With a plot ripped straight from recent national headlines, playwright Eric Mansfield explores the red hot political topic of book banning in schools.

What if efforts to keep students from reading certain books, goes too far? What if students rise up to defend a brave teacher who has been allowing her students to read material on the state’s new official “banned books” list?

Find out when “Trial By Fire” opens Thursday, January 18, 2024, at Firestone High School in Akron.

Additional performances will be held at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, January 19, and at 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, January 20, and at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, January 21. Tickets are on sale now at Akron.Booktix.com. All seats are general admission, and cost $10.00. 

A pre-show discussion will be held at 6:15 p.m. on Thursday, January 18, 2024, in the school’s Learning Resource Center. This informal chat is free and open to the public and will feature cast members as well as members of the production team. Patrons may attend the discussion even if they are attending the show on a different night.

Playwright Eric Mansfield is an Emmy Award-Winning TV Journalist, retired U.S. Army Officer, current PR professional, and Dramatist Guild member based in Akron, Ohio. He is continuing his passion for storytelling through playwriting and other creative outlets. 

Eric considers himself a modern dramatist and saw the growing debate over banning books in America as a topic worth exploring on the stage. 

"Trial by Fire" was first drafted during Eric’s graduate work with the NEOMFA program at Kent State University and further developed during a summer workshop with the Millennial Theatre Project in Akron. Firestone Theatre is producing the world premiere of this play.

Playwright, Eric Mansfield