Act 39, an original play by Rob Mermin

Act 39, an original play by Rob Mermin

Pushcart Productions will present the World Premiere of Rob Mermin’s original play, “Act 39,” June 22 - July 2, 2023, at Haybarn Theater in Plainfield, VT, and needs your help to make it happen. All donors will be invited to a pre-show VIP reception 6/25 with Playwright Rob Mermin and Director Monica Callan!

What do you do when your best friend, dying of cancer, asks you to help end his life? "Act 39,” written by Rob Mermin, is the true story of what happened when Rob’s friend decided to use Vermont's Act 39 medical aid in dying law (also known as death with dignity). It is a soulful, humor-filled story of friendship, and exposes the vulnerability of the human spirit when facing mortality head-on.

Presented by Pushcart Productions, "Act 39" is directed by Monica Callan, and stars Donny Osman, J.T. Turner, Maren Landon Spillane and Dominic Spillane. Tickets are available now at https://sevendaystickets.com/organizations/across-roads-center-for-the-arts . Advance ticketing is recommended. Pay-as-you-can at door tickets available at door 30 minutes prior to showtimes.

This timely play will run June 22 - July 2, 2023 in the Haybarn Theater at Goddard College, Plainfield, VT. Showtimes are 7pm on Thurs., Fri., & Sat., and 2pm on Sundays. Talk-backs, including Patient Choices Vermont representatives, will follow the June 23, 25 and July 2 performances.

The production is supported in part by Vermont Humanities Council, Across Roads Center for the Arts, Goddard College, Plainfield Arts, Patient Choices Vermont (PCV, www.patientchoices.org, a non-profit educational organization), and generous individual donors.

Act 39 FB event: https://www.facebook.com/events/770555744700024 

Interview with the Playwright: http://www.rumblestripvermont.com/2016/06/last-chapter/

About the Playwright:

Rob Mermin is the founder of Vermont’s Circus Smirkus. He ran off to join the circus world in 1969 and toured with circuses throughout Europe, Scandinavia, and the former Soviet Union, after training in the art of mime with life-long mentor Marcel Marceau. Rob’s awards include Copenhagen’s World Star-Time Gold Clown; The Bessie Award; Russia’s Best Director Prize at The International Festival on the Black Sea; The Lund Center’s It Takes a Village Award; the Vermont Arts Council Award of Merit, and the 2008 Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts. www.RobMermin.com

About the Production Team: Producer and a lead actor is Donny Osman. Donny founded The Two Penny Circus, played a leadership role in founding Circus Smirkus, was the Director of Vermont’s Governor’s Institute on the Arts for more than two decades, and served three terms in the Legislature as a State Representative. Associate Producer and co-star J.T. Turner is an NEK-based award-winning member of AEA/SAG/AFTRA. Rounding out the cast are the dynamic duo of Maren Langdon Spillane and Dominic Spillane, founder of Theater Engine.

Monica Callan, also a member of AEA/SAG/AFTRA, and Co-Founder and Director of the Grange Hall Cultural Center and MOXIE Productions, will direct the show. Professional theater technician Cavan Meese, who has worked with Phish, Bread and Puppet Theater, and many other national performing companies, will design the set and lighting. There will be an original music score and soundscape composed by Burlington artist/musician Johnnie Day Durand, graphic design by Sterling Hill Productions, and publicity by Marci Diamond.