Lia Chang: Harlem Nights with Lorey Hayes, Actress, Director and Award-Winning Playwright of Power Play and Massinissa

Conductor and percussionist Bobby Sanabria, Lorey Hayes and Mercedes Ellington at the Manhattan School of Music’s Harlem Hothouses Concert celebrating the Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce in New York on October 26, 2012. Photo by Lia Chang

On the final Friday in October, I met up with Lorey Hayes, a Broadway, film and television actress, who is also a director and an award-winning playwright, in Harlem at the Manhattan School of Music, for a spectacular concert tribute featuring MSM’s Grammy®-nominated Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra, led by the renowned percussionist Bobby Sanabria, and featuring the National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters Award Honoree, the legendary Cuban-born conguero, Candido.

On October 26, 2012, the legendary conguero Candido (now 91-years-young) performed with The Manhattan School of Music Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra now in its twelfth year under the direction of internationally renowned percussionist Bobby Sanabria. The Orchestra kicked off a year-long “Harlem Nights” Concert Series with “Harlem Hothouses,” a tribute to The Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce, in The Manhattan School of Music’s Borden Auditorium in New York. Photo by Lia Chang

The evening was a celebration of The Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce, with The Orchestra kicking off a year-long “Harlem Nights” Concert Series with “Harlem Hothouses” saluting the venues such as the Apollo and the Savoy where Jazz flourished, and we were all dancing in the aisles during the encore.

On October 26, 2012, the legendary conguero Candido (now 91-years-young) performed with The Manhattan School of Music Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra now in its twelfth year under the direction of internationally renowned percussionist Bobby Sanabria. The Orchestra kicked off a year-long “Harlem Nights” Concert Series with “Harlem Hothouses,” a tribute to The Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce, in The Manhattan School of Music’s Borden Auditorium in New York. Photo by Lia Chang

“On October 26, 2012, the legendary conguero Candido (now 91-years-young) performed with The Manhattan School of Music Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra now in its twelfth year under the direction of internationally renowned percussionist Bobby Sanabria. The Orchestra kicked off a year-long “Harlem Nights” Concert Series with “Harlem Hothouses,” a tribute to The Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce, in The Manhattan School of Music’s Borden Auditorium in New York. Photo by Lia Chang

It’s been a little over a week since Hayes and I shared the stage at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, appearing in a Celebrity stage reading of Hayes’ Power Play, alongside Pauletta Pearson Washington, Roscoe Orman, Phyllis Yvonne Stickney and Jeff Wallner, under the direction of Darlene Gidney of Be Rich Entertainment. The Schomburg was abuzz with excitement. Ruby Dee, Denise Burse, Penwah Phynjuar, Micki Grant, Garland Lee Thompson, George Faison, Living Colour drummer Will Calhoun, André Robinson, Jeff Burns Jr., Constance C.R. White, Essence Editor-in-Chief, costume designer Karen Perry, Lawrence Evans and more, were among the standing room only audience.

The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. Photo by Will Chang

Pauletta Pearson Washington, Ruby Dee and Roscoe Orman at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in New York after the reading of Lorey Hayes’ Power Play on October 18, 2012. Photo by Will Chang. Photo by Lia Chang

The stage reading, produced by dynamic producing duo Executive Producer, Mr. Voza Rivers’ New Heritage Theater and Ms. Debra Ann Byrd’s Take Wing and Soar Productions, Inc. was a prelude to the 2013 revival production of Hayes’ Power Play, a story about politics, passion and the power of God. The pair teamed up last year for the overwhelmingly successful New York showcase production of Hayes’ Massinissa and The Tragedy of The House of Thunder, which received 3 AUDELCO nods, including Costume, Lighting and Sound Design.

Lorey Hayes (Photo by Will Chang)

Lorey Hayes is a 2011 Princess Grace Playwright Finalist for Haiti’s Children of God, her play with music that enjoyed a critically acclaimed 2011 run in New York as a co- production between Mr. Voza River’s New Heritage Theatre Group (Broadway’s Sarafina and Asinamali) and Mr. Rudy Shaw’s Caribbean Arts Repertory. Hayes is also the proud recipient of a 2011 Harlem Arts Alliance Community Arts Fund Award to create a new historic play. The play created under this grant is Hell in a Hand Basket, the Unofficial Story of Condolezza Rice, recently read at Harlem’s Dwyer Cultural Center sponsored by Frank Silvera Writer’s Workshop. The Dragonfly Tale, co-written with Robert Crear was the winner of the 2007 Alabama Shakespeare Festival’s Southern Writer’s Project and a finalist for the Eugene O’Neill 2006 Playwright’s Conference from more than 800 entries. Several plays have enjoyed acclaimed productions. As an actress, Hayes (an original cast member of For Colored Girls) starred on Broadway with Melba Moore in the late A. Marcus Hemphill’s Inacent Black as well as in the Negro Ensemble Company’s production of Home. She starred in London, England at the Royal Shakespeare festival as Eunice Evans in Miss Ever’s Boys. A regular face on TV commercials, Hayes is featured in the film Dream Girls and has guest starred in numerous television shows; including “Judging Amy,” “Family Law,” “Sister, Sister” and “All My Children.”

Lia Chang and Lorey Hayes at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in New York after the reading of Lorey Hayes’ Power Play on October 18, 2012. Photo by Will Chang

We chatted during the reception before the concert. Below are excerpts from our conversation.

Lia: It’s been quite a whirlwind for you since you flew in from LA at the beginning of October, to act in the Celebrity Stage Reading of your play Power Play, which we first did in 1991 at the National Black Theatre Festival in Winston-Salem, N.C.. The reading on October 18th at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture was a teaser to the 2013 revival production. What was your experience seeing your characters come to life again?
Lorey: The experience was a humbling one. I must tell you that I am forever grateful to God for using me as a vessel. I tell everybody, I did not write this play. He chose me to have the words flow through. I listen to it and I am always amazed that it’s always fresh and new. I think, “Where did I come up with that?” It’s like it came from the ether. There’s no denying there is a higher power. Someone has put their hands on me and said, “I need to use you for my work.” When I saw those Power Play characters come to life, I realized that writing is like birthing children. I birthed this baby and in ’91, the baby was a newborn. And you were there; you were one of the newborns. And we went through the diaper changing stages and now these Power Play characters are getting ready to graduate from college and go out into the world. I’m just asking God to keep guiding me to make the right decisions as my Power Play Baby goes out into the world. This means for me the rewrites, and what I am going to focus on currently to keep it fresh and new, and to make it accessible on a global market. It’s not just New York, it’s not just local, and it’s definitely not just African American, it’s for all people. Pauletta said something really wonderful to me. She said, “The reason she decided to do this play when she came out of hiatus was not just because she wanted plays that had integrity, strong roles for women of color and all nationalities, but something to make young people, young teens, young adults that are developing, to understand the importance of moral integrity so they can make the right choices.” So I am very proud that I have been used by God in this way to bring Power Play’s story and characters to life.

Pauletta Pearson Washington, Lia Chang and Lorey Hayes at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in New York after the reading of Lorey Hayes’ Power Play on October 18, 2012. Photo by Will Chang.

Lia: There were a lot of people in the audience, a lot of people that you know personally. Who of the audience members excited you the most?
Lorey: The people who are going to be the paying patrons/supporters for the production are the ones that I was most excited about. The people who came from my doctor’s office and the people that I met on the street. A young lady that came up to me and thanked me because I gave her some words of encouragement that changed her life and helped her to grow. Part of my mission is to inspire, to elevate and to motivate. Those are the people that I was most excited about being in our audience because those truly are the real celebrities. If the people who make up our daily world are not there, then we have no one to perform to, and then what is our work about? Those are the people that I am most proud of being in that audience.

