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Welcome Back to the Edge: Stage III Returns

January 10, 2023

After a two-year hiatus due to COVID-19, FST’s Stage III Series returns to the Bowne’s Lab stage. Designed for the adventurous theatre-goer, Stage III produces edgy plays that are challenging in content and unique in form.

This year’s lineup is particularly exciting, featuring two World Premieres and one Regional Premiere.

THE CHILDREN ARE OUR FUTURE

The process of getting pregnant and preparing to welcome a child into the world is pressure-filled enough. Now, imagine a world where expectant parents must have their child “pre-certified” in utero to ensure they have the purest genetic traits.

A tendency towards anger and violence? Terminate and start over. A high likelihood of below average cognitive ability? Terminate. Start over.

Add in a pot-smoking, talking stork, and Babel, an intriguing new play from award-winning playwright Jacqueline Goldfinger, has all the makings for a quirky yet dark drama.

“In the world of this play, knowing your baby’s test results means that you can keep certain bad acts away,” said Goldfinger. “But we don’t know what we’re losing.”

FST was essential in helping get this play on its feet, nominating Goldfinger for the 2017 Smith Prize for Political Theatre, which she won for Babel. Now, we are proud to present the World Premiere of this dystopian story.

GAME, SET, MATCH

Following Babel is the Regional Premiere of The Last Match by award-winning playwright Anna Ziegler. Called “Gripping” by The New York Times, this nail-biter of a play pits Sergei Sergeyev, an up-and-coming young Russian phenom, against Tim Porter, an American tennis star in the twilight of his career. As the two men go head-to-head under the lights of the U.S. Open semi-finals, we journey into the athletes' minds as they wrestle with the shots they didn’t take, the sacrifices they made for success, and the legacy they may leave behind.

THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT

When a mysterious note is discovered in a hotel bathroom, two lives collide, and things go anywhere but according to plan. This collision is where we find Leigh, a Type A statistician, and Lee, an aggressive former athlete, two characters who have little in common besides their names. Through twists and turns, Paralyzed by Etan Frankel examines our interconnectedness, the drive of personal responsibility, and the power of forgiveness.

"It’s a story that is going to ring a lot of bells for people, especially after the isolation and uncertainty we've all collectively experienced over the last few years” said Rachel Moulton, who will play Leigh in FST’s production.

The two original actors cast when FST first announced this show in 2019, Rachel Moulton and Alexander Stuart, return to FST’s Bowne’s Lab stage to finally give this play its World Premiere in 2022.

From modern eugenics to the world of competitive sports to the serendipitous connections contained in our everyday lives, we invite you back to the edge in this year’s Stage III Series. After a long-awaited return, the 2023 lineup packed with premieres is sure to have you on the edge of your seat.