‘From White Plains’ tackles anti-gay bullying

Getting better vs. getting even is the central theme of the anti-bullying play “From White Plains.”

San Francisco’s New Conservatory Theatre Center returns to the Gallo Center for another topical production highlighting LGBT issues. Last year, the company presented the marriage-equality production “Standing on Ceremony: The Gay Marriage Plays.” This year’s “From White Plains” delves into the real-life issues of high school bullying and suicide from the perspective of two former classmates who are now adults.

New Conservatory Theatre Center presented the West Coast premiere of “From White Plains” earlier this year in San Francisco. The company’s Pride on Tour shows are part of educational outreach programming throughout Northern and Central California.

Written by Michael Perlman in collaboration with the original cast, the show explores the limits of forgiveness. When a young director wins an Oscar for a film based on his experience of violent childhood bullying, he calls out his tormentor by name in his speech. Afterward, the two men become engaged in a public battle on social media and other channels.

The play won a 2013 GLAAD Media Award after it premiered at Pershing Square Signature Center in New York. The New York Times praised the production and said the show “bristles with suspense” and shows “lives hanging in the balance … playing out in arenas both painfully intimate and glaringly public.”

The touring production is directed by Sara Staley, program director of YouthAware, NCTC’s theatre-in-education outreach program. The cast of “From White Plains” features Sal Mattos, Ed Moreno, Fernando Navales and Nick Trengove.

This story was originally published April 22, 2015 at 5:00 PM with the headline "‘From White Plains’ tackles anti-gay bullying."