Columbia University School of the Arts presents THE ESCAPE; OR, A LEAP FOR FREEDOM

Columbia University School of the Arts is proud to present Mark H.'s (Columbia MFA Directing Candidate 2018) production of The Escape; or, A Leap for Freedom.

"It is often said that the darkest hour of the night precedes the dawn."

Glen jumped out of the window. Melinda fought tooth and nail and ran. Cato snuck out in full disguise. Now, with only the North Star as their guide, they run towards the land of the free...Canada. Considered the first African American play ever to be published, The Escape; or, A Leap for Freedom is a satirical play on America, and a celebration of the moment when you've said "Master" for the last time.

FEATURING: Adeyinka Adebola, Odera Adimorah, Ademide Akintilo*, Candace Boahene, Trevor Brown*, Aisha Carpenter, Dawn Clements, David Glover, Shaniqua Henry, Brian Demar Jones*, Ben Killen, Jacqueline Nwabueze, Anthony Pratt, Nathaniel J. Ryan, Judy Brown-Steele, Tamera Tomakili, Titus VanHook, Justin Withers.

* Appearing courtesy of Actors' Equity Association

Producer Andreas Huang, Production Stage Manager R Christopher Maxwell, Asst. Stage Managers Lanie Liu and Lola Bao, Company Manager Laura Peterson, Music Director Jerome Brooks, Jr. Composer Nolan Williams Jr., Dance Choreographer Matia Johnson, Scenic Designer Maryam Khosravi, Props Supervisor Cole Stern, Costume Designer Ramaj Jamar, Lighting Designer Tim van't Hof, Assistant Lighting Designer Tyler Dubuc, Sound and Video Designer Ian Wehrle, Fight Choreographer Mark H., Makeup Designer Jas Lee and Graphic Designer Anchuli Felicia King.

The Escape; or, A Leap for Freedom will run for a strictly limited engagement at The Lenfest Center for the Arts at 615 W. 129th St. Performances are February 14-17 at 8 pm, with a 2 pm matinee Saturday, February 17.

Tickets: $15 General Admission/ $5 Seniors/ FREE with Student ID (enter code: "STUDENT").

Ticketing Info: https://arts.columbia.edu/events/directing-thesis-escape-or-leap-freedom

Director: Mark H.

Columbia University directing credits include: King Lear, The Chery Orchard, The Henry Dumas Project, A Haunting, And You Try to Become a Bird; Other Directing Credits include: Dontrell, Who Kissed the Sea for the 2014 DC Source Festival; Fires in the Mirror at Howard University; Blood Knot with Company 608; Marisol and Topdog/Underdog with Rutgrs Theatre Company; Movin' On and The Handshake at Forum Theatre's (Re)Acts Festival, Ms. Washington at DC Hip-Hop Theater Festival, and Like Father, Like Son with Young Playwrights' Theater. Along with having directed various staged readings, Mark was the assistant director of Not About Nightingales at Howard University's Ira Aldridge Theater, and Broke-ology at Theater Alliance in DC, and has also worked extensively as an actor. He received his BFA in Acting from Rutgers University and was classically trained at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre in London. Mark is currently pursuing an MFA in Directing at Columbia University School of the Arts.

About Columbia University School of the Arts:

The Oscar Hammerstein II Center for Theatre Studies at Columbia University School of the Arts presents a season of thesis actor and director productions as well as a festival of new plays by emerging playwrights each year. The Theatre Program at the School of the Arts offers MFA degrees in: Acting, Directing, Playwriting, Dramaturgy, Stage Management, and Theatre Management & Producing. For more information about the Theatre Program, visit

http://arts.columbia.edu/theatre.