October 18, 2012. Power Players backstage: Jeff Wallner, Phyllis Yvonne Stickney, Roscoe Orman, Pauletta Pearson Washington, Lia Chang, Lorey Hayes and stage manager Sean C. Turner at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in New York. Photo by Will Chang

Lia: It was exciting to have the reading at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, it’s such an institution. What is your connection?
Lorey: Not only is the Schomburg an institution, the Schomburg is where I did my major research for Massinissa and The Tragedy of The House of Thunder. It is also where I had the send-off celebration for my friend and partner Walter Thomas, with whom I spent 15 glorious years together in Harlem renovating a brownstone. I was able to send him off from his human transition there at the Schomburg’s American Negro Theater downstairs. I felt like Walter was in the house for our Power Play reading. The spirits of my mother Edna and grandmother Janie, our Elders and Ancestors, those people that have really paved the way for all of us, having carried the weight of slavery on their backs. I felt there were a lot of ancestors there because the Schomburg is full of history; not just for African Americans, but people of all races, of all nationalities, all cultures that have come to this country. I think it is really important that we recognize and pay homage, to not just the Schomburg, but to the ancestors who brought us where we are today.

Lia Chang, Micki Grant, Lorey Hayes and Denise Burse at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in New York after the reading of Lorey Hayes’ Power Play on October 18, 2012. Photo by Will Chang

Lia: What is Voza Rivers’ history with Power Play?
Lorey: Voza Rivers produced early readings of Power Play at New York’s B. Smith’s Restaurant with Hattie Winston, Dean Irby, Iris Little and Denise Burse. He went on to produce the play for the National Black Theater Festival’s Premiere Midnight Reading Series stage reading in Winston-Salem in 1991 (brainchild of Frank Silvera Writer’s Workshop’s Mr. Garland Thompson in collaboration with then Festival head the late Mr. Larry Leon Hamlin). Voza is the one that hired the van that took us all to North Carolina. I’m sure he and the festival may have been influenced by the fact that Phyllis Yvonne Stickney had the tenacity and the perseverance to put together her own show, find her own venue in North Carolina during the festival, and put up her one-woman show. I’m so proud of her for that. Women have to do it for themselves. We can’t sit back and wait. Phyllis is a pioneer and as someone reminded me “a real power player”.

POWER PLAYERS: playwright Lorey Hayes, executive producer Voza Rivers, Phyllis Yvonne Stickney, Roscoe Orman, Lia Chang, Pauletta Pearson Washington and Jeff Wallner outside the Schomburg Center in New York on October 18, 2012. Photo by Will Chang

Voza Rivers and Lorey Hayes at the Manhattan School of Music’s “Harlem Hothouses” Concert celebrating the Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce, in New York on October 26, 2012. Photo by Lia Chang.

Voza Rivers has a rare kind of energy that is not only inviting, he embraces people and culture with great integrity; He is responsible for unifying so many cultures and artists and is instrumental for bringing them together for their mutual good. That’s one of the many things I love about him. Voza produces HARLEM Week. He was the producer who brought Sarafina to Broadway and is responsible for launching and nurturing the careers of so many artists. He has earned a tremendous respect, not just in Harlem and New York, but around the world. Possibly the fact that he started in this business as a music producer taught him to work well with so many different personalities. He does it with a calm and grace that is so inspiring. I learn so much from Voza Rivers and I am just so grateful.

Lorey Hayes’ Massinissa and The Tragedy of the House of Thunder Pre- Production photo. From left to right: Tino Christopher (Hasdrubal), Elijah Black (Hamilcar Barca), Lawrence Winslow (Tyre Barca), Debra Ann Byrd (Dido Barca), Lodric Collins (Hannibal Barca), Dayo Olatokun (Massinissa) and kneeling Anja Lee (Sophonisba Barca) – the woman whose love changed the color of power of the world. Debra Ann Byrd originated the role of Dido Barca, Diane Dixon later appeared in the production. Photo credit: Carmen de Jesus

Lia: During our brief rehearsal for Power Play, you learned that Massinissa, the epic that you wrote and directed, (also produced by Debra Ann Byrd’s Take Wing and Soar Productions in association Voza Rivers’ New Heritage Theater- the same team that produced Power Play) garnered 3 AUDELCO nominations, for Costume Design, Lighting Design and Sound Design. What is you experience with Debra Ann Byrd and Massinissa?
Lorey: I love Debra Ann. If I had six babies to birth, Massinissa was all six babies at one time. I started working on Massinissa when I was 17 years old. I learned the story of this man Hannibal who crossed the Alps on elephants. I was fascinated and had to tell the story. It was my mission. It was the most beautiful showcase production I have every witnessed in my life. It rivaled any Broadway play. It was so stunning. The reason for that is because of the team Debra Ann pulled together. Gail Cooper-Hecht, the costume designer was nominated for an Audelco. Her husband is from Lebanon. The Carthaginians are originally from Lebanon (Tyre). The play is set 200 years before the birth of Christ and the Carthaginians, who were from Tyre (modern day Lebanon) fled their country and came to Carthage (modern day Tunisia) Gail Cooper Hecht created the most incredible costumes you’ve ever witnessed. It was the same for the rest of the crew.

Dayo Olatokun as Massinissa and Anja Lee as Sophonisba Barca in Lorey Hayes’ Massinissa and The Tragedy of the House of Thunder. Photo by Hubert Williams

We also got AUDELCOs nods for Lighting (James “Prez” Carter) and Sound (David D. Wright). One of our creative team who did not receive a mention but definitely deserved was Chris Cumberbatch whose set was outstanding. Ironically, Chris also designed the Power Play set for the 2005 New York National Black Theater production co-directed by the renowned late Dr. Barbara Ann Teer and Adunni Shirley Faison. In creating these projects, I do a dream book and I put in pictures, feelings and moods. All of the creative team are then able to see on paper what my vision of the play as a writer is. They then take that vision and they elevate it. The Massinissa and The Tragedy of the House of Thunder’s creative team took my imagination higher than I ever believed possible. Then the actors stepped into the world and created Carthage, Africa (that had been burned to the ground by the Romans; the earth plowed with salt so that nothing would grow). Carthage came back to life on stage before our very eyes. That is true team work and the ultimate collaboration.

Michael Raimondi as Cornelius Scipio and Dayo Olatokun as Massinssa in Lorey Hayes’ Massinissa and The Tragedy of the House of Thunder. Photo by Hubert Williams

Lia: Not only did you write Massinissa, but you also directed it. Was this your directorial debut?
Lorey: No, I’ve directed many things before. In Fort Worth Texas, I directed 100 high school students in a musical called, Easin’ Down Broadway. I co-directed it because the project was so huge, and the task so monumental that we had to have two people on the directing team. It was an amazing experience. I actually got to direct For Colored Girls at the Jubilee Theatre (a play in which I was an original cast member). The For Colored Girls project – spearheaded by then Artistic Director Mr. Ed Smith was another spiritual awakening. I realized how powerful Ntozake Shange’s words still are today and how they changed the lives of so many people – women and men – for the better. I have directed many shows, full length readings for the stage and many readings. One of my greatest pleasures was directing a showcase production of works by writers I had taught in Dallas, Texas in my “Mind Gym” writing workshops for the Best Southwest Book Festival. Seeing my students (adults and teens) works come to life before their eyes and seeing the joy on their faces will live with me forever. I would always tell them, “just get out of the way and let God write through you”. When they witnessed their characters being birthed on stage you could almost feel them levitate.

