| Cast Announced: She's Got Harlem on Her Mind at Metropolitan Playhouse | |
| Posted by: Official_Press_Release 11:37 am EST 12/28/21 | |
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| SHE'S GOT HARLEM ON HER MIND Three Short Plays by Eulalie Spence Stories of Life as It Was Lived in 1920's Harlem February 3 - 27, 2022 Obie Award winner Metropolitan Playhouse revives three plays of influential Harlem Renaissance writer Eulalie Spence in an evening directed by Timothy Johnson: SHE'S GOT HARLEM ON HER MIND, playing a limited run from February 3 through 27, 2022, in person at the Playhouse: 220 E 4th Street. Previews Begin: Thursday, February 3, 2022 Opening Night: Saturday, February 5, 2022 Closing: Sunday, February 27, 2022 SHE'S GOT HARLEM ON HER MIND is an evening of three award-winning one-act plays, framed by à capella musical settings, to celebrate life in Harlem in the 20's through the eyes of pioneering writer, Eulalie Spence. The plays include "The Starter," in which hopeful and hard-working T.J. and Georgia may or may not negotiate their engagement; "Hot Stuff," a night when jaded numbers runner Fanny King makes a series of bad bets and owes nearly more than she has to lose; and "The Hunch," a sweet tale of a starry-eyed fiancée getting some unwelcome but much-needed clarity from a devoted admirer. Each play earned prizes from leading magazines of Black culture in 1927: "The Starter" and "The Hunch" from the National Urban League's journal Opportunity, and Hot Stuff from W.E.B. DuBois's The Crisis. Metropolitan's production brings these award-winning plays to the stage directed by TIMOTHY JOHNSON, director of 2017's hit revival of On Strivers Row. The production features an ensemble of eight actors playing the various roles: DÉJA DENISE GREEN, LÉOH HAILU-GHERMAY, SJ HANNAH (Lion King National Tour, On Strivers Row), BONITA JACKSON, ELIOTT CHARLES JOHNSON, RAHMELL PEEBLES, MARLAINA POWELL (Lion King on Broadway, On Strivers Row), and MARK SHOCK (David Cromer's Our Town). Set is by JACOB BROWN, costumes by SABRINNA FABI, lighting by HEATHER M. CROCKER (Radium Girls), and sound by BILL TOLES (Walk Hard, Shadow of Heroes, Radium Girls). EULALIE SPENCE (1894-1981) Distinguished by the authentic dialect and idiom of her characters, the majority of Eulalie Spence's work concerns the everyday life of contemporary Black people. She celebrates their humanity, neither romanticizing nor politicizing their stories, nor viewing them in perspective of White mainstream culture. A childhood immigrant to New York from the Caribbean island of Nevis who earner her BA from NYU and her MA from Teachers College, Spence was a New York public school teacher for most of her adult life. During her long tenure at Brooklyn's Eastern District High School, she included among her students Public Theater founder Joseph Papp, who called her "the most influential force in his life." Through the 20's and 30's, she was also a well-respected playwright, actor, director, closely involved with the Krigwa Players, The Dunbar Garden Players, and Columbia University's Laboratory Players. Of her 14 known plays, 6 earned prizes from Black literary magazines The Crisis and Opportunity and from the Krigwa Players. Her greatest mainstream commercial success was nonetheless a series of near-misses: her only full-length play, The Whipping, adapted from a novel by Roy Flannagan, was slated for a commercial premiere in 1933 starring Queenie Smith, but was canceled before opening. Spence optioned the script to Paramount Pictures for a film that ultimately became the barely recognizable Ida Lupino comedy, Ready for Love. The Whipping was her last play, though she remained an active director and drama teacher for her remaining years. COVID-19 PROTOCOLS: to lower the risk of the spread of COVID-19 Metropolitan requires full vaccination of all cast, crew, and audience. Audience members will be required to present proof of vaccination on arrival to be admitted into the theater. All staff and audience will be required to wear masks inside the building. The theater, house, and backstage are directly ventilated with fresh air, and the theater is amply equipped with air purifiers. A certified Covid Safety Compliance officer will be onsite for all performances. METROPOLITAN PLAYHOUSE, continuing its 30th season with She's Got Harlem on Her Mind, tells America’s diverse and complicated story through lost plays of the past and new plays of American historical and cultural moment. The theater received a 2011 OBIE Grant from The Village Voice for its ongoing productions that illuminate who we are by revealing where we have come from. Called "invaluable" by the Voice and Backstage, Metropolitan has earned further accolades from The New York Times and The New Yorker. Other awards include a Victorian Society of New York Outstanding Performing Arts Group, 3 Aggie Awards from Gay City News, 21 nominations for NYIT Awards (3 winners), and 6 AUDELCO Viv Award nominations. This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council. Metropolitan Playhouse programs are made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. TICKETS $30 general admission, $25 seniors, $20 students, and $10 children 18 and under. www.metropolitanplayhouse.org/tickets, or call 800 838 3006 PERFORMANCES February 3 - 27, 2022 Thursday – Saturday evenings at 7:30pm; Sunday afternoons at 3:00pm OPENING NIGHT: Saturday, February 3 at 7:30 pm CLOSING: Sunday, February 27 at 3:00 pm |
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| Link | http://www.metropolitanplayhouse.org/tickets |
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