Flipside, Sep. 7 & 8

On September 7th and 8th at 7:30pm, HartBeat will perform their award winning show FLIPSIDE at the Torp Theater on the campus of Central Connecticut State University (CCSU).  The productions are free for all audiences and are co-sponsored by CCSU’s Institute For Municipal and Regional Policy (IMRP) and the University of Hartford’s Center for Social Research (CSR).

“It is wonderful to be back at CCSU where FLIPSIDE first began,” says playwright and co-founding artistic director Julia Rosenblatt. The play’s genesis came from a collaboration between HartBeat Ensemble and IMRP that involved intensive research, interviews and five “public conversations” throughout Greater Hartford that consisted of these theatrical pieces and engagement activities. This form of interactive theater, based on Augusto Boal's Theater of the Oppressed, helps communities discuss difficult topics, listen to voices that often go unheard in our society and visualize change that can help legislators craft new legislation. “HartBeat then turned those months of research, interviews, scene work and engagement activities in the full length play that is now FLIPSIDE,” Rosenblatt explains.

FLIPSIDE tells the story of a friendship between an urban teen who thinks he can beat the system and an undercover narcotics agent who thinks he can change the world. This rich exploration of the war on drugs is told through multiple perspectives and uses spoken-word poetry, narrative and an original hip-hop score to depict the complexities of drug use and trafficking in our communities. Following its recent successful run at the 16th Annual New York International Fringe Festival (FringeNYC), FLIPSIDE was awarded an Overall Excellence Award in the Ensemble Performance category. 

To learn more about FLIPSIDE and reserve your free ticket, please visit:  www.hartbeatensemble.