Michael Raimondi as Cornelius Scipio, kneels over his dead father Dennis Jordon as Publius Scipio in Lorey Hayes’ Massinissa and The Tragedy of the House of Thunder. Photo by Hubert Williams

The 40th Annual AUDELCO “Viv” Awards, A Ruby Jubilee will take place on Monday, November 19, 2012, in the Peter J. Sharpe Theatre at Symphony Space, 2537 Broadway at 95th Street in New York. Click here for the AUDELCO website and here for tickets.

Lia: The reading of Power Play was very successful, standing room only, and a standing ovation. What are your plans for the show going forward?
Lorey: Again, I am just going to step aside and let God take the wheel. My plan is to go after the global market. Young, tenacious filmmakers have taught us the value of internet marketing, self-producing and alternative ways to provide content for a world hungry for inspirational works. Hollywood is not the only answer. “It’s a new world and a new day”. President Barack Obama’s historical re-election taught us that lesson. There are major backdoor opportunities that will make Hollywood come to us and my job is to keep working and fine tuning to make those opportunities into possibilities. Now that I understand a Higher Power is in charge, I will just let Spirit lead me, do what I am told to do, step out of the way and let God’s magic happen.

Check out the Lorey Hayes’ Power Play website, Facebook page and twitter @TweetPowerPlay.

For more information about Manhattan School of Music and a full roster of performances, including the year-long “Harlem Nights” concert series, please visit
http://www.msmnyc.edu
.

Percussionist and conductor Bobby Sanabria, Lia Chang and musician Patrick Bartley at at the Manhattan School of Music's Harlem Hothouses Concert celebrating the Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce in New York on October 26, 2012. Photo by Lorey Hayes

Lia Chang is an actor, a performance and fine art botanical photographer, and an award-winning multi-platform journalist. She recently appeared in Lorey Hayes’ POWER PLAY.

Other Articles by Lia Chang:
Signature Theatre’s Production of Golden Child by David Henry Hwang has been extended through December 16, 2012
Photos: Yellow Fever Playwright Rick Shiomi Explores New Territory with An All-Female Cast
Photos: Maurice Hines, Jonathan Groff, Mercedes Ellington, Charles Randolph Wright at The Beechman for André De Shields’s I PUT A SPELL ON YOU
Photos: Tonya Pinkins, André De Shields, S. Epatha Merkerson, Billy Porter and George C. Wolfe at 54 Below
Emmy Award-Nominated Actor Meshach Taylor (“Designing Women”) Guest Stars on Criminal Minds as Rossi’s Former Marine Sergeant, Harrison Scott on November 14, 2012
Photos: Opening Night with Hold These Truths’ Playwright Jeanne Sakata and Star Joel de la Fuente, a Revelation as Gordon Hirabayashi; Performances Extended through November 25, 2012
Playing Lady Thiang in the Harbor Lights’ Production of The King and I is a dream come true for Christine Toy Johnson
Photos: Q & A with Mel Sagrado Maghuyop, The King in Harbor Lights’ Production of The King and I
Photos: Pauletta Pearson Washington, Roscoe Orman, Ruby Dee, Denise Burse, Phyllis Yvonne Stickney, Micki Grant, George Faison, Constance C.R. White, Will Calhoun and More at Lorey Hayes’ POWER PLAY
Manu Narayan Dazzles as Richard Roma in La Jolla Playhouse’s Revival of David Mamet’s Glengarry Glen Ross
Photos: All-Access Pass to Disney’s Aladdin at The Muny with Thom Sesma, Francis Jue, Robin De Jesus, John Tartaglia, Jason Graae, Curtis Holbrook, Eddie Korbich, Samantha Massell and Ken Page
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Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.
All text, graphics, articles & photographs: © 2000-2012 Lia Chang Multimedia. All rights reserved. All materials contained on this site are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Lia Chang. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. For permission, please contact Lia at liachangpr@gmail.com

The Atlanta Black Theatre Festival: Daryl “Chill” Mitchell Stars in Staged Reading of Christine Toy Johnson’s Internal Bleeding, directed by Denise Burse at the Woodruff Arts Center 14th Street Playhouse on October 6, 2012

On Saturday, October 6, 2012, The Atlanta Black Theatre Festival is presenting a staged reading of Christine Toy Johnson’s Internal Bleeding, directed by Denise Burse at 11:30AM, at the Woodruff Arts Center 14th Street Playhouse, 173 14th Street in Atlanta.

Daryl “Chill” Mitchell

Daryl “Chill” Mitchell (“Brothers,” “Ed” and “The John Larroquette Show”) leads the Internal Bleeding cast, which also features Leslie Bellair, Donna Biscoe, Eugene H. Russell IV, Naima Russell and Tony Vaughn.

Loosely based on a true story, Internal Bleeding tells the story of an Olympic bound gymnast who becomes estranged from his family after an accident leaves him paralyzed. A discussion with Ms. Johnson and Mr. Mitchell on how the play was re-imagined for an actor with a disability will follow the reading.

Tickets are $15 and are available online at
http://www.woodruffcentertickets.org
or at the Box Office, located at 1280 Peachtree Street in Atlanta (404-733-5000).

A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Daryl Mitchell Foundation, which promotes accessibility and seeks to enhance the life of spinal cord injury survivor.

Christine Toy Johnson Photo by Bruce Alan Johnson

Christine Toy Johnson is an award-winning playwright, actor and filmmaker.

An anthology of her written work was inducted into the Library of Congress Asian Pacific American Performing Arts Collection in 2010. She is currently writing book and lyrics to her first musical, BARCELONA, with composer/lyricist Jason Ma.

As a performer, she has been breaking the color barrier in non-traditionally cast roles for over 25 years, and has been featured extensively on Broadway, off-Broadway, in regional theatres across the country, in film, television, and concerts worldwide.

Ms. Johnson was the Executive Producer and Co-Director with her husband, filmmaker Bruce Johnson, of TRANSCENDING – THE WAT MISAKA STORY, the award-winning documentary feature film about Japanese American basketball star Wat Misaka, the first person of color to be drafted into what is now the NBA by the 1947 New York Knicks.

An avid advocate of inclusion, Ms. Johnson has been a member of the elected leadership of Actors’ Equity Association since 1992, serving as co-chair of the union’s Equal Employment Opportunity Committee and also on the executive board of the Tony-honored Alliance for Inclusion in the Arts and is a founding steering committee member of AAPAC (Asian American Performers Action Coalition). She was honored by the JACL in 2010 for “exemplary leadership and dedication” and will be receiving The Wai Look Award for Outstanding Service in the Arts from the Asian American Arts Alliance in October. Christine is a graduate of Sarah Lawrence College and the Certificate of Screenwriting Program at NYU. For more information, please visit www.christinetoyjohnson.com.

Photo by Lia Chang

Denise Burse, an award-winning actor and director, is a native Atlantan and a graduate of Spelman College who resides in New York City. Ms. Burse recently directed the workshop performance of Fabulous Faith, The Marva Hicks Story, set to Gospel music and produced by Arena Stage. Other directing credits include projects for the 52nd Street Project, Harlem Tabernacle Players, Harwell Summer Playhouse, and the Margret Fain Junior Players.

