| Urban Stages presents September Play Fest and Fundraiser September 2 - 30, 2020 | |
| Posted by: Official_Press_Release 11:32 am EDT 08/15/20 | |
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| URBAN STAGES PRESENTS SEPTEMBER PLAY FEST & FUNDRAISER BARS & MEASURES by Idris Goodwin #NWORD by Christian Elder THE INCELS by Ruth Zamoyta THE SILVERFISH by Megan Loughran BARS & MEASURES directed by Kristian Seemel. Sept. 2 nd thru. Sept 6th #NWORD directed by Vincent Scott. Sept. 9th thru. Sept 12th THE INCELS directed by Kim T. Sharp. Sept. 19th thru. Sept. 22nd THE SILVERFISH directed by Jennifer Werner. Sept. 26 th thru. Sept 30th Urban Stages Artistic Producing Director, Frances Hill, announces Urban Stages' September Play Fest & Fundraiser, a series of virtual readings of plays by Urban Stages' artists. These online performances will fundraise to continue the theater's decades-long efforts of discovering and producing new plays by diverse up-and-coming artists. Each performance will be accompanied by a behind-the-scenes look at the play with interviews of playwrights conducted by Craig Horlsey (Urban Stages Board Member). Plays will be available for a limited time on urbanstages.org where viewers can also support Urban Stages and the creation of new theater by donating. "The art of live performances is special. It must survive COVID. We are all looking forward to when we can climb back safely in the theater and experience the work of these artists. For now, in addition to a large amount of online programming already available on urbanstages.org , we are bringing four plays that explore relationships and how we care for each other to our virtual stage" - Frances Hill, Artistic Director From September 2nd to September 6th, Bars and Measures by Idris Goodwin will return online with the original fall 2019 cast: Shabazz Green, Roderick Lawrence, Abraham Makany and Salma Shaw with director Kristian Seemel. From September 9 th to September 12th, #NWord by Christian Elder, directed by Vincent Scott, will be available online featuring Bethel Caram, Shabazz Green, Paul Kelly and Disnie Sebastien. From September 19th to September 22nd , The Incels by Ruth Zamoyta will be available, directed by Kim T. Sharp, featuring Christopher Daftsios and TBA. From September 26th to September 30th , The Silverfish by Megan Loughran, directed by Jennifer Werner will be available; cast: TBA. Ryan Belock will serve as video designer and editor. Vincent Scott will assist as series producer. --------------------- About the Plays: Bars and Measures by Idris Goodwin is a tale of two brothers. One a classical pianist. The other a jazz bass player. One a Christian. The other a Muslim. One living in freedom. The other in jail. Separated by bars, can the brothers reconcile their differences through the language they know best: Music? Inspired by a true New York story, this play is an irrepressible journey through faith, family, melody, and time. Bars and Measures made its New York premiere at Urban Stages October 18 thru November 17, 2019. The New York Times praised it as "A Smart Supple Production...handsomely polished" and "A tale about getting lost, and whether and how you can find your way back." (Laura Collins-Hughes). Theater Pizzazz hailed the production as "Theater of the highest caliber...electrifying actors, a hot theatrical experience." (Tania Fisher). #NWORD by Christian Elder: VAUGHN, the Black mother of an eight-year-old boy named Memphis, confronts MACK, a white real estate broker at an open house in SoHo. A video posted online captures white woman's daughter, Hazel, calling Memphis the "n word" on the school bus. Accusations of racism are debated between the school administration and parents. The event has repercussions on the women's marital lives, drawing their husbands TOM and JAKE into the conflict. Eventually, both couples evolve past the incident becoming friends over the following year. When an unexpected death reveals betrayal, ugly tensions rise to the surface again and expose disturbing truths. THE