MAGICAL NEGRO SPEAKS Set for FringeNYC, Now thru 8/24

Ellis Productions, in association with The Present Company as part of the 18th Annual New York International Fringe Festival present MAGICAL NEGRO SPEAKS - written and performed by Jamil Ellis with original music written and performed live by Andrew Fox - at Fringe Venue #15 - The White Box at 440 Studios (440 Lafayette Street, 3rd Floor).

MAGICAL NEGRO SPEAKS will be presented on the following dates/times:
Tuesday, August 12 at 7:45pm
Friday, August 15 at 7:45pm
Saturday, August 16 at 5:45pm
Sunday, August 17 at 1:45pm
Wednesday, August 20 at 9:15pm
Sunday, August 24 at 5:15pm

MAGICAL NEGRO SPEAKS is native New Yorker Jamil Ellis' play that explores - through monologue, video, story and song - one of the entertainment industry's favorite tropes - the Magical Negro. Along the way Ellis explores the real effects of racial and gender stereotypes and contemplates how they will impact future generations.

MAGICAL NEGRO SPEAKS has a runtime of 60 minutes.

Jamil Ellis has over 15 years of experience bringing creative work to life. He, along with five other Stuyvesant High School alums, founded the NYC based troupe, Etc... . Etc... - which has performed all over New York City for over a decade. Since its inception, the troupe conceived and performed two critically acclaimed runs at the New York Fringe Festival, created several web series for ABC Family, and created general improv and sketch comedy havoc at venues around NYC. Acting credits include: "Law & Order," "The Magnificent Hour," "Apocalypse! Book One," "600 Days of Pain," "The Doctor in Spite of Himself," "Runaways" (Elizabeth Swados). Jamil trained at the Atlantic Theater Company School in NYC.

Andrew Fox's theatrical orchestrations include "Twisted," "Foreverman" (Winner 2012 NYMF Awards for Excellence, Outstanding Orchestration); "Roads Courageous," and "Edges," as well as contributions to "From Broadway With Love: A Benefit Concert for Sandy Hook." In addition to having orchestrated Twisted, he also produced its original cast recording (which spent over a week in both the Itunes Top 100 for albums and the Top 10 for Soundtracks) and the Twisted: Twisted bonus record, which featured Andrea Ross and Italian vocal jazz supergroup Cluster. Film work includes original scoring for Dream Lover, arrangements & music production for Thunderstruck: An AC/DC Movie Musical, and original songs for Solomon Grundy: Born on a Monday, plus contributions to several award-winning shorts. Andrew is active in the studio recording scene, serving as House Arranger and Artistic Director for Stacks of Wax Production and producing & arranging for artists across the globe in many genres. As an educator, he is a founding faculty member of Purchase College's Summer Songwriting and Teen Voices programs, as well as an instructor for Westhampton Performing