Ms. Burse recently appeared in New York Stage and Film’s Powerhouse Theater workshop production of Marcus Gardley’s The House That Will Not Stand, directed by Marion McClinton, and is best known for her role as Claretha Jenkins on the award-winning TBS series Tyler Perry’s “House of Payne.” Her favorite film roles include her co-starring turns as Martin Luther King, Jr.’s mother opposite Howard Rollins in The Boy King (WSB); as Buster Marshall, Thurgood Marshall’s wife in Simple Justice (PBS American Experience); as Sister Marcie in Preaching to the Choir, directed by Charles Randolph Wright, as Sergeant Martin in A Time to Triumph (CBS) starring Patty Duke; and as Eleanor Clark in Resting Place (CBS, Hallmark Hall of Fame), starring John Lithgow and Morgan Freeman. Other film and TV credits include Bruce Beresford’s Peace, Love and Misunderstanding starring Jane Fonda, BET/STARZ movie Funny Valentines, with Alfre Woodard and Loretta Devine, Angel, Basquiat, The Juror, “Law & Order,” “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” “Law & Order: Criminal Intent,” “Third Watch,” “100 Centre Street,” “The Sopranos,” “The Cosby Show,” “New York Undercover,” and “One Life to Live.” Ms. Burse appeared on Broadway in Wendy Wasserstein’s An American Daughter, directed by Daniel Sullivan. Her Off-Broadway credits include Eisa Davis’ Angela’s Mixtape (Ohio Theatre), Don Juan of Seville (Classical Stage Company), Ground People (American Place Theatre), Harriet’s Return (Cherry Lane Theatre), Hannah Davis (Negro Ensemble Company) and Bill Harris’ Robert Johnson: Trick the Devil (New Federal Theatre). Her regional credits include Pearl Cleage’s Flyin’ West with Ruby Dee at The Kennedy Center; Miss Evers’ Boys (Illusion Theater); African Company Presents Richard III (Cleveland Playhouse); Fences (CENTERSTAGE); The Piano Lesson (Seattle Repertory Theatre, director Lloyd Richards) and James Baldwin’s The Amen Corner (True Colors Theatre Company/Alliance Theatre). Helmer Kenny Leon directed her in the pre-Broadway role of ‘Mame’ in the last installment of August Wilson’s ten play cycle Radio Golf (CENTERSTAGE, Mark Taper Forum, Seattle Repertory Theatre); Charles Randolph Wright’s Blue (Cincinnati Playhouse, Geva); The Piano Lesson and Seven Guitars (Alliance Theatre). Ms. Burse garnered a Theatre World Award for her Off-Broadway debut in Ground People and an AUDELCO Award for Robert Johnson: Trick The Devil. Ms. Burse honed her craft performing at the Just Us Theatre, The Alliance Theatre and The Atlanta Children’s Theater.

Other Articles by Lia Chang:
Christine Toy Johnson to Receive 2012 Wai Look Award for Outstanding Service at Asian American Arts Alliance Gala on October 9, 2012
Denise Burse, Harriett D. Foy, Lynda Gravatt, Nikiya Mathis, Dennis Parlato, Saycon Sengbloh and Tracie Thoms in Marcus Gardley’s The House That Will Not Stand in 2012 Powerhouse Theater Season, July 20-22, 2012
Manu Narayan Dazzles as Richard Roma in La Jolla Playhouse’s Revival of David Mamet’s Glengarry Glen Ross
Manu Narayan, Johnny Wu, Peter Maloney, Jeff Marlow, Matt MacNelly, James Sutorius, Ray Anthony Thomas Set for La Jolla Playhouse’s Glengarry Glen Ross, September 18- October 21, 2012
Greg Watanabe, Julyana Soelistyo and Jennifer Lim Lead the Cast of Signature Theatre’s Production of David Henry Hwang’s Golden Child, October 23-December 2, 2012
Berkeley Rep’s Production Photos of David Henry Hwang’s Chinglish, Starring Michelle Krusiec and Alex Moggridge, Extends through October 21, 2012
MTC’s An Enemy of The People Starring Boyd Gaines and Richard Thomas Begin Previews at Samuel J. Friedman Theatre
Video: Academy Award Winner Chris Tashima Talks About His Roles in Lily Mariye’s Model Minority and Lil Tokyo Reporter
Photos: 4 Wedding Planners’ Illeana Douglas, Kimberly-Rose Wolter and Michael Kang at Screen Actors Guild Foundation Conversations Series in NY
Multimedia: Screen Actors Guild Foundation’s Conversations with Derek Ting, Linus Roache and Michael Park of $upercapitalist
Three Year Swim Club, Encounter, TEA, Christmas in Hanoi and Chess set for East West Players 47th Anniversary Season
André De Shields Returns to The Laurie Beechman Theatre with I Put A Spell on You, October 5 and 12
Photos: Tonya Pinkins, André De Shields, S. Epatha Merkerson, Billy Porter and George C. Wolfe at 54 Below
Sean Dugan Set for West Coast Premiere of George C. Wolfe’s Tony Award-Winning Production of The Normal Heart at A.C.T., September 13 – October 7, 2012
Raul Aranas, Kate Baldwin, Brian d’Arcy James, P.J. Griffith, Bobby Steggert and Michele Pawk Set for New York Premiere of GIANT at The Public Theater, October 26-December 2, 2012
Photos: All-Access Pass to Disney’s Aladdin at The Muny with Thom Sesma, Francis Jue, Robin De Jesus, John Tartaglia, Jason Graae, Curtis Holbrook, Eddie Korbich, Samantha Massell and Ken Page
Tony Award – winning Playwright Terrence McNally to be Honored at Westport Country Playhouse Annual Gala, September 24, 2012
Performing Arts Images from the Asian American Pacific Islander Collection on Display at the Library of Congress to Celebrate APA Heritage Month
Photos: Yellow Fever Playwright Rick Shiomi Explores New Territory with An All-Female Cast
Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

Lia Chang

Lia Chang is an actor, a performance and fine art botanical photographer, and an award-winning multi-platform journalist.
All text, graphics, articles & photographs: © 2000-2012 Lia Chang Multimedia. All rights reserved. All materials contained on this site are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Lia Chang. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. For permission, please contact Lia at liachangpr@gmail.com

Denise Burse, Harriett D. Foy, Lynda Gravatt, Nikiya Mathis, Dennis Parlato, Saycon Sengbloh and Tracie Thoms in Marcus Gardley’s The House That Will Not Stand in 2012 Powerhouse Theater Season, July 20-22, 2012

New York Stage and Film (Johanna Pfaelzer, Artistic Director; Thomas Pearson, Executive Director, Mark Linn-Baker, Max Mayer, Leslie Urdang, Producing Directors) and Vassar College (Ed Cheetham, Producing Director) is presenting a developmental play workshop of Marcus Gardley’s The House That Will Not Stand, directed by Marion McClinton, July 20-22, 2012, in the 2012 Powerhouse Theater season at the Stein Shiva Theater on the Vassar College Campus in Poughkeepsie, NY.

Photo by Lia Chang

The cast features Denise Burse (Peace Love and Understanding, Brother to Brother, “House of Payne”), Harriett D. Foy (Mamma Mia!, The American Plan, Once On This Island), Lynda Gravatt (Cat On A Hot Tin Roof, Doubt), Nikiya Mathis (Milk Like Sugar), Dennis Parlato (Salome, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Chess), Saycon Sengbloh (Fela!, Hair), and Tracie Thoms (Rent, Stick Fly).

