Infinite Black Suitcase goes to GCC (and so do I!)

The cast and crew of Infinite Black Suitcase at Glendale College 2015.  Playwright E. M. Lewis and director Ed Douglas are in the middle.

I just returned from a lovely trip to Los Angeles, where I saw Glendale College's production of Infinite Black Suitcase.  What a delight!  I haven't seen this one in a while, though it's being produced more and more frequently since Samuel French featured it in their online magazine.  The actors did a beautiful job, under the astute direction of Ed Douglas.  (Look at the size of that cast!  Fifteen!!)  Producer Jeanette Farr-Harkins moderated the post-show discussion with audience and students.  Congratulations to the cast and crew!

"The Edge of Ross Island" at Mary Baldwin College

From May 8-11, "The Edge of Ross Island" was part of a student-directed one-act play festival at Mary Baldwin College in Staunton, Virginia.  The play is about a cop who tries to talk a jumper down from the Ross Island Bridge in Portland, Oregon, but later finds herself understanding his lostness all too well.  

I'm glad to be having so many college productions lately!

For more about the production, click here.

Song of Extinction at Hostos College!

I'm very pleased that my play "Song of Extinction" is going to be performed on November 14th and 15th by Hostos Rep at CUNY Hostos College in the Bronx.  The play has also been named Book-of-the-Semester -- more than 900 students at Hostos will be reading and discussing the play.  I'll be attending the evening performance on November 15th and doing a talk-back, and also participating in some of the interdisciplinary events that are planned throughout the semester.  A big thank you to Professor Morales for directing this production, and to Professor Robert Cohen, who coordinates the Book of the Semester project.

CLICK HERE FOR SHOW INFORMATION

CLICK HERE FOR BOOK OF THE SEMESTER INFORMATION

CLICK HERE FOR A SHORT VIDEO AD FOR THE SHOW ON YOUTUBE

Hostos Humanities Professor Ángel Morales, who earned an M.A. in Educational Theatre from New York University, has been the Artistic Director of the Hostos Repertory Theater (Hostos Rep) since 2007. Under his leadership, the Hostos Rep also produced Borinquen Vive en El Barrio by Tere Martínez, which played in the 2008 installment of TeatroStageFest. In 2010, the company staged the English/Spanish production of Virgilio Piñera’s Siempre se olvida algo (You Always Forget Something), for which they won four HOLA awards and two ACE awards. 

In 2011, the Hostos Rep was one of only five university-based companies, as well as the only one from a community college, invited to participate in the northeast regional competition of the Kennedy Center’s American College Theater Festival. The troupe presented Peter Sinn Nachtrieb’s production of boom!, and cast member Abe Rasheed was a finalist in the festival’s individual category. 

Morales said he is excited that Song of Extinction is coming to Hostos. “The fact that a play of this caliber is going to have its New York City premiere at Hostos, and that it could serve as an opportunity to integrate various academic disciplines, is exciting and a privilege.” 

Morales added that Hostos students and faculty would be able to take advantage of the play’s diverse intellectual subject matter and participate in several post-performance discussions. Song of Extinction is also the fall selection for Hostos Community College’s “Book of the Semester” project. The “Book of the Semester” project is an interdisciplinary initiative to inspire students to read and develop critical thinking skills. With Song of Extinction, the themes that will be analyzed include literature, history, education, science, and music. 

The cast of the Hostos production includes award-winning Hostos student Abe Rasheed in the role of Max, Vice President Carlos Molina of the college’s Division of Continuing Education and Workforce Development, Hostos student César Acuria, and Hostos alumnus Sergio Mauritz Ang.  Also in the cast are actors Arnold Kim and Anna Savant.

Show dates and times

Wednesday, November 14, 2012
12:30 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.

Thursday, November 15, 2012
2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.

Repertory Theater
450 Grand Concourse at 149th Street

General Admission $10

(Free Admission for CUNY students, faculty and staff)

For more information, please call 718-518-4455 or go to
www.hostos.cuny.edu/culturearts.

A production of "Heads" at Missouri Valley College

Harold Hynick directed a production of my play "Heads" at Missouri Valley College in Marshall, MO where he teaches.  I'm very glad that my plays are finding homes not only in traditional theaters, but also in university theaters and classrooms!

The Heads cast featured: Thomas Waller (Sedalia, Mo.) as Harold Wolfe, the American Engineer; Samantha Hill (Greenwood, Mo.) as Caroline Conway, the British Embassy worker; Matthew Ford (Camdenton, Mo.) as Michael Aprés, the network journalist; and Joshua Tag (Redmond, Wash.) as Jack Velazquez, the freelance photographer. The production was directed by MVC Assistant Professor of Theatre Harold Hynick. This production featured lighting design by MVC Senior Theatre Major Catie Combs (Blue Springs, Mo.), scenic and sound design by MVC Associate Professor of Theatre Jay Rozema, and costume design by Dyann Rozema. The play was stage managed by MVC Senior Theatre Major Crystal Mann (Marshall, Mo.). The assistant stage manager was MVC Freshman Theatre Major Jessie Carpenter (Oak Grove, Mo.).