gUN COUNTRY, A Theatrical Exploration of Firearms in America is the second contribution of Broadway producer Cheryl Wiesenfeld to the Quick’s Global Theatre Series. The performance will take place at the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts on Tuesday, April 16 at 8:00 p.m..

Curated by Jeffery Solomon and Emily Joy Weiner, gUN COUNTRY tells true stories written, developed, and presented by Houses on the Moon Theater Company performers and members of the community whose lives have been touched by gun violence. Through years of storytelling workshops, the theater company has assembled a collection of narratives that is hopeful, humorous, heartrending, and devastating – each story revealing the human and societal elements behind the gun control issue.

With support from the Department of Economic and Community Development in the Connecticut Office of the Arts, the Quick is pleased to invite producer Cheryl Wiesenfeld to supplement this performance through engagement in educational activities both on- and off-campus with students from Bridgeport, Fairfield, and the Fairfield University community.

Wiesenfeld has worked as an editor, writer, and photographer, and since 1998, she has produced 20 Broadway and off-Broadway theatre shows, with two more currently in the works. She has won four Tony Awards for her productions, and numerous other accolades including Drama League, Drama Desk, Lucille Lortel, and N.Y. Drama Critics awards.

In addition to the April 16 performance of gUN Country, community members are encouraged to visit the Quick Center lobby to experience the free and open to the general public “Guns in America: A TIME and JR Production” installation. Presented in partnership with #UNLOAD, the Fairfield University Art Museum, and the Quick Center for the Arts, this interactive video installation has transformed the Quick lobby into a venue for the exploration of gun culture in America. It is curated by #UNLOAD founders Mary Himes and Helen During.

To create “Guns in America: A TIME and JR Production,” TIME magazine partnered with JR, an artist and photographer known for documenting social issues. In three U.S. cities profoundly affected by guns — Dallas, St. Louis, and Washington, D.C. — people were invited to share their views, describe their experiences, and search for common ground. The artist and his team photographed and interviewed hundreds of people – hunters and activists, teachers and police officers, parents and children – to create the mural for TIME's November 5, 2018 magazine cover, and to produce this compelling video featuring all 245 participants in the project.

Individuals were filmed in slow motion, visually interacting with someone else in the mural, to create a living artwork that vividly depicts the issue of guns in America. Each side of the controversial issue is represented by individuals and groups sharing their stories. On a national level, the video mural has been made available for public use and will be projected in installations all around the country, for use as a tool to gather communities and create meaningful dialogue. 

"Guns in America: A TIME and JR Production" is free and open to the general public now through April 18 between the hours of 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. Over the span of three weeks, curated guest speakers will use the mural as a backdrop for presentations and public forums – check the website www.fairfield.edu/JR for updated listings of curated moments.

gUN COUNTRY: A Theatrical Exploration of Firearms in America tickets are $15 and Quick Members are $10. For more information or to reserve your seat, visit www.quickcenter.com or call the box office at 203-254-4010 or toll free at 1-877-ARTS-396.