  
ABOUT THE PLAY
 Originating with a collaboration between
InterAct and the City of Philadelphia’s Mural
Arts Program (funded by a grant from the Violette
de Mazia Foundation), CITY OF NUMBERS was created by playwright Sean Christopher Lewis as part of an outreach effort in which he interviewed
lifetime inmates at Graterford Prison about their
work as mural artists. Since its early beginnings,
CITY OF NUMBERS has grown into a dynamic one-man
tour de force performance that interweaves
the stories of dozens of Philadelphians - from
convicted murderers to victims’ relatives to
physicians to artists to community leaders to
Mayor Michael Nutter. A sobering, moving, and
ultimately uplifting portrait of a city gripped
by violent crime, CITY OF NUMBERS reveals both the
sharp divisions and deep sense of community that
define the City of Brotherly Love.
IN THE MEDIA
Philadelphia Inquirer
... Culled from interviews with Graterford prison lifers who paint murals as a way to communicate with the outside world, [CITY OF NUMBERS] pulls in multiple perspectives, mixing the voices of perpetrators with those of media pundits, law enforcement, and loved ones left behind.
The questions are many, the answers are few. Should we judge 15-, 16-, 17-year-old killers as simply murderers who should be locked up forever? Should we view them as redeemable people even though they've committed murder?
And the most vexing question: What can one person do to help solve the problem of violence in our midst? ...
Read Annette John-Hall's Full Article
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Philadelphia Daily News
Philly's Felons: One-Man Show Offers Unique Perspectives On Violent Crime In The City
... After interviewing lifers at Graterford Prison, talking with victims of crime, and observing the city and its politics, Lewis came to know Philadelphia as a city struggling with violent crime and the fear it generates. The play he wrote and stars in, "City of Numbers, mixtape of a city," captures the complexity of this urban issue.
... "City of Numbers," which opened last week, is a joint venture between the Philadelphia's Mural Arts Program and InterAct Theatre Company, and is the centerpiece of a month-long celebration of the transformative power of art as a tool for social justice. ...
Read Christine Fisher's Full Article
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Courier-Post
... [Playwright Sean Christopher Lewis'] purpose in creating this unusual production, one in which the voices of about 30 characters are heard solely through Sean Lewis' own voice in his one-man show, is to re-examine Philadelphia's daunting crime statistics through the lens of arts education.
"I wanted to listen in to the inmates for their perspective, to hear from the people of various city neighborhoods for theirs, and also really to explore inner city violence and its roots," Lewis explains.
..."I want people to feel a personal stake. I want this play to open important conversations about crime, about punishment, and about the way we live our lives." ...
Read Sally Friedman's Full Article |
Philadelphia City Paper
"It's the city that I see daily — a city that struggles but also overcomes." So says Jane Golden, director of Philadelphia's Mural Arts Program, which for the past three years has developed a Restorative Justice program encouraging prison inmates to create large-scale community art. It's that gentle notion of rising above, of the healing power of creativity, that sparked Golden's first conversation with InterAct Theatre Co. boss Seth Rozin in 2008. Their mission: Partner up on a play that tells these prisoners' stories. Their method: Interview "life-term" inmates at the State Correctional Institution at Graterford and to use those chats for a theater piece that details the experience of the sorrowful and the saved. ...
Read A.D. Amorosi's Full Article |
The Augustinian Spiritual Health Center Blog
Why You Must See CITY OF NUMBERS
... This is not a just [sic] sob-sister story about the basic humanity of prison inmates. Voices of victims cry out too. Victims often in the same world as those who harm them – ghetto worlds where children grow up on the street and learn to fight to stay alive. Sections of the city – some black, some white, some Hispanic – where a common poverty creates the environment for selling drugs to make a living. Selling bodies too. Selling souls if the devil offers you the right price.
... This play shows the “numbers” racked up each year in Philly of the murdered and the murderers. It is powerful when it gets inside the heads and hearts of those who are in prison for these crimes. Thugs? Brutal inhuman bastards? Heartless killers? More like you and me than we would think. The cry of the victims through the mouths of their survivors, pierce one’s heart as well. ...
Read Fr. Paul Morrisey's Full Article |
Rep Radio Podcast
"...This is great! This is the best... the absolute - hands down - best Rep Radio interview
I've ever done. I love it..." - Jennifer MacMillan
Listen to Jennifer MacMillan's Interview with
Playwright & Performer Sean Christopher Lewis and Director Matt Slaybaugh |
ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT & PERFORMER
plays and solo work have been awarded the Kennedy Center's Rosa Parks Award for Social Justice, a National Performance Network's Creation Fund Grant and the William Inge Playwriting Fellowship. He served as Emerging Playwright in Residence at InterAct Theatre Company and has toured three solo perfromances around the country: I WILL MAKE YOU ORPHANS (Adirondack Theatre Festival, Hyde Park Theatre, Uno Festival of Solo Performance, Galapagos Art Space, Riverside Theatre, Center for Independent Artists), THE GONE CHAIR (Openstage Harrisburg, Penn State's Cultural Conversations Festival) and CITY OF NUMBERS (Baltimore Centerstage First Look, Lawrence Arts Center, Available Light Theatre, Gerald W. Lynch Theatre, Legion Arts). His other plays include MILITANT LANGUAGE (Know Theatre of Cincinnati, Halcyon Theatre, Playpenn) and THE APERTURE (Cleveland Public Theatre).
