{"id":6721,"date":"2017-06-03T20:33:08","date_gmt":"2017-06-04T00:33:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/2017\/06\/12\/a-concern-of-some-kind-comes-to-furman-playhouse\/"},"modified":"2022-11-06T20:00:42","modified_gmt":"2022-11-07T01:00:42","slug":"a-concern-of-some-kind-comes-to-furman-playhouse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/a-concern-of-some-kind-comes-to-furman-playhouse\/","title":{"rendered":"“A Concern of Some Kind” comes to Furman Playhouse in June and July"},"content":{"rendered":"

Greenville native Jeff Sumerel, a producer of some of the region\u2019s most humorous and provocative films and plays, will bring his singular point of view to the Furman Theatre Playhouse this summer for a series of weekly half-hour shows that will be streamed live in front of a studio audience.<\/p>\n

Along with other professional entertainers from across the state, Sumerel will launch his live \u201cpuppetry-of-the-absurd\u201d sitcom from the Furman Playhouse on Saturday, June 17 at 8 p.m.<\/p>\n

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Jeff Sumerel calls the show a “bit outlandish and unconventional.”<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

The half-hour program will be broadcast via LiveStream using a multi-camera live broadcast system, allowing viewers from around the globe to tune in and comment during the show. \u00a0The shows will continue for six consecutive Saturday nights through the end of July.\u00a0 All shows begin at 8 p.m.<\/p>\n

\u201cA Concern of Some Kind\u201d will be a \u201cwonderfully odd\u201d half-hour show focused on humor and social awareness, with an underlying aim to spark community participation and action.\u00a0 The show will be interactive, allowing studio audience members, and home viewers, to influence the show.<\/p>\n

Several of the episodes will feature guest appearances by members of the arts community around the state, including Harriett Green, Visual Arts Director at the South Carolina Arts Commission, and Marjorie Wentworth, South Carolina State Poet Laureate.<\/p>\n

\u201cI see this as an exciting combination of theatre, artistic collaboration and innovative broadcasting,\u201d said Sumerel. \u201cThe partnership with Furman University gives us the perfect setting in their Playhouse that allows for the complex technical needs, while accommodating an intimate studio audience. This show is a bit outlandish and unconventional, so I am thrilled by the support we have already received from Furman and the arts community across the state.\u201d<\/p>\n

A Concern of Some Kind echoes elements of other ground-breaking works such as \u201cBlue Man Group,\u201d \u201cAvenue Q,\u201d and \u201cWallace & Gromit.\u201d\u00a0 An incarnation of the show was hatched back in 1991 when Sumerel performed it for a five-week run at the Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta.<\/p>\n

Sam Reynolds, Sumerel\u2019s artistic collaborator of many years, is serving as the show\u2019s executive producer. Other seasoned professionals onboard are Jeter Rhodes, Missy Vaughan-Kleppel, Phil Davis and Mark Hayes.<\/p>\n

A Concern of Some Kind can be viewed live each Saturday night at 8 p.m. via the show\u2019s website<\/a><\/strong>. If you\u2019re interested in attending the show at the Furman Playhouse, free tickets are also available on the show\u2019s website.\u00a0 The show is suitable for mature audience members of any age.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cA Concern of Some Kind\u201d Sitcom Schedule: <\/strong><\/p>\n