INCELS by Ruth Zamoyta: Tom and Derrick are depressed, bitter men who can't get girlfriends. Tom records his manifesto on his vlog, telling tales of fruitless encounters with women ... as well as his plan to rid the world of sexuality. Derrick has a YouTube channel in which he teaches other men how to survive in the backwoods ... and obsesses about the young woman he's stalking. Pat is a MGTOW ("Men Going Their Own Way") who teaches incels how to find happiness in a solitary lifestyle. When Tom and Derrick turn violent, can Pat convince them to put down their guns? The Incels was developed at a reading at Urban Stages and at New Jersey Play Lab in 2020 through its comprehensive Residency Program. THE SILVERFISH by Megan Loughran: Beth and Brandon are young and in love and they have no money. They're living in Brooklyn pursuing careers they are passionate about. Which is another way of saying they have no money. When they're suddenly thrown a Godawful, expensive curveball, they combine their desperation with their underutilized talents and come up with a plan. It might not be a plan that "good people" would go for, but when you're young and in love and desperate and poor, the word "good" can mean a lot of things. --------------------- IDRIS GOODWIN (playwright, Bars and Measures) is an award-winning playwright, break beat poet, and Producing Artistic Director of Louisville's StageOne Family Theater. Goodwin uses story to inspire and incite new audiences across culture and generation. His plays include And In This Corner Cassius Clay, This Is Modern Art co-written with Kevin Coval, How We Got On and Hype Man : a break beat play. He's been honored to receive commissions and developmental support from institutions like The Kennedy Center/ New Voices New Visions, The Eugene O'Neill Conference, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Actor's Theatre of Louisville, and Berkeley Rep's Ground Floor Residency. He's currently writing Scarfoot Lives, a new play co-commissioned by Arena Stage's Power Play Program and The Playwright Center's McKnight Fellowship. In addition to the forthcoming poetry collection Can I Kick It?, he's had several publications with Haymarket Books including Inauguration and Human Highlight: Ode To Dominique Wilkins. A frequent public speaker at conferences and educational spaces, Idris is one of the leading voices in his field, committed to using art to cultivate more diverse and equitable spaces. Visit Idris on the web and social media CHRISTIAN ELDER (playwright, #NWORD) is a writer and a filmmaker with a background in the visual arts. He is a quarterfinalist screenwriter with the Academy's Nicholl Fellowships, a finalist for Tribeca Film Institute's Tribeca All Access, and an International Thomas Wolfe Playwriting semifinalist for #Nword. He has directed two short films, including the award winning The Big Meet (aired on DirecTV's ShortsTV). He has been honored with staged play readings for Frank Silvera's Writers' Workshop at Brooklyn's Billie Holiday Theatre and Manhattan's Urban Stages. Presently, he lives in Los Angeles, California. RUTH ZAMOYTA (playwright, The Incels) is a NJ State Council on the Arts playwriting fellow. She has had productions and readings at Urban Stages, Mile Square Theatre, Luna Stage Co., Art House Productions, and Jersey City Theatre Center. Her plays The Caregivers and The Fencers were semifinalists for the Bay Area Playwrights Festival and The Caregivers was given special consideration for the Relentless Award. Her play The Incels was chosen for the INKubator program at Art House Productions in 2018-19 and is currently being developed by The New Jersey Play Lab in 2020 through its comprehensive Residency Program. Ruth holds degrees from St. John's University, NYU, and Columbia University, and serves as Director of Development at JAZZ HOUSE KiDS. ruthzamoyta.com MEGAN LOUGHRAN (playwright, The Silverfish): Megan Loughran is a writer, actor, and singer based in New York City. She was the Executive Producer and Head Writer of BROADWAY