Synoposis:
After the mysterious death of her lover, Beartrice Albans imposes a period of mourning on her household, keeping her three daughters locked in the house to embroider linens. But when the summer heat intensifies, a handsome bachelor comes calling, and a familial secret is revealed, the foundation of Beartrice’s house is rocked to its core. Set in New Orleans in 1836, this loose adaptation of Lorca’s The House of Bernarda Alba examines the complex system of plaçage – common-law marriages of white men and black Creole women. These free women of color became wealthy and powerful activists who fought against racial oppression pre-Civil War.

Performance dates and times: July 20, 21 at 8pm; July 22 at 2pm and 7pm. Purchase tickets. The theater box office on the Vassar College campus is located at 124 Raymond Avenue, Poughkeepsie, NY. Call (845) 437-5599 or email PHTBoxOffice@vassar.edu for more information.

About Vassar & New York Stage and Film’s Powerhouse Theater
Each summer Vassar & New York Stage and Film’s Powerhouse Theater presents new plays and musicals in development, many of which go on to reach wider audiences, including Stephen Karam’s Sons of the Prophet (Roundabout Theater); Michael Mayer and Peter Parnell’s re-imagining of Lerner & Lowe’s On A Clear Day You Can See Forever (St James Theater); Seminar by Theresa Rebeck (Golden Theater); Gabriel Kahane & Seth Bockley’s new musical February House (The Public Theater); and Storefront Church, John Patrick Shanley’s final installment to his “Church and State” trilogy that began with Doubt (Atlantic Theatre Company). Other projects developed at the Powerhouse include the Tony Award-winning Side Man and Tru; the multi-award-winning Doubt; the groundbreaking Broadway musical American Idiot, and A Steady Rain, produced on Broadway in 2009 with Hugh Jackman and Daniel Craig. The result of a unique collaboration between New York Stage and Film and Vassar College, the Powerhouse program consists of an eight-week residency on the Vassar campus during which more than 250 professional artists and 40 apprentices live and work together to create new theater works.

New York Stage and Film is the not-for-profit company dedicated to both emerging and established artists in the development of new works for theater and film. Since 1985 New York Stage and Film has played a significant role in the development of new plays, provided a home for a diverse group of artists free from critical and commercial pressures and established itself as a vital cultural institution for residents of the Hudson Valley and the New York metropolitan region. For more information, visit www.newyorkstageandfilm.org/.

Vassar College is a highly selective, coeducational, independent, residential, liberal arts college founded in 1861. Consistently ranked as one of the country’s best liberal arts colleges, Vassar is renowned for its long history of curricular innovation, and for the natural and architectural beauty of its campus. More than 50 academic departments and degree programs — from Anthropology to Cognitive Sciences to Urban Studies — encompass the arts, foreign languages, natural sciences, and social services, and combine to offer a curriculum of more than 1,000 courses. Vassar College is sited in New York’s beautiful Hudson Valley in Poughkeepsie, NY (www.vassar.edu).

Other articles by Lia Chang:
Photos: Larry Bryggman, Denise Burse, Peter Jay Fernandez, Tim Hopper, Arliss Howard, Kobi Libii, Mary McCann, Neil Pepe, David Pittu, Steve Rosen, Sheila Tapia, Debra Winger at Atlantic Theatre’s Opening Night of Gabe McKinley’s CQ/CX
Larry Bryggman, Peter Jay Fernandez, Arliss Howard and David Pittu Set for Atlantic Theater Company’s CQ/CX, January 25-March 4, 2012
Denise Burse, Michael Early, Phillip James Brannon, Malesha Jessie & Ellen Mandel featured in HAPPY BIRTHDAY LANGSTON HUGHES at Cornelia Street Café
Denise Burse & Peter Jay Fernandez Featured in INTAR Reading of Andrew Dolan’s The Many Mistresses of Martin Luther King
Multimedia: The 52nd Street Project Benefit Photos: Michael Cerveris, James Monroe Inglehart, Rebecca Naomi Jones, Matthew Morrison, Greg Naughton and Kelli O’Hara
Michael Cerveris, Matthew Morrison & Kelli O’Hara sing for 52nd Street Project’s Benefit
Multimedia: Zooman and The Sign Opening Night Party
Peter Jay Fernandez and Laura Heisler Star in Too Much Memory
Slideshow – On October 16, 2005, The Virginia Theatre was renamed the August Wilson Theatre
NYMF: Prison Dancer starring Jose Llana, Jeigh Madjus, Marc delaCruz, Catherine Ricafort, Moses Villarama, Cosmo Clemens, Enrico Rodriguez, Albert Guerzon, Andrew Eisenman and Nathan Ramos at Theatre at St. Clement’s, July 20-28, 2012
Three Year Swim Club, Encounter, TEA, Christmas in Hanoi and Chess set for East West Players 47th Anniversary Season
Photos: All-Access Pass to Disney’s Aladdin at The Muny with Thom Sesma, Francis Jue, Robin De Jesus, John Tartaglia, Jason Graae, Curtis Holbrook, Eddie Korbich, Samantha Massell and Ken Page
Rick Shiomi helms Mu Performing Arts’ Asian American Cast of Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods at Park Square Theatre in St. Paul, July 17-August 5, 2012
Dian Kobayashi, Emily Kuroda and Jeanne Sakata set for Daniel Akiyama’s A Cage of Fireflies at 2012 Sundance Institute Theatre Lab
Performing Arts Images from the Asian American Pacific Islander Collection on Display at the Library of Congress to Celebrate APA Heritage Month
Photos: Yellow Fever Playwright Rick Shiomi Explores New Territory with An All-Female Cast
Tony Award – winning Playwright Terrence McNally to be Honored at Westport Country Playhouse Annual Gala, September 24, 2012
Richard Thomas and Boyd Gaines to star in An Enemy of the People at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre during Manhattan Theatre Club’s 2012-2013 Season
Photos: BD Wong, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Brandon Victor Dixon, Tom Viola at “Passing It On: An Evening of Mentorship to Benefit Rosie’s Theater Kids”
David Henry Hwang Set as Signature Theatre’s Residency One Playwright for the 2012-2013 Season
Photos: In Rehearsal with BD Wong at Dixon Place for Live Concert Recording of Herringbone
Photos: David Henry Hwang, Oskar Eustis, BD Wong, Brian d’Arcy James, Francis Jue, Jennifer Lim and Leigh Silverman at WNYC’s The Greene Space
Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

Lia Chang. Photo by Brianne Michelle Photography

Lia Chang is an actor, a performance and fine art botanical photographer, and an award-winning multi-platform journalist.
All text, graphics, articles & photographs: © 2000-2012 Lia Chang Multimedia. All rights reserved. All materials contained on this site are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Lia Chang. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. For permission, please contact Lia at liachangpr@gmail.com

Lia Chang Photos: Larry Bryggman, Denise Burse, Peter Jay Fernandez, Tim Hopper, Arliss Howard, Kobi Libii, Mary McCann, Neil Pepe, David Pittu, Steve Rosen, Sheila Tapia, Debra Winger at Atlantic Theatre’s Opening Night of Gabe McKinley’s CQ/CX

Denise Burse and her husband Peter Jay Fernandez. Photo by Lia Chang

At the Peter Norton Space in New York on Wednesday, February 15, the Atlantic Theater Company presented the world premiere of Gabe McKinley’s play CQ/CX directed by David Leveaux. CQ/CX which features David Pittu as Junior, Larry Bryggman as Frank King, Peter Jay Fernandez as Gerald Haynes,Kobi Libii as Jay Bennett, Tim Hopper as Ben, Arliss Howard as Hal Martin, Steve Rosen as Jacob Sherman and Sheila Tapia as Monica Soria, has been extended through March 11, 2012.

