POTSDAM— The SUNY Potsdam Department of Theatre and Dance will present "The Two Worlds Project," a verbatim documentary play that explores the urban-rural divide in New York State, May 9 and 10.

Created from interviews with residents of the North Country and New York City, "The Two Worlds Project" examines the experiences, attitudes and values of people in both regions regarding their local communities and the direction of the state and country. The performance project explores how theatre can disrupt biases people have about others from communities that differ geographically or culturally from their own.

This project was conceived by Ryan Howland, a theatre artist, educator and doctoral candidate in the program of educational theatre at New York University. Originally from the rural Northeast Kingdom of Vermont and now living in New York City, Howland has spent much of his time noticing perceptions and generalizations made about both "the city" and "the country." These perceptions seep into our politics, our viewpoints and our cultural and community makeups, from his perspective, further driving division and polarization in the United States.

"The Two Worlds Project" disrupts that division by using the words of people living in the North Country and New York City verbatim, and performing them in a theatrical space where these voices can be heard in conversation in a way that might not happen in real life.

This performance will be presented as a 60-minute staged reading with performers from the SUNY Potsdam Department of Theatre and Dance, followed by a 20-minute talk back.

"The Two Worlds Project" can be seen on Friday, May 9, at 7:30 p.m., and Saturday, May 10 at 2 p.m. Performances will be held in the Black Box Theater at the Performing Arts Center on the SUNY Potsdam campus. Tickets are free, and can be picked up at the door starting 30 minutes before the show time.

For more information on the SUNY Potsdam performances, contact Associate Professor Jay Pecora at pecorajw@potsdam.edu or (315) 267-2547.