DOES MOTHER'S DAY which aired this past spring on Broadway.com . Her play F THEORY, co-written with Alex Trow, world premiered at the New Jersey Repertory Theatre. As an improviser, Megan performed with the Chicago City Limits National Touring Company, and is the winner of the Champions' Edition of NYC's Cabaret Showdown. Also a singer-actor, Megan performed in the National Tour of FALSETTOS, directed by James Lapine, as well as SWEENEY TODD with the New York Philharmonic, starring Emma Thompson. Graduate of Yale University. MeganLoughran.com KRISTAN SEEMEL (director, Bars and Measures) grew up in the theater working on new plays, serving as dramaturg on a score of premiere productions and developmental workshops in Portland, Oregon where he worked for almost a decade. He is passionate about new writing and his directing projects include the recent premieres of HYPE MAN by Idris Goodwin, Mary-Kate Olsen is in Love by Mallery Avidon and The Electric Lighthouse by Ed Himes (all at The Flea). Other new plays Kristan has directed include MUTT by Lava Alapai (Many Hats Collective) and The Verspiary by Matthew Zrebski (Stark Raving Theatre) as well as NW regional premieres of Carlos Murillo's Mimesophobia (Sand & Glass Productions), The Long Christmas Ride Home by Paula Vogel (TheatreVertigo) and Mac Wellman's A Murder of Crows (defunkt theatre). Kristan also assisted on the recent Flea premieres of NSangou Njikam's Syncing Ink and A. R. Gurney's Ajax . Recent favorite revivals include Bad Penny by Mac Wellman (The Flea), Brecht & Weill's The Threepenny Opera and Hamlet (CoHo Productions). Kristan's staging of Gertrude Stein's Doctor Faustus Lights the Lights (defunkt theatre) garnered him a Portland Dramatic Critics Circle award for Outstanding Direction. In New York, Kristan has developed new plays at Playwrights Horizons/Clubbed Thumb (Superlab), the Lark and Target Margin Theater. He is an Associate Artist at Tribeca's own Flea Theater and a graduate of the Brown/Trinity Rep MFA. VINCENT SCOTT (director, #NWORD ): New York-based, Mr. Scott has directed in Los Angeles, Chicago, London, and Dublin as well as on Off-Broadway. His passion is to develop new plays through staged readings or full productions. Recently, Mr. Scott direct the world premiere of Lori Brown Mirabal's "Charmed Life from Soul Singing to Opera Star" at Urban Stages. Other premieres include What Happen to The Dollar and Good Corporate Citizen both by Sam Garber, and Accentuate the Positive (The Johnny Mercer Story) by Calvin Ramsey. He has had numerous readings at Urban Stages, the most recent being Gumbo House by Keion Jackson and #NWORD by Christian Elder. Mr. Scott also assisted Timothy Douglas in Chicago with Changes of Heart and Austin Pendleton and Jan Buttram at the Abingdon Theatre Company with The Last Will and Hellman v. McCarthy. At Urban Stages, he has assistant directed Death Of A Driver by Will Snider (directed by Kim T. Sharp) and Bars and Measures by Idris Goodman (directed by Kristian Seemel). He is pleased to direct the world premiere of Lori Brown Mirabal's "Charmed Life from Soul Singing to Opera Star." KIM T. SHARP (director, The Incels) works regularly with Urban Stages in their efforts to champion new works by artists of diverse cultural backgrounds. For Urban Stages, he directed the NYC premiere of Death of a Driver by Will Snider as well as numerous readings of new plays. He directed a reading of an earlier version of The Incels earlier this year and is excited to be working with playwright Ruth Zamoyta on this revised script. He served as Associate Artistic Director and Literary Manager for Abingdon Theatre Company for 16 seasons. Other NYC credits include Ronan Noone's The Atheist with Wolfgang Novogratz, the world premiere's of Anand Rao's A Muslim In the Midst at the Hudson Guild Theatre and Kevin Daly's comedy, Kitty Bomb, at Theatre Row. He continues to work with theatre artists to bring challenging and invigorating material to the stage. JENNIFER WERNER (director, The Silverfish) is currently the