Hillside drama students present ‘A State of Urgency’ this weekend


In response to the crisis of gun violence in Durham, the Hillside High School Drama Department, under the direction of legendary director Wendell Tabb, presents the original play, “A State of Urgency,” subtitled, “A call to action to stop gun violence.”            

The play will run this weekend with four performances at Hillside High School, 3727 Fayetteville St.— opening on Friday, Nov. 12, at 7:15 p.m. On Saturday, Nov. 13, there will be two shows, at 3:15 and 7:15 p.m. The final show will be Sunday, Nov. 14, at  3:15 p.m.   All Tickets may be purchased online at http://www.seatyourself.biz/hillside.            

In a press release posted today, Drama Director Tabb writes: “Hillside Drama welcomes our community back to the theatre with an original, thought-provoking, and insightful play titled, ‘State of Urgency.’ It is a riveting and brutal play on social justice issues in America. It will be a major call to action to help curb gun violence. This will be Hillside’s first major stage production since the pandemic upended its season of shows in March of 2020. ‘A State of Urgency’ is very timely for Durham.” 

Hillside Principal Dr. William Logan comments, “This is a wonderful opportunity to not only entertain, but to inform and educate our community on contemporary issues plaguing our society, specifically our youth. This is a great chance for our students to make a difference in the lives of their peers.”  

Tabb adds. “Please join us as we all take a stand against gun violence and other social issues that are plaguing our city and state. Organizations that advocate for change have been invited to set up booths to give out information about their specific organization. 

Tabb explains, “With so much violence and unrest going on in the world, it was easy for me to consider a show that would address such social justice issues as gun violence, police brutality, racism, discrimination and poverty, to name a few. I wanted to do my part as a change agent. My commitment to our school and community led me to create an original play to address these social issues.”  

Tabb concludes, “I am proud of the voices that Hillside students have given to these topics that are having a major impact on their lives daily.”  This is also Wendell Tabb’s last season at Hillside after 35 years as the theatre director.  

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For more information, call the school at (919) 560-3925 ext. 25240 or (919) 906-0840.
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