"A Walk in the Woods" - a play by Lee Blessing

Valley Players will present Lee Blessing’s timely play *A Walk in the Woods*, June 20–29, at the First Congregational Church in Amherst (165 Main Street). The show goes up at 7:00pm on June 20–22 and June 27–28 and at 2:30pm on June 29. Tickets are on a pay-what-you-can scale starting at $15 and are available at www.valleyplayers.org. 

In keeping with Valley Players’ mission to support the community through community theater, half of net ticket revenue will be donated to the Amherst-based Peace Development Fund. Since 1981, the Peace Development Fund has worked to build the capacity of community-based organizations through grants, training, and other resources as partners in human rights and social justice movements, encouraging the development of diverse, self-sustaining, and economically viable communities to build a peaceful, just, and equitable world.

Praised by New York Magazine as “a minor miracle,” Time as “a work of passion and power,” and Drama-Logue as both “a marvelous piece of theater” and “a great treatise on the nature of mankind,” *A Walk in the Woods* follows the evolution of the personal and professional relationship between two nuclear disarmament negotiators—a Russian and an American—who meet informally in the woods outside Geneva over the course of a particularly tense year. Set in the waning days of the Cold War, Blessing’s play is a witty and moving exploration of conflict and coexistence, dialogue and diplomacy, and the critical role that making connections plays on the path to peace. Valley Players’ production of *A Walk in the Woods* features Chip Roughton as American negotiator John Honeyman and Anthony Ferreira as Soviet negotiator Andrey Botvinnik and is directed and produced by Matteo Pangallo.

Seating is limited, so reservations are strongly encouraged. A reservation will guarantee admission, but seating is on a first-come, first-seated basis and doors open for seating 30 minutes before curtain. The play runs approximately 2 hours, inclusive of a 15-minute intermission.

The mission of Valley Players is to enrich the quality of life in the Connecticut River Valley of Massachusetts by producing nimble, meaningful, and accessible community theater. Valley Players is a volunteer-run 501(c)3 nonprofit that relies on the contributions of donors and business sponsors. To donate or become a business sponsor, join Valley Players’ contact list, or find more information about the group, visit www.valleyplayers.org.