Free performance at Hartsook Hall

There is still a chance to see Rat Jaw at Hartsook Hall on N. Harrison St. (behind the Salem Nazarene Church). Last two shows are Saturday, May 21, at 8 p.m. and Sunday, May 22, at 2 p.m. Tickets are free, but it suggested that you call 812-620-3701 to reserve your seats.

AJ Clauss, known to most Salem residents as Aaron Johnson, was born and raised in Salem. “I am glad to be sharing an exciting project, years in the making, that is finally coming to Salem,” he said.
“My co-founder, Lilli Hokama, and I are launching the Stomping Ground Theatre Project this year and Salem/WCACT is our pilot project.” Stomping Ground creates professional plays in small-town America, using a hybrid of professional actors from NYC and local community theatre actors/designers.
“We use recyclable/sustainable sets and we aim to always leave the theatre in better shape than we found it (we’ve been helping this theatre with a lot of renovations, giving them a computer for sound, new doors for light pollution, installing a new light bar etc.)
“We received a grant from the donors of the Washington County Community Foundation— to which this wouldn’t have been possible without their support,” Johnson said.
Johnson said the play, “Rat Jaw,” was inspired by a devised ultra-marathon set annually in Tennessee that is beyond extreme and takes place at the Pit-Stop for runners. “The story quickly becomes more about their relationships being tested and challenged between loops of the marathon than the race itself,” Johnson said. “For some, getting lost is the only way they will ever be found.”