The Emergent Arts Theatre Company will present "Yankee Tavern" by Steven Dietz, this weekend at the Riverside Arts Center.

In the soon-to-be-demolished Yankee Tavern, the owner, Adam, is a grad student (his thesis focuses on conspiracy theories) whose father died the day after 9/11. His father’s best friend Ray is a teller of tall tales regarding JFK; the moon landing; and most of all, 9/11. The owner’s fiance Janet spars with both men, almost comically revealing layers of deception all around her. Then a mysterious stranger walks in, revealing inexplicable connections between this young couple’s future and shadowy events surrounding the national tragedy. He is a master teller of tales and tempts us with the ennobling status of secret knowledge, straight from the master’s mouth, plus a little bonus: the thrill of further danger to come. And we listen.

Some conspiracy theories, despite our rational firewall, hold our attention if only for a minute. Was Building 7 the first steel frame skyscraper in history to collapse due to fire? Why did Larry Silverstein take out $3.5 billion in insurance on the Towers only 2 months before 9/11? Does jet fuel burn at a temperature high enough to melt steel?

The Miami Herald said that "Yankee Tavern" "is a cousin to John Patrick Shanley's 'Doubt': The play isn't really about what did or didn't happen; it's about the agony of uncertainty. The play's lightning flashes come from Dietz's insights into Americans' obsession with conspiracies." —Miami Herald

The Emergent Arts production will feature performances by Larry Rusinsky, Tom Underwood, David Widmayer, and Maggie Tibus. Directed by Debra Reichard.

"Yankee Tavern" will play June 28 through July 1 at The Riverside Arts Center, 76 North Huron Street in Ypsilanti. Showtimes are 8 p.m. Thursday-Friday, June 28-29; 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Saturday, June 30; and 2 p.m. on Sunday, July 1. Tickets at the door are $20 general admission; $16 for seniors and students with ID; or $15 when purchased in advance at www.emergentarts.com.