personal motivations and extremist ideology of the snipers—the killers’ names are never spoken, and only the victims’ names are memorialized... Azeez is one of a small number of local playwrights who writes work that is assertive in local history without referencing the local industry.
THE WASHINGTON POST | "Forest Treás finds Pointless continuing to build creative muscle"
POINTED CONVERSATIONS
This work is funded in part through a DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities grant and will include a series of free community engagement events surrounding the themes of the show.
May 10 Story District
June 9 Designing the Spectacle
June 10 Neighborhood Health & Safety
June 13 Processing Public Grief & Trauma
June 14 Investigating Journalistic Ethics
June 29 The Healing Process
TBA Pointed Performances
TBA Building a Broadcast
ENSEMBLE & CREATIVE TEAM
Written by Navid Azeez
KELLY COLBURN, Director
NAVID AZEEZ, Composer/Sound Designer
JEANNETTE CHRISTENSEN, Costume Designer
MAX DOOLITLE, Lighting Designer
GRACE GUARNIERE Miniatures Designer
HAILEY LAROE, Associate Lighting Designer
EMILY LOTZ Set Designer
RACHEL MENYUK, Movement
DYLAN UREMOVICH, Video & Projections Designer
ADRIANNA WATSON, Props Master
DAVID S. KESSLER, Mr. Chylle
SARA HERRERA, Hiba
LEE GERSTENHABER, Roberta
TIMOTHY THOMPSON, Chip
Ensemble:
MELISSA CARTER
MASON CATHARINI
ACACIA DANIELSON
NITSAN SCHARF
EIRIN STEVENSON
ERIC SWARTZ
HAYDEN MORRISSETT, Production Stage Manager
RACHEL SCHOR, Assistant Stage Manager
STEVE COSBY, Technical Director