BY: Nikkole Salter
​THE STORY: Cleveland, 2018. A trainer facilitates a breakout session
during a mandated anti-bias training for CPD, only to find her own
biases brought to light. Oh, yeah... and there's a bat, canary,
crocodile, catfish and a gorgeous mantis shrimp. (NNPN-
Cleveland Public Theatre Commission)
.
Cleveland Public Theatre production, 2020 Photo Credit: Steve Wagner Jimmie Woody, Enrique Miguel, Nicole Sumlin, Tina D. Stump and Jessica Moore
Cleveland Public Theatre production, 2020 Photo Credit: Steve Wagner Jessica Moore, Tina D. Stump, Enrique Miguel and Jimmie Woody
Is it a frog or is it a horse? Frogorse.
Cleveland Public Theatre production, 2020 Photo Credit: Steve Wagner Jimmie Woody, Enrique Miguel, Nicole Sumlin, Tina D. Stump and Jessica Moore
BREAKOUT SESSION (or FROGORSE) received its world premiere production at Cleveland Public Theatre Feb. 22 - Mar. 14,, 2020, directed by Beth Wood. NNPN Commission. World Premiere production supported in part by the National Endowment of the Arts.
Starring: (l to r) Enrique Miguel, Jess Moore, Beau Reinker, Tina D. Stump, Nicole Sumlin, and Jimmie Woody
Lighting Design: Benjamin Gantose Scenic Design: Benjamin Gantose
Costume Design: Inda Blatch-Geib Sound Design: Eric Sluyter
Composer: Obediya Jones-Darrell Assistant Director: Sheffia Randal Dooley
Stage manager: Colleen McCaughey Video Design: Beth Wood and Benjamin Gantose
LINKS TO PRESS & REVIEWS FROM THE CLEVELAND PUBLIC THEATRE PRODUCTION
​​
By: Christine Howey 03/05/2020
"The goal playwright Salter sets for herself—providing pathways to solve the problem of ingrained and unconscious bias—is a big one. And her answers come at you in waves in the form of the company's recalcitrant PowerPoint presentation, Sara's impromptu role-playing games, a boardroom flipchart, a behavioral chart (!) that is offered both in the play and in the program, and even a pontificating crustacean.
What Salter does, she does well and innovatively."
​
Feature: Idea Stream - Cleveland's Consent Decree Inspires Play
By: David C. Barnett 02/24/2020
"“At the heart of the matter around the consent decree I found is the issue of trust. So let's talk about that,” she said. “Let's get to the root of that. What is it? What is trust? Why do human beings seek it? What do we think we're going to have when we get it? What do we think we're going to lose if we lose it?...
​
The difference between official and unspoken rules is one of many themes Salter explores in the play. She said it’s important to get a variety of views in front of an audience, take people out of their comfort zones and promote some mutual understanding.
​
"How do I trust you when I don't perceive what you perceive and you don't perceive what I perceive?” she said. “How can we come to see each other's different perceptions as complementary?...”
​