Players of Utica Presents Innovative Original Drama, “Kinderkrankenhaus”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

UTICA, N.Y., 07/09/2024 – Continuing its tradition of producing original plays by local playwrights during the summer months, Players of Utica presents the innovative and thought-provoking two-act drama Kinderkrankenhaus, written and directed by Jesi Bender of Norwich, NY. 

Kinderkrankenhaus gets its title from a German term that translates to “children’s hospital,” which is the setting for the play which takes place in an undefined time and country. Children gathered inside the gray walls of a hospital are given diagnoses they don’t understand and told to work toward correcting their ills… or face the consequences. The play explores neurodiversity, the pathologizing of difference, and the complexity of labels in a world where the unspeaking are seen as unthinking.

Many of the actors in the cast are themselves autistic or neurodivergent – that is, people whose thought patterns, behaviors, or learning styles fall outside of what has been considered “typical.” “I think it is important to give these actors an opportunity to perform, regardless of the content,” says Bender. “It has been critically important to me to showcase autistic and neurodivergent talent in intellectual, avant garde spaces. The Player’s Theater production is no exception.”

Kinderkrankenhaus was a semifinalist for the Dramatists Guild Foundation Fellowship, a finalist for Broadway World’s Best New Play 2023, and a finalist for Big Other’s 2021 Reader’s Choice Award.

Performances for Kinderkrankenhaus:

Friday, July 19 at 7:30 p.m.

Sunday, July 21 at 2:00 p.m.

The wearing of masks in the theatre is optional. Tickets ($15) can be purchased online at playersofutica.org or by calling 315-724-7624.

About Players of Utica

Players of Utica is a non-profit community theatre that has been continuously producing shows since 1907. We have engaged over 1 million individuals with affordable, first-class community theatre. Players of Utica is an equal-opportunity organization. For more information, and to support or participate, visit www.playersofutica.org, follow us on Instagram @playersofuticany, Twitter @UticaPlayers or “like” us on Facebook.