Join Us for the Return of 'National Pastime'
Published on March 22, 2023 under Northwest League (NWL)
Spokane Indians News Release
National Pastime, an award-winning play, is returning for the 75th anniversary of Jackie Robinson's historic MLB debut. As a part of the newly introduced Major League Baseball campaign, "The Nine", meant to celebrate and honor the impact of black baseball pioneers and further diversify the business of baseball, the Spokane Indians Baseball Team has proudly joined forces with Spokane Civic Theatre to co-produce National Pastime.
Written by Spokane's own Bryan Harnetiaux, National Pastime follows the journeys of Jackie Robinson, the first Black player in Major League Baseball, and Branch Rickey, the President and General Manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers, as they shatter the color barrier in 1947.
Help us SELL OUT Spokane Civic Theatre!
The Spokane Indians Front Office and OTTO the Mascot (if he's not too busy) will be at Civic on Thursday, April 20th for the 7:30 pm. performance and would love for you to join us! Tickets are only $10 for students/$25 for adults and are available now. The play is rated PG-13 for strong language and themes.
ABOUT NATIONAL PASTIME
In 1997, 50 years after Jackie Robinson broke the color line in Major League Baseball, Spokane Civic Theatre Playwright-in-Residence, Bryan Harnetiaux, was working on a new play for Civic's 1997 - 1998 Studio Theatre Season. In the midst of this work, he picked up Arnold Rampersad's Jackie Robinson: A Biography. This book "grabbed him by the throat." As a playwright, lawyer and life-long baseball fan, he was stunned at how little he really knew about the story leading up to this iconic event in American history.
With the blessing of then-executive director Jack Phillips, Bryan abandoned the current play-in-progress and began intensive research to determine whether Jackie Robinson's epic journey could be brought to life on the stage. What he discovered was a compelling need to tell the story of how this seismic shift in American culture came about.
The play National Pastime - which is more about race than baseball - premiered in the Studio Theatre on April 18, 1998, and recounted how Jackie Robinson, together with Branch Rickey, the white President and General Manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers, overcame the intransigent racist culture of major league baseball, this country's "national pastime."
In celebration of Spokane Civic Theatre's 75th Season, National Pastime plays April 14 - 23 on the Main Stage.
The Spokane Indians open the 2023 season against the defending NWL champion Eugene Emeralds on Tuesday, April 11th at Avista Stadium with Opening Night Fireworks & AAA Magnet Schedule Giveaway presented by Corwin Ford, KREM 2, and 93.7 The Mountain.
Tickets for Opening Night and all 66 home games this season are available now.
Northwest League Stories from March 22, 2023
- Join Us for the Return of 'National Pastime' - Spokane Indians
- Emeralds Release Promotional Schedule & Single-Game Tickets On-Sale - Eugene Emeralds
- Summer Baseball Camp Coming to Funko Field - Everett AquaSox
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