Join Us for the Return of 'National Pastime'
Spokane, Wash. - 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
Spokane, Wash. - 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 by CLICKING HERE. 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.
ABOUT THE SPOKANE INDIANS
The Spokane Indians are the High-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies located in Spokane, Washington, and were named 2021 MiLB Organization of the Year. Avista Stadium is home to the MultiCare Kids Bench Seat. Parking at all Spokane Indians games is FREE. The Spokane Indians Office and Team Store are open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.