Supervising Associate Director of The Book of Mormon Worldwide (Broadway, London, UK/European Tour, Australia). Also Associate Director: Follies and The Most Happy Fella (City Center Encores!). Regionally, she has Directed and/or Choreographed for the Maltz Jupiter Theatre, North Carolina Theatre, Ogunquit Playhouse, Casa Manana, and the Engeman Theatre. Her diverse body of work as a choreographer includes As Long As We Both Shall Laugh (Roundabout Theatre), NFL National commercials, ABC's Upfronts , and The Drama League Awards. Choreography Off-Broadway: Bloodsong of Love (Ars Nova), The Plant That Ate Dirty Socks (Lucille Lortel), ReWrite (Urban Stages), and Things to Ruin (Second Stage); as well as Direction/Choreography for Broadway Bounty Hunter (Greenwich House Theater). Also Choreographer of The Black Suits (Center Theater Group/LA). Upcoming productions include Directing/Choreographing the new musical debut of Punk Rock Girl, written by Joe Iconis, licensed and published by R & H/Concord Theatricals. RYAN BELOCK (Video Designer & Editor) is thrilled to return virtually to Urban Stages. Love and thanks to his wife, Michelle. Other projection/video design credits at Urban Stages include Dogs of Rwanda and A Deal. Thank you for supporting the teams of artists and storytellers who make up the fabric of the Urban Stages community. Other Off-Broadway credits include: On A Clear Day You Can See Forever (Irish Repertory Theatre); Musicals of Musicals, Me & Ella (York Theatre). Associate/Assistant credits: My Very Own British Invasion (Paper Mill Playhouse); Party People (The Public Theater); Sojourners , Her Portmanteau (New York Theater Workshop); Rags (Goodspeed Opera); The Masked Ball (Austin Opera); And Then They Came For Me (Indiana Rep). Regional: Show Boat, Oklahoma! (Gulf Coast Symphony Orchestra); In the Heights, Into the Woods (Austin, TX). World Premieres: Sorin: A Notre Dame Story (University of Notre Dame); Colossal , Re/Connect (Cohen New Works Festival). BA - University of Notre Dame. MFA - University of Texas at Austin. ryanbelock.com Frances Hill (artistic director), Antoinette Mullins (development & literary director), Olga Devyatisilnaya (company manager/financial administrator), Ilanna Saltzman (outreach director), Kim T. Sharp (Technical Director), Bara Swain (creative consultant), Vincent Scott (director & school consultant), Disnie Sebastien (social media). We wish to express our gratitude to the Performers Unions: Actors Equity Association, American Guild of Musical Artists, American Guild of Variety Artists, SAG-AFTRA through the Theatre Authority, Inc, for their cooperation in permitting the Artists to appear on this program. Urban Stages Presents September Play Fest & Fundraiser BARS & MEASURES by Idris Goodwin, directed by Kristian Seemel available online: Sept. 2nd to 6th #NWORD by Christian Elder, directed by Vincent Scott. available online: September 9th to 12th THE INCELS by Ruth Zamoyta, directed by Kim T. Sharp. available online: September 19th to Sept. 22nd THE SILVERFISH by Megan Loughran, directed by Jennifer Werner. available online: September 26th to 30th urbanstages.org Donations strongly encouraged. All proceeds will support Urban Stages' programs including MainStage which discovers and produces new works by diverse artists and Outreach which ensures art and theater are available to all. Sign up for our e-newsletter urbanstages.org to stay in the know: FRANCES HILL (Founding Artistic Director) began her theatrical career in California as an actress. Since 1983, Ms. Hill has overseen more than 600 staged readings/workshops and 90 productions of new works for the stage. She has directed over 30 workshops and productions. Her favorite directing credits include Gino DiIorio's Apostasy, Roma Greth's Our Summer Days , Jim Lehrer's Chili Queen, (directed at Urban Stages and Kennedy Center), John Picardi's Seven Rabbits on a Pole and The Sweepers (directed at Urban Stages and Capital Rep); Comfort Women by Chugmi Kim (Urban Stages 2004), 27 Rue De Fleurs, My