Duck and Cover – 50 Years as a High School Teacher
3 min read
Playwright Sarah Hunter’s Tribute to the Teaching Profession, June 9th at Porticos Art Space
On Sunday, June 9th at Porticos Art Space in Pasadena, the “Harmony Fest of Music & Theatre” will feature women playwrights, Sarah Hunter’s Duck & Cover directed by Elizabeth Kaye Sortun and and two ten-minute plays by Laura Hunt Fotti, Life & Death and How Much is That Latte?, directed by Sarah Hunter and introducing actors Beth Nintzel and Evan Jones.
Hunter began working on her solo-show Duck and Cover – 50 Years as a High School Teacher in 2018 in Terrie Silverman’s solo workshop. Sarah Hunter started teaching in 1967 and over the last 57 years when she told people she was a high school teacher, people responded with, “Bless your heart. You teachers deserve more money and respect.” Hunter says that although the sentiment is lovely it doesn’t really translate into funding (= respect) for the profession. Bless teachers with a living wage and the resources they need to teach.
After all, they get the summer off…
She recognizes that many people have the misconception that teaching is missionary work and that teachers are either spiritual saints on a mission to educate for free, or losers who really wanted “to do something else but couldn’t, so now they teach.”
Regardless of the disrespect, teachers are beacons of light and knowledge. Over decades of her career Sarah Hunter has touched the lives of literally thousands of students. Creating magic, enthusiasm and encouraging students to succeed while sharing her love of literature, art, theater and words.
Playwright Laura Huntt Foti, a member of NEO Ensemble Theatre, is the author of numerous plays and the book The Cusp of Everything. She is a curriculum developer for education nonprofit Junior Achievement.
How Much is the Latte & Life or Death
Her two 10—minute plays are directed by Sarah Hunter. Laura Huntt Foti’s takes a creative approach to Death as it encounters a young woman in a restaurant in ‘Life & Death.” Her “How Much is the Latte” presents a humorous and sardonic approach to love and money in a coffee shop.
Evan Jones is Jack in How Much Is That Latte? and Calvin in Life or Death. A Michigan native who played NCAA hockey, Jones is a graduate of the Meisner Program with film, TV, and theater credits. A screenwriter, he is building his production company, Overlookd Films. His book, Espresso with a Side of Sparkling, is available on Amazon.
Beth Nintzel plays Paige in How Much Is That Latte? and Jenna in Life or Death. She’s a SAG-AFTRA actor best known for her co-star role in ABC’s Castle and the cold open for FOX’s New Year’s Eve with Steve Harvey. She is also a writer and a huge animal lover, especially cats. You can find her on the TikToks @bnintzel.
A Michigan native who played NCAA hockey, Jones is a graduate of the Meisner Program with film, TV, and theater credits. A screenwriter, he is building his production company, Overlookd Films. His book, Espresso with a Side of Sparkling, is available on Amazon.
Show some love
Come out and show some love and appreciation June 9th as “Harmony Fest of Music & Theatre” presents Sarah Hunter’s Duck and Cover – 50 Years as a High School Teacher and Laura Hunt Fotti’s, Life & Death and How Much is That Latte?
Tickets are $15 and available at Brown Paper Tickets.
Porticos Art Space (2033 E. Washington Blvd. Pasadena 91104)