Sean's acting has been nominated for both the Princess Grace Theatre Fellowship and the Fox Foundation Fellowship. He was a featured actor in InterAct Theatre Company's production of BLACK GOLD and has been seen Off-Broadway in classical repertory with the Pearl Theatre Company, in NYC at La Mama ETC and regionally with Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival, Pittsburgh City Theater, Riverside Shakespeare Festival and more. His film and television work includes Comedy Central's "Upright Citizen's Brigade" and the feature film God's Country Off Route 9.
Talking With... Sean Christopher Lewis
Click to read an interview with the playwright & performer of CITY OF NUMBERS
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR
is the Artistic Director of Available Light Theatre in Columbus, Ohio. His writing and directing of new plays and original works for Available Light and the BlueForms Theatre Group has been lauded by American Theatre magazine, New York Press, NYTheatre.com, the Central Ohio Theatre Critics Circle, the Cincinnati Entertainment Awards, and the Victoria BC Times Colonist. He serves on the Greater Columbus Creative Cultural Commission, teaches at Columbus College of Art & Design and the Columbus State Community College Life Long Learning Institute, and writes for the Agit Reader, and IndieColumbus.com.
A MONTH-LONG CELEBRATION
InterAct Theatre Company and the City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program share a long-standing commitment to utilizing art as a transformative tool in the pursuit of social justice and the betterment of the Philadelphia community. The two organizations have collaborated many times, yet CITY OF NUMBERS represents the two organizations’ closest and most active collaboration to date, working together to program several auxilary events that will stimulate community dialogue about violent crime, law enforcement, and the transformative power of art.
Citizens In Action
A panel discussion
ft. Mayor Michael Nutter
InterAct Theatre & the Mural Arts Program hosts a free public symposium that will feature multiple perspectives on Philadelphia’s ongoing battle against violent crime. In an on-going effort to continue a dialogue meant to bring our community together, Citizens In Action will be a frank and fruitful discussion that will engage, inform and enlighten audiences.
Confirmed Panelists:
- , City of Philadelphia
- , City of Philadelphia
- , City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program
- , Defender Association of Philadelphia
- , City of Philadelphia
- Moderated by , WHYY
Generously Sponsored by:
Seating is limited, so reservations are requested.
Call InterAct's Box Office at 215.568.8079
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Color By Numbers
A gallery exhibition of work by the
Mural Arts Restorative Justice Program
A free, annual exhibit which features work from the Mural Arts Restorative Justice Program, including work created by youth and adult participants in the mural programs at the State Correctional Institution at Graterford and the Philadelphia Prison System, as well as by youth at the Youth Study Center, St. Gabriel's Hall and VisionQuest. In addition, works by juvenile participants in the Art at the Court and the Youth Violence Reduction Partnership programs will be on display. Some art work will be available for purchase.
Opening Night includes a free reception and will feature a special performance by Sean Christopher Lewis with scenes from CITY OF NUMBERS, a collaboration between InterAct Theatre and the City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program, sponsored by the Violette de Mazia Foundation.
VISIT MURAL ARTS' WEBSITE FOR MORE INFORMATION
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Young Voices
A
festival of monolugues by
Philadelphia area high school students
InterAct & Philadelphia Young Playwrights present a festival of monologues
written by local high school students performed on stage by professional actors. This year, 16 monologues were chosen out of over 400 submissions. Each monologue explores themes inspired by CITY OF NUMBERS, including identity, freedom, violence, crime, incarceration, law
enforcement and the tranformative power of art.
Call InterAct's Box Office at 215.568.8079 for reservations.
VISIT PHILLY YOUNG PLAYWRIGHTS' WEBSTE FOR MORE INFORMATION
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Post-Show Discussions
InterAct will host post-performance talk-backs featuring
community leaders and experts in the field of criminal justice
Sunday, January 31: prison art teacher,
and , a local victim of violent crime
Sunday, February 7: , CITY OF NUMBERS playwright &
performer
Sunday, February 14: , providing innovative
intervention services to at-risk youth and families
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Check back often for up-to-the-minute updates! |
CITY OF NUMBERS PERFORMANCE CALENDAR
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SUBSCRIPTIONS & TICKETS
Purchasing Tickets or Subscriptions:
215.568.8079
InterAct's Box Office at The Adrienne, 2030 Sansom St., Phila
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Sean Christopher Lewis' (Playwright)
Matt Slaybaugh (Director)