Larry Bryggman, Peter Jay Fernandez and David Pittu. Photo by Lia Chang

After the show, I headed to the West Bank Café for the opening night party with Denise Burse, and reconnected with Neil Pepe, the artistic director of the Atlantic Theater Company and David Pittu. In the 90′s, Pepe, Pittu and I worked together at Naked Angels in Jeff Weiss’ wild and wacky late night theater soap opera Hot Keys.
Below is my photo coverage of the night.

Atlantic Theater Company Managing Director Jeffory Lawson, actress Mary McCann and Artistic Director Neil Pepe. Photo by Lia Chang

CQ/CX playwright Gabe McKinley. Photo by Lia Chang

Inspired by the Jason Blair Scandal, Gabe McKinley’s provocative new play CQ/CX, follows the story of Jay, an up and coming black reporter at The New York Times who finds his dreams of becoming a famous journalist come crashing down as he becomes the center of a plagiarism scandal. Drawing on his own experience as a newsman, McKinley weaves a revealing and complex story about the collateral damage of unchecked ambition and compounded lies. CQ/CX raises difficult questions about the state of our media culture, and the meaning and price of journalistic integrity.

Gabe McKinley makes his Atlantic debut with the world premiere of CQ/CX. His critically acclaimed play Extinction was produced Off-Broadway last season, and his other plays include The Kitchen Sink Play, Welcome Home Rock Rogers, Funny and Floodplains. He is the recipient of the 2011 Samuel French/New School for Drama Award for Excellence in Playwriting, and his play The Grave was the winner of the Samuel French Off-Off-Broadway Short Play Festival.

CQ/CX director David Leveaux. Photo by Lia Chang

Five-time Tony Award® nominated director David Leveaux returns to Atlantic following staging the U.S. premiere of Through A Glass Darkly at Atlantic last season and the recent acclaimed revival of Tom Stoppard’s play Arcadia on Broadway. He received Tony Award® nominations for the Tony Award® winning revival of The Real Thing, the Tony Award® nominated revival of Jumpers and the Broadway productions of Nine, Anna Christie and A Moon for the Misbegotten. He recently staged Backbeat, the story of the Beatles, in Hamburg and the West End.

Peter Jay Fernandez. Photo by Lia Chang

Atlantic company member Larry Bryggman recently starred in Atlantic’s critically acclaimed production of Harold Pinter’s The Collection & A Kind of Alaska. A two-time Tony Award® nominee (Proof, Picnic), he also starred on Broadway in Twelve Angry Men and Festen.

Peter Jay Fernandez has appeared on Broadway in Cyrano De Bergerac, Julius Caesar and Henry IV and Off Broadway in Macbeth last season.

Tim Hopper returns to Atlantic where he was last seen in Ethan Coen’s Almost an Evening. He received an Obie Award for his performance in More Stately Mansions Off Broadway and appeared on Broadway in Present Laughter.

Arliss Howard and his wife actress Debra Winger. Photo by Lia Chang

Stage and screen star Arliss Howard’s feature film credits include Moneyball, The Time Traveler’s Wife and Full Metal Jacket. He appeared on Broadway in the revival of Joe Turner’s Come and Gone and Off Broadway in A Number and The Late Henry Moss.

Kobi Libii has appeared Off Broadway in Perfect Harmony and Ohio State Murders and in the Fringe First award-winning European premiere of Rolin Jones’ The Jammer at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Atlantic company member David Pittu received Tony Award® nominations for both his recent starring roles in Love Musik and Is He Dead? on Broadway. He returns to Atlantic where he was last seen in the critically acclaimed comedy What’s That Smell: The Music of Jacob Sterling.

Kobi Libii and Peter Jay Fernandez. Photo by Lia Chang

Steve Rosen recently starred in the hit musical Peter and the Starcatcher Off Broadway and has appeared in the original Broadway casts of The Farnsworth Invention and Spamalot and the revival of Guys and Dolls.

Steve Rosen, Sheila Tapia and Tim Hopper. Photo by Lia Chang

Sheila Tapia’s Off Broadway credits include ReEntry and Elliot, A Soldiers Fugue and has appeared in the television series “Rubicon” and “Law & Order.”

The design team for CQ/CX features scenic design by David Rockwell, costume design by Jess Goldstein, lighting design by Ben Stanton, original music and sound design by David Van Tieghem and projection design by Peter Nigrini and C. Andrew Bauer.

All tickets are $65 and available by calling (212) 279-4200 or visiting www.ticketcentral.com, or at the Atlantic Stage 2 box office at 330 West 16th Street.

Peter Jay Fernandez, David Leveaux and Arliss Howard. Photo by Lia Chang

ATLANTIC THEATER COMPANY (Neil Pepe, Artistic Director; Jeffory Lawson, Managing Director) is the award-winning Off-Broadway theater that produces great plays simply and truthfully by utilizing an artistic ensemble. Atlantic believes that the story of a play and the intent of its playwright are at the core of the creative process. The plays in the Atlantic repertory, from both new and established playwrights, are boldly interpreted by today’s finest theater artists and resonate with contemporary audiences. Since its inception over 23 years ago, Atlantic has produced more than 125 plays, including: Tony Award winning productions of Spring Awakening (Steven Sater and Duncan Sheik) and The Beauty Queen of Leenane (Martin McDonagh); world premieres of Almost an Evening and Offices (Academy Award winner Ethan Coen); The Lieutenant of Inishmore and The Cripple of Inishmaan (Martin McDonagh); Romance (David Mamet); Through A Glass Darkly (Ingmar Bergman, adapted by Jenny Worton); Bluebird (Simon Stephens); Blue/Orange (Joe Penhall); Port Authority and Dublin Carol (Conor McPherson); Writer’s Block (Woody Allen); revival of Hobson’s Choice (Harold Brighouse); revivals of American Buffalo and Edmond (David Mamet); Dangerous Corner (J.B. Priestley, adapted and directed by David Mamet); Trumpery and The Cider House Rules (adapted by Peter Parnell); Celebration & The Room, The Collection & A Kind of Alaska and The Hothouse (Harold Pinter); Gabriel (Moira Buffini); Oohrah! (Bekah Brunstetter); Mojo and Parlour Song (Jez Butterworth); New York premieres of Boys’ Life and The Lights (Howard Korder) at Lincoln Center Theater; Distant Fires (Kevin Heelan); The Joy of Going Somewhere Definite and Shaker Heights (Quincy Long); Minutes From The Blue Route (Tom Donaghy); Trafficking in Broken Hearts (Edwin Sánchez); Missing Persons (Craig Lucas). During its history, Atlantic has garnered twelve Tony Awards, nine Lucille Lortel Awards, fourteen Obie Awards, five Drama Desk Awards, four Outer Critics Circle Awards, and four Drama League Awards. Atlantic also operates The Atlantic Theater Company Acting School, which has an undergraduate program in conjunction with NYU, as well as a two-year professional acting program and a six-week intensive workshop every summer. Atlantic for Kids and the Educational Outreach Program partners with schools and teachers throughout the greater metropolitan area coordinating in-school visits of teaching artists and post-theater talkbacks. For more information, visit www.atlantictheater.org.

