| NEWS | Farber from p 9 member what they learned about making theater accessible to everyone via live streaming performances, and not just per- forming for people who can leave the house to see a play or a musical. Toward that end, Bright Colors and Bold Patterns, a one-man play written by Drew Droege, will also offer streaming perfor- mances during its final week. The comedy, which opens next week, is set at a wedding between two men and pokes fun at gay as- similation. All the fun-poking is done, Far- ber said, with some real respect for the character’s struggle. “You can see how the playwright is say- ing it’s great that gay people can get mar- ried, that they fought for it and marched for it and that’s amazing. But he’s also say- ing people shouldn’t have to fall in line be- cause we have the opportunity to. Gay men can marry each other. Great. But what if Ivermectin from p 11 selling the product, given that use of the drug — which is highly powerful, given that it is made for thousand-pound horses — has been linked to multiple hospitaliza- tions in humans. But so far, the store has not stopped selling the product. Other local stores that reported in- creased sales include Gordon’s Feed in South Phoenix and Superstition Feed and Pet out in Apache Junction. Others de- clined to discuss the drug with New Times: “Our ivermectin paste is for animals,” was all that one representative with Shoppers Supply in Chandler would say. Jonson, though, thinks that most all area feed stores are dealing with the demand. “It’s the same story everywhere, I’m sure,” she said. “It’s certainly a thing for us.” Local poison control centers have also begun to issue warnings about the drug. Last week, Banner Health in Phoenix re- ported that its poison information center had seen an increase in calls about iver- mectin in August, including one case of hospitalization due to the drug. The Ari- zona Poison Control System in Tucson says Rivera from p 12 exited the vehicle to flee on foot, Fricke and Carlsson shot him twice as he ran away. While Rivera lay fatally injured on the ground, Fricke sent his police dog to at- tack him. “Defendants were not aware of any in- 16 formation that would lead a reasonable of- ficer to believe Henry was in fact Eddison Jesus Noyola,” the lawsuit argues, and Ri- vera “did nothing to threaten” any officer; he had no weapons, and was fleeing on foot. they don’t want to?” Bright Colors is built on imaginary scene partners; people come and go and converse with actor Michael Thompson but are never seen by the audience. This was chal- lenging, Farber admitted. “Oh brother, let me tell you. I’ve never done what I call ghost blocking before. It reminded me of playing whiffle ball when I was kid, back home in Reading. There’d be three of us and you’d have to pretend there was someone on third base and go back up to bat.” Learning to see people who aren’t on- stage is easier than not having a stage at all. “I thought it was possible theater might never come back,” he said again. “I’d been working on stage for a lot of years, with a lot of the same people. And all of a sudden I wasn’t seeing those people or having con- versations with them. Doing that again, be- ing back on a stage, is as close to normal as I feel like I’ve been in a long time.” it has received a dozen calls about ivermec- tin. “It is something that we’re seeing state- wide,” Banner spokesperson Alexis Kramer told New Times. Daniel Brooks, medical director of the Banner Poison and Drug Information Cen- ter, noted in last week’s announcement that higher doses of the drug, like those seen in its animal formulations, can “cause significant illness in humans.” Per Kramer, there have been no new cases of hospital- ization yet, but concern remains. Feed stores are left in a difficult posi- tion. As the staff member at the Mesa feed store noted, ivermectin is critical for horses. To prevent potentially deadly para- sites, the animals need to be dewormed multiple times a year. “We have to sell it,” she said. “It’s imper- ative that we sell it, to keep the horses healthy. That’s our business.” But, she said, she’s haunted by the customers who she knows are “taking poison.” At the Western Ranchman, Jonson says that there’s little the store can do to slow the sales. “We just remind them,” she said, “that it’s labeled for horses.” A spokesperson with the city of Phoenix said the city would not be commenting on pending litigation. Attorneys representing the family did not return New Times’ inqui- ries. Rivera’s case isn’t the only one in recent memory where Phoenix police officers have accosted someone by mistake. Last year, 19-year-old Dion Humphrey was hos- pitalized for weeks after police — also SWAT officers — mistook him for a rob- bery suspect and tackled him. As in Rive- ra’s case, though, the city has not yet taken any responsibility for that incident. SEPT 9TH – SEPT 15TH, 2021 PHOENIX NEW TIMES | MUSIC | CAFE | FILM | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | FEATURE | NEWS | OPINION | FEEDBACK | CONTENTS | phoenixnewtimes.com
