Hole in the Wall Theater Performing Eleanor Burgess’ “The Niceties”

Eleanor Burgess’ “The Niceties” is on stage at New Britain’s Hole in the Wall Theater, a play that the Theater says, “brings to mind the words ‘Power, Race, History, Privilege, Woke, Social Justice, Gender, and Perspective”.

The Theater says that the play, “relevant to current events,”

is a riveting two-person drama. At an elite East Coast university, Zoe, a black student, and Janine, her white professor, meet to discuss their differing views on Zoe’s paper about slavery’s effect on the American Revolution. This polite clash of ideas soon landslides into an explosive discussion of race, history, privilege, social justice, and power. They’re both liberal. They’re both women. They’re both brilliant. But very quickly, discussions of grammar and Google turn to race and reputation, and before they know it, they’re in dangerous territory neither of them had foreseen – and facing stunning implications that can’t be undone. It is a timely statement in today’s climate.

The play is directed by Laurie Maria Cabral and produced by John Bosco and Hilary Lang.

The Theater says it,

would like to thank the CT Humanities Council, CT DECD Supporting Arts Grant, and the CT Cultural Fund Operating Support Grant for the help with the landmark 2022 season and to the State Commission of the Arts General Operating Grant for the current season. With the 2023 season, HITW hopes to continue letting in the light for all the people of New Britain and beyond.

“The Niceties” opens on Friday, June 16, 2023 and continues to July 1st.

Tickets for the play are available at the Theater’s tickets web page. General admission, the Theater says, is $25 and, for students and seniors is $20. The Theater says its, “pay what you can,” performance is June 25th.

The Hole in the Wall Theater says that it, “has been a staple of the New Britain arts community for over 50 years. Through the hundreds of shows we’ve produced, our mission has always been to make theater accessible to everyone.”

“Every one of our members – from our actors, to our directors, to our tech, maintenance, and administrative team – are volunteers,” the Theater has said, asking those interested in volunteering to visit its auditions web page and volunteer web page.

The Theater says that,

If you would like to purchase tickets to one of our upcoming productions, you may either make a reservation with our Box Office at 860-229-3049, or place an order online. For phone reservations, please make sure to leave your name, the date of the performance, number and type of tickets (General Admission, student, or senior), phone number, as well as your email address so that we can send you a confirmation. Tickets can also be purchased at the door on performance nights with cash or credit card.

The Hole in the Wall Theater is located at 116 Main Street.