Occasion of Sin, Mabel Madness, Dogs of Rwanda. Two of her plays have been produced, Our Bench and Life Lines. Under the guidance of Ms. Hill, Playwrights' Preview Productions/Urban Stages have moved two plays into commercial Off-Broadway successes. Minor Demons opened the new Century Center Theater, and Men on the Verge of His-Panic Breakdown won an Outer Critic's Circle Award while playing to capacity audiences at the 47th Street Theater. Urban Stages' African American Poets as Playwrights won eight Audelco Nominations, and Coyote On a Fence received two Drama Desk nominations and a Pilgrim's Project Award. Eisa Davis's Bulrusher was one of three nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. 2010 production of Langston in Harlem won several drama desk nominations, a John Calloway award, and several Audelco nominations, including a win for best music production of the year (2010), along with several other awards. Recently Character Man by Jim Brochu (2014) was nominated for a Drama Desk, and Outer Critic's Circle award and Mabel Madness by Trezana Beverley (2016) was nominated for an Audelco Award. URBAN STAGES (Producer) is an award-winning, not-for-profit, Off-Broadway Theatre Company founded in 1984 by current Artistic Director Frances Hill. For over 36 years, Urban Stages has produced dozens of world, American, and N.Y. premieres including Pulitzer Prize Finalist Bulrusher (2007) by Eisa Davis. We have been honored with awards, nominations and recognition from the Drama Desk, Obie Awards, Audelco, Outer Critics Circle and more. Plays produced at Urban Stages also often move on to larger venues and/or publication. Bars and Measures (2019) was critically acclaimed by The New York Times and Death of a Driver (2019) by Will Snider went on to a regional production at The Salt Lake Acting Company. In our 2017/18 season, A Deal by Zhu Yi (world premiered at Urban Stages) toured China and Dogs of Rwanda by Sean Christopher Lewis (New York premiered at Urban Stages) toured regionally. Other notable productions include the world premiere of the musical Langston In Harlem by Walter Marks (music and book) and Kent Gash (book and direction) garnered a Drama Desk Nomination, a Joe A. Calloway award and 4 Audelco awards including Best Musical Production of 2010. Critically acclaimed hits Mabel Madness by Tony-winner Trezana Beverley (2016), Communion by Daniel MacIvor (2016) and Angry Young Man by Ben Woolf (2017) which transferred to the John Drew Theatre at Guild Hall in East Hampton have premiered at Urban Stages. In addition, Unseamly, by Oren Safdie (2015), was an N.Y. Times Critics' Pick. Jim Brochu's Character Man (2014) was nominated for a Drama Desk and an Outer Critics Circle award for Best Solo performance and Honky (2013) by Greg Kalleres saw a regional run at San Diego Rep and was televised nationally on PBS in late 2015. 1996's Men on The Verge Of A Hispanic Breakdown by Guillermo Reyes and Minor Demons by Bruce Graham both moved to commercial theatres. Chili Queen, a play by newscaster Jim Lehrer, transferred to the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. (1989). My Occasion of Sin (2012) by Monica Bauer won critical acclaim when it moved to Detroit Rep. Bill Bowers has toured regionally and internationally with his two Urban Stages' premieres blending mime and theatre - Beyond Words (2012) and Under A Montana Moon (2002)! Some Urban Stages premieres have even been developed into film and television projects such as Scar by Murray Mednick, Conversations with The Goddesses by Agapi Stassinopoulos, and Cotton Mary by Alexandra Viets. In addition to plays and musicals, annually we hold a music festival - Winter Rhythms - that features famous and up-and-coming Cabaret, musicians, lyricists and other music artists. In 2016, Winter Rhythms was honored with the Bistro Award for Outstanding Series, and in 2015, it received the Ruth Kurtzman Benefit Series M.A.C. Award from the Manhattan Association of Cabarets and Clubs. |
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