“To enter a theatre for a performance is to be inducted into a magical space, to be ushered into the sacred arena of the imagination.” ― Simon Callow
It seems that the metaphor of an “arena” perfectly suits Richard Greenberg’s tribute to America’s pastime. Complete with the legendary hero (or anti-hero?) battling the monsters of our time, Take Me Out is a modern tragedy in the Greek tradition.
His play salutes the sacredness of shared experience, the exultation of exuberance, and the universal desire to be part of something bigger than one’s self. Simultaneously, it’s an examination of isolation. This is Greenberg’s cunning achievement with Take Me Out: to present the dichotomy of our modern condition where we’ve never been more social yet never felt more alone.
Take Me Out pitches issues like fastballs: homosexuality, ethnicity, masculinity, pride, celebrity, privacy, honesty, democracy. Then, Greenberg, the manager of this championship team, sends in heavy-hitters to knock your preconceived notions out of the park.
I hope that you enter this arena not only to watch but also to engage, test your own opinions and attitudes. Take Me Out is not a typical “issue play” where you leave feeling smugly self-satisfied, affirmed in your political-correctness. Characters evolve, details emerge, and loyalties shift until you’re left wondering whom to root for. Who is right? What is true? Do those two questions have anything to do with one another? The answers are yours to discover. The game begins. PLAY BALL!
Take me out to the ball game,
Take me out with the crowd;
Just buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack,
I don't care if I never get back.
Let me root, root, root for the home team,
If they don't win, it's a shame.
For it's one, two, three strikes, you're out,
At the old ball game.
Aaron Nichols, Director Take Me Out
SBCT Welcomes the Support of You Can Play for Take Me Out
“You Can Play is extremely grateful to the staff, actors and fans of the South Bend Civic Theatre for sparking discussion through the presentation of Take Me Out. Tremendous strides have been made in support of LGBT citizens in Indiana and across America since Take Me Out premiered 12 years ago, but for gay athletes, the struggle for acceptance continues.
You Can Play is proud of SBCT for presenting a powerful work. It’s proof that heart, talent and skill matter in a teammate, not sexual orientation, race or gender. On any team, whether it’s on the field, court or ice, or on the stage, if you can play, you can play.”
Please visit youcanplay.org for more information
