The America Play in Philly

Up next at Plays & Players theatre in Philadelphia, from Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Suzan-Lori Parks comes THE AMERICA PLAY, a remarkable story of an African-American man who looks just like Abraham Lincoln and can be shot by would-be John Wilkes Booths for a small fee as a carnival attraction. When the black Lincoln-impersonator disappears into the Great Hole of History his wife and son go to find him. Questions of race, family, legacy, and the act of theatre itself play out in a surprising and emotionally stunning journey. Leave it to artistic director Daniel Student and Plays & Players’ unique vision and desire not to do the expected with any play: as a timely opening act to The America Play every night several world premiere shorts commissioned from local playwrights collectively entitled “Other American Cousins” (named for the play President Lincoln was watching when he was assassinated, Our American Cousin) will examine “other” Americans’ places in today’s world. This surrealist depiction of American history lands in Plays & Players’ third floor Skinner Studio as the season’s final production April 4th-21st. As a former PDC @Plays&Players playwright-in-residence and current board member I’m thrilled that P&P keeps bringing it on. See you in the sixth borough.

Up next at Plays & Players theatre in Philadelphia, from Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Suzan-Lori Parks comes a remarkable story of an African-American man who looks just like Abraham Lincoln and can be shot by would-be John Wilkes Booths for a small fee as a carnival attraction.

When the black Lincoln impersonator disappears into the Great Hole of History his wife and son go to find him. Questions of race, family, legacy, and the act of theatre itself play out in a surprising and emotionally stunning journey.

Leave it to artistic director Daniel Student and Plays & Players’ unique vision and desire not to do the expected with any play: as a timely opening act to The America Play every night several world premiere shorts commissioned from local playwrights collectively entitled “Other American Cousins“ (named for the play President Lincoln was watching when he was assassinated, Our American Cousin) will examine “other” Americans’ places in today’s world.

This surrealist depiction of American history lands in Plays & Players’ third floor Skinner Studio as the season’s final production April 4th-21st.

As a former PDC @Plays&Players playwright-in-residence and current board member I’m thrilled that P&P keeps bringing it on.

See you in the sixth borough. Tickets.

It takes a village…

THE AMERICA PLAY
Directed by Suzana Berger
Starring Lindsay J. Daniels, Langston Darby, Tanya O’Neill, Kirschen Wolford and Steven Wright

OTHER AMERICAN COUSINS
Directed by Malika Oyetimein, written by Quinn D. Eli and Kimmika L. H. Williams-Witherspoon

Set Design by Colin McIlvaine

Light Design by Andrew Cowles

Costume Design by Erica Hoelscher

Sound Design by Toby Pettit

Prop Design by Alyssa Velazquez

Dialect Coaching by Melanie Julien

Assistant Direction by Jeffrey Hyman

Dramaturgy by Lena Barnard

“We’ve become relevant again.” Love it, love it.

Today’ Philadelphia Inquirer. Thrilled to be a playwright-in-residence and now a board member at Plays & Players…

Tom Stoppard's TRAVESTIES now at Plays & Players.

Philadelphia’s Plays

By Amy S. Rosenberg
INQUIRER STAFF WRITER

…At Plays & Players, the old guard has turned the reins over, somewhat reluctantly, to the youngsters: Daniel Student, 30, producing artistic director, and Rachel Dukeman, 28, managing director, both former volunteers who are now on staff. The two have a master plan to save the building, with $2.5 million in renovations and a vision of reinvigorating the private social club and remaking the house company as a professional group for emerging actors and playwrights.

“We’ve become relevant again,” said Student.

CONT’D AT PHILLY.COM>>

AN IDEAL HUSBAND Monday 5/14 @7pm

It’s my pleasure as a Plays & Players board member to invite you to the 3rd and final 100th anniversary reading and fundraiser next Monday 5/14 at 7pm. All year long we’ve been presenting readings of plays that were performed at Plays & Players 100 years ago during its first season in 1911-12. This final reading is the most star-studded of them all. The play is An Ideal Husband by Oscar Wilde, directed by Daniel Student, and features Sylvia Kauders (Witness, American Splendor, The Wrestler, Sex and the City, The Sopranos); Fox 29’s Good Day co-anchor Karen Hepp, City Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown, Revenue Commissioner Keith Richardson, restaurateur Jack Roe, Barrymore Award winning actors Madi Distefano and Amanda Schoonover; Joe Turner’s Come and Gone’s Kash Goins and Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens creator Isaiah Zagar among others.

Dear Friends,

It’s my pleasure as a Plays & Players board member to invite you to the 3rd and final 100th anniversary reading and fundraiser next Monday 5/14 at 7pm. All year long we’ve been presenting readings of plays that were performed at Plays & Players 100 years ago during its first season in 1911-12.

This final reading is the most star-studded of them all. The play is An Ideal Husband by Oscar Wilde, directed by Daniel Student, and features features Sylvia Kauders (Witness, American Splendor, The Wrestler, Sex and the City, The Sopranos); Fox 29’s Good Day co-anchor Karen Hepp, City Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown, Revenue Commissioner Keith Richardson, restaurateur Jack Roe, Barrymore Award winning actors Madi Distefano and Amanda Schoonover; Joe Turner’s Come and Gone‘s Kash Goins and Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens creator Isaiah Zagar among others.

This final reading and fundraiser kicks off our Next 100 Years campaign to renovate and restore our beautiful old building which is a National Historic Landmark. For the past six months the acclaimed nonprofit Community Design Collaborative has been working with Plays & Players to create a 10-Year Master Plan with recommendations on sustainability and accessibility under the direction of Philadelphia’s leading architectural firm Studio Agoos Lovera. The May 14 reading will feature raffle drawings, a silent auction, and a chance to hear about the Master Plan.

Tickets:
$50 VIP – Reading and Meet the Cast post-show reception from 9-10pm at Quig’s Pub

$25 – Reading

$10 – Reading artist/industry ticket

PURCHASE TICKETS ONLINE NOW

Thanks so much, and I hope to see you there.

Jeff

[photos via wearysloth.com, philasun.com and ovi.com]