Related Articles:
Larry Bryggman, Peter Jay Fernandez, Arliss Howard and David Pittu Set for Atlantic Theater Company’s CQ/CX, January 25-March 4, 2012
Up Close and Personal with Darren Pettie, Star of The Milk Train Doesn’t Stop Here Anymore
Denise Burse, Michael Early, Phillip James Brannon, Malesha Jessie & Ellen Mandel featured in HAPPY BIRTHDAY LANGSTON HUGHES at Cornelia Street Café
Peter Jay Fernandez in Theatre for a New Audience’s Macbeth at The Duke
Denise Burse & Peter Jay Fernandez Featured in INTAR Reading of Andrew Dolan’s The Many Mistresses of Martin Luther King
Multimedia: The 52nd Street Project Benefit Photos: Michael Cerveris, James Monroe Inglehart, Rebecca Naomi Jones, Matthew Morrison, Greg Naughton and Kelli O’Hara
Michael Cerveris, Matthew Morrison & Kelli O’Hara sing for 52nd Street Project’s Benefit
Multimedia: Zooman and The Sign Opening Night Party
Peter Jay Fernandez and Laura Heisler Star in Too Much Memory

Other Articles by Lia Chang:
Linsanity: Sports Illustrated Cover Guy New York Knicks Starting Point Guard Jeremy Lin
Photos: Yellow Fever Playwright Rick Shiomi Explores New Territory with An All-Female Cast
Photos: Fall Foliage at Devil’s Lake State Park
Athol Fugard’s Blood Knot, starring Colman Domingo & Scott Shepherd in The Alice Griffith Jewel Box at The Pershing Square Signature Center through March 11, 2012
Celebrate Chinese New Year w/ David Henry Hwang’s Chinglish
Photos: David Henry Hwang, John C. Whitehead, Mayor Michael Bloomberg at Asia Society Awards Dinner in New York
Photos: “How To Succeed” stars Daniel Radcliffe, Rose Hemingway and John Larroquette at Lord & Taylor for Windows Unveiling
Multimedia: Promises, Promises’ Stars Kristin Chenoweth and Sean Hayes at Lord & Taylor Fifth Ave
Broadwayworld.com Photo Flash: Library of Congress’ IN REHEARSAL Exhibit
Photos: David Duchovny, John Earl Jelks, Amanda Peet, Tracee Chimo at Opening Night Party of Neil LaBute’s Break of Noon
Photos and Video: Disney’s The Lion King Las Vegas- In the Makeup Chair with Thom Sesma
Slideshow – On October 16, 2005, The Virginia Theatre was renamed the August Wilson Theatre
Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

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Lia Chang and Neil Pepe

Lia Chang is an actor, a performance and fine art botanical photographer, and an award-winning multi-platform journalist. In 2010, the Library of Congress established The Lia Chang APA Theater Portfolio in the Asian Pacific American Performing Arts Collection housed in the Library of Congress Asian Division’s Asian Pacific American Islander Collection.

All text, graphics, articles & photographs: © 2000-2011 Lia Chang Multimedia. All rights reserved. All materials contained on this site are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Lia Chang. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. For permission, please contact Lia at lia@liachangphotography.com.

Ensemble Studio Theatre/Going to the River presents The River Crosses Rivers II: 9 Short Plays by Women of Color, 9/14-10/2

Miss Ruby Dee, actress and playwright and Elizabeth Van Dyke, producer and co-founder of Going to the River Photo by Lia Chang

The Ensemble Studio Theatre and Going to the River are featuring some of the most gifted women playwrights of color – some new, some established – in the return of the series The River Crosses Rivers II, a three-week festival of 9 short plays by women of color, previewing September 14 for an opening September 17 (runs through October 2) at the Ensemble Studio Theatre, 549 West 52nd Street.

“The goal, simply put, is to give women playwrights of color the kind of exposure that is provided by the Ensemble Studio Theatre, whose goal is to nurture individual theatre artists and to develop new American plays,” said Ensemble Studio Theatre (EST) Artistic Director William Carden.

Elizabeth Van Dyke and Jamie Richards, Artistic Directors of River Crosses Rivers II, have organized a stellar lineup of playwrights whose voices add richness and texture to the American Canon.

The River Crosses Rivers II mixes established playwrights like Pearl Cleage and Regina Taylor with emerging playwrights France-Luce Benson, Christine Jean Chambers, Naveen Bahar Choudhury, Philana Omorotionmwan, Desi Moreno-Penson, Bridgette Wimberly and Cori Thomas.

“The River Crosses Rivers II, the second of a series of short plays that originated in 2009, is a program of Going to the River,” said Elizabeth Van Dyke, Producing Artistic Director of Going to the River who started the program ten years ago with the late Curt Dempster. “For the last decade, Going to the River has provided a forum through EST in which professional African-American women playwrights may develop, refine and present their work. The River Crosses Rivers crosses the river to other cultures to give voice to all women of color.

Play Lineup and Cast Lists
COMIDA DE PUTA (F#@king Lousy Food) by Desi Moreno-Penson, directed by José Zayas*
Stage Managed by Kevin Clutz; with Maggie Bofill+, Gilbert Cruz+, Ismael Cruz Cordova, Susanna Guzman+
Phaedra in the Bronx. A bodega-owner’s wife, is madly in love with her husband’s son, the lunch-counter boy, even her friend, the neighborhood ‘spiritual’ woman, Rosalia, can’t save her.
LEARNING TO SWIM by France-Luce Benson*, directed by Elizabeth Van Dyke*
Stage Managed by Daniel Melnick; with Stephanie Berry*+, Lincoln Brown+, Ashley Bryant+, & Paulo Quiros
A woman grappling with loss discovers the only way to rise above her grief is to swim through it.

Photo by Lia Chang

MODERN ROMANCE by Bridgette Wimberly*, directed by Chuck Patterson*
Stage Managed by B’Jai Pierce-Astwood; with Chike Johnson, Trish McCall+ & Harvey Gardner Moore
Tanya has been lonely for a long time. Lately she has found something exciting to do with her afternoons … but is he for real?

ONE QUARTER by Christine Jean Chambers, directed by Talvin Wilks*
Stage Managed by Jonathan McCrory; with William Jackson Harper*+ Amelia Workman+
A multi-racial woman ponders the future of her progeny— How will her child inherit a culture she’s always felt alienated from.

Carmen DeLavallade Photo by Lia Chang

ONE FOR THE BROTHERS, A LOVE STORY by Pearl Cleage, directed by Woodie King, Jr.
Stage Managed by Mutiyat Ade-Salu+; with Reggie Burch, Denise Burse+, & Morocco Omari+
A love story set during the turbulent 60′s & 70′s when revolution was the norm.

POST BLACK written & directed by Regina Taylor+
Stage Managed by B’Jai Pierce-Astwood+; with Ruby Dee+, Carmen DeLavallade+, & Micki Grant+
In an airport, a 110 year-old woman encounters the post black generation, much to their surprise.

Naveen Bahar Choudhury Photo by Lia Chang

THE SETTLEMENT by Philana Omorotionmwan, directed by A. Dean Irby
Stage Managed by Chiara di Lello; with Denny Dale Bess*+, Teresa Stephenson+, & Marie Thomas+
New homeowners find their domestic bliss disrupted by the late-night arrival of a stranger who insists that the couple’s home is rightfully hers.

SKIN by Naveen Bahar Choudhury, directed by Jamie Richards*
Stage Managed by Joshua Hernandez; with Vandit Bhatt+ & Nitya Vidyasagar*+
A classic tale of Hip Hop Wannabe Boy meets Disenchanted Poet Girl.

Cori Thomas Photo by Lia Chang

WAKING UP by Cori Thomas*, directed by Tea Alagić
Stage Managed by Kevin Clutz; with Lynnette Freeman+ & Amy Staats*+
Two women on different continents face breast cancer. A play about what separates us and what makes us the same.
*denotes member of EST
+denotes member of Equity

Going to the River has presented staged readings of full-length plays, a solo program entitled Down By the River All By Yo’Self, a River Poetry Slam Jam, RiverFest of ten-minute pieces, a writer’s unit, panels and distinguished guest speakers.

The entire evening will run approximately 2 1/2 hours, including intermission.

Performances are Wednesday through Saturday at 7:00pm, with one Saturday matinee, September 17, at 2:00pm and three Sunday matinees at 3:00pm on September 18, September 25 and October 2.

The Ensemble Studio Theatre is located at 549 West 52nd Street, west of Tenth Avenue. River Crosses Rivers performs September 14 through October 2. Tickets are $10 during previews and $18 from September 17 on. To order tickets call 866.811.4111 or click .

$10 Previews: Wednesday, September 14 – Saturday, September 17
Opening night: Saturday, September 17 @ 7pm
Pick Your Price Performance: Sunday, September 18 @ 3pm
Tickets: $18
Buy Tickets

The Ensemble Studio Theatre is a not-for-99 profit developmental theatre incorporated in 1972 with two primary goals: to nurture 100 individual theatre artists and to develop new American plays. Under the guidance of the 101 late founder Curt Dempster, the theatre’s membership grew from a core of 20 artists to a 102 flourishing community of over 500 theatre artists of the highest caliber. Among them are 103 winners of accolades and higher awards including Pulitzer Prizes, Oscars, Tonys, 104 Emmys, and Obies. The Ensemble Studio Theatre is a lifelong artistic home for its 105 member playwrights, directors, actors, designers, technical personnel and administrators. Each year, The Ensemble Studio Theatre produces over 300 projects, including readings, 107 workshops and fully produced mainstage full-lengths.

Special thanks to Jann Leeming, The Little Family Foundation, The Harold & Mimi Steinberg Trust, and Bloomberg Philanthropies for their support of new play productions at EST.

Other Articles by Lia Chang:
The River Crosses Rivers Opening Night Photos
Photos: Christine Toy Johnson, Angela Lin, Louis Ozawa Changchien, Jake Manabat, David Shih in Jen Silverman’s Crane Story at The Cherry Lane
Tony Award Winner Lea Salonga Leads Stellar Cast in First All-Filipino Concert for Philippine Development Foundation, “PhilDev Celebrates Broadway: Suites by Sondheim” at Alice Tully Hall on 11/7
Goodman Theatre World Premiere of David Henry Hwang’s Broadway Bound “Chinglish” Scores 5 Jeff Award Nods
Mu Performing Arts 2011-2012 20th Anniversary Season: Four Destinies, Edith Can Shoot Things and Hit Them, Into the Woods, & Mu Daiko 15th Anniversary Concert
The Playwrights Realm Presents Jen Silverman’s CRANE STORY at the Cherry Lane Theatre, 9/6-10/1
The Play Company Presents the Off-Broadway Run of Jonas Hassen Khemiri’s INVASION! at The Flea featuring Francis Benhamou, Andrew Guilarte, Bobby Moreno, Nick Choksi, 9/6-10/1
The Gospel According to James’ Andre De Shields, Charles Smith, Chuck Smith & Tyler Jacob Rollinson Nominated for Black Theater Alliance Awards
Photos: Phylicia Rashad, Michael McElroy, Marva Hicks in Broadway Inspirational Voices “Wondrous Grace” Concert in NY
Marva Hicks and the Columbus Jazz Orchestra light up the Southern Theatre with a “A Night at the Apollo”
Photos: Willie Reale, Frances McDormand, Lewis Black, Bela Fleck, Renee Goldsberry, Duncan Sheik, Lisa Benavides, Abigail Washburn, Tim Blake Nelson at The 52nd Street Project Benefit
House of Payne’s Denise Burse on the 2011 NAACP Image Awards & Season 7; “Shout Out” Episode airs April 20
Ruby Dee, Alicia Keys, Sidney Poitier to be honored at Woodie King, Jr.’s New Federal Theatre’s 40th Anniversary Gala at Edison Ballroom
Photos: David Duchovny, John Earl Jelks, Amanda Peet, Tracee Chimo opening night of Neil LaBute’s The Break of Noon
Playwright Camille Darby
Project1Voice’s Multiple Staged Readings of Alice Childress’ Trouble in Mind features André De Shields, Peter Coyote, Roger Robinson, Leslie Uggams, LaChanze, John Mahoney, Bill Irwin, LaTanya Richardson Jackson, Irma P. Hall on June 20
Meshach Taylor talks Wigger on Wendy Williams Show
Photos of AEA’s Asian Heritage Celebration, featuring the Leviathan Lab Asian American Women Writers Workshop
Sloan Robinson in Bananas: A Theatre Cabaret Based on the Life of Josephine Baker at The Schomburg
Elizabeth Van Dyke Stars in Love to All, Lorraine at Dwyer Cultural Center
New Federal Theatre founder and director Woodie King receives award for community service in communications arts from Howard University’s John H. Johnson School of Communications
Photo Call: Derek Walcott’s Marie Laveau
Dionne Warwick and Woodie King Jr. honored by AMAS Musical Theatre in New York
Celebrating Woodie King
Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive.

Lia Chang Photo by Brianne Michelle Photography

Lia Chang is an actor, performance and fine art botanical photographer, and an award-winning multimedia journalist.

As a photographer and videographer, Lia collaborates with artists, organizations and companies in establishing their documentary photo archive and social media presence. She has been documenting her colleagues and contemporaries in the arts, fashion and journalism since making her stage debut as Liat in the National Tour of South Pacific, with Robert Goulet and Barbara Eden. Lia currently plays Nurse Lia on “One Life to Live”. She has appeared in Wolf, New Jack City, A Kiss Before Dying, King of New York, Big Trouble in Little China, The Last Dragon, Taxman and “New York Undercover”.

Selections of Lia’s archive of Asian Pacific Americans in the arts, fashion, journalism, politics and space are now in the newly created LIA CHANG THEATER PORTFOLIO in the ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN PERFORMING ARTS COLLECTION housed in the Library of Congress Asian Division’s Asian American Pacific Islander Collection.

Lia’s portraits and performance photos have appeared in Vanity Fair, Gourmet, German Elle, Women’s Wear Daily, The Paris Review, TV Guide, Daily Variety, Interior Design, American Theatre, Broadwayworld.com, Life & Style, OUT, New York Magazine, InStyle, Timeout.com, Villagevoice.com, Playbill.com, Theatermania.com, thelmagazine.com, The Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, USA Today, The Boston Globe, New York Times and Washington Post. A former syndicated arts and entertainment columnist for KYODO News, Lia is the New York Bureau Chief for AsianConnections.com. She writes about culture, style and Asian American issues for a variety of publications and this Backstage Pass with Lia Chang blog.

All text, graphics, articles & photographs: © 2000-2011 Lia Chang Multimedia. All rights reserved. All materials contained on this site are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Lia Chang. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. For permission, please contact Lia at liachangpr@gmail.com.