That’s the premise behind
Ken Weitzman’s play, Halftime
With Don, which has its World
Premiere at New Jersey Reper-
tory Company (NJ Rep) in Long
Branch from June 22 to July
30. The production is a Na-
tional New Play Network Rolling
Premiere that will travel to The
Phoenix Theatre in Indianapolis
and the B Street Theatre in Sac-
ramento, CA.
Directed by Kent Nicholson, the
cast includes Malachy Cleary,
Susan Maris, Daniel McVey, and
Lori Vega. Halftime with Don is
a play that does more than re-
gale a player’s greatest game,
it delves into an issue that has
moved to the forefront of sports
in the past decade - concussions
and the permanent damage in-
flicted on the body. It examines
that and more.
“It’s about the physical and
mental toll playing a colli-
sion (not just a contact) sport
NJ STAGE 2017 - Vol. 4 No. 6
can bring about,” explained
Weitzman. “It’s also about the
collateral damage it causes for
the players’ loved ones, in this
case the player’s daughter.”
Weitzman spoke to former
players and read extensively on
the subject. “I felt it very impor-
tant to get it right, to truly cap-
ture the experience,” he said.
The National Football League
settled a lawsuit over head in-
juries to former players for $1
billion in 2015 and League ex-
ecutives have publicly acknowl-
edged a link between football
and brain damage. Football has
always been a violent game
since the days players wore
leather helmets, but the League
has steadily introduced rules
thatremove some of the most vi-
olent aspects and better protect
the players. In doing so, the NFL
has raised the ire of some fans
who complain that these rules
have made the game “soft.”
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