Steel River Playhouse is excited to present a new play entitled A Promise to Pottstown as part of its Healing on High Street initiative, made possible by a grant from the Pottstown Area Health & Wellness Foundation.

The project tells the story of Pottstown, drawing on its wealth of diversity and amplifying voices that often remain unheard.

In collaboration with several community partners, the project united a team with an interest in transformational storytelling, social justice, and diversity.

To create the original work, Brie Knight, an award-winning playwright, joined the effort. Knight is based in Phila., and her works have been produced across the country at venues that include:

• InterAct Theatre, Phila.
• Eagle Theatre, Hammonton, N.J.
• The Foundry – Play Penn, Phila. (an “incubator” program from which she graduated)
• The Philadelphia Women’s Theatre Festival

Her play Pancake Queen has won numerous awards, including the Lorraine Hansberry Theatre’s Inaugural Playwriting Competition.

In commenting on the Healing on High Street initiative, Knight said, “This is a project that has great potential for us to connect through conversation, to heal, to learn, and grow as a community and as humans.

“But above all, as the playwright, what I am most eager to shine a light on and uplift are the people of Pottstown. I am excited to explore the heart and soul of this city and learn from its people and to use theatre as a tool for community engagement and dialogue. This is a play for the people of Pottstown by the people of Pottstown.”

To create the play, members of the Pottstown Trauma Informed Community Connection (PTICC) and the Pottstown location of the YWCA Tri-County Area conducted approximately 100 interviews across diverse populations in the borough. The organizations solicited comments from residents ranging from school students to senior citizens.

A community cohort the gave feedback to help focus the responses, working with playwright Knight. The play went through several iterations to get to its final status. 

As part of the YWCA Week Without Violence (WWV), actors from Steel River Playhouse will read excerpts from the play available at the WWV culmination event on October 22. The theater will also host a table with more information on how the community can get involved with this and other upcoming programs under the Healing on High Street banner.

In mid-November, Pottstown contributors to the creative process will be invited to Steel River Playhouse for a reading of the play in its entirety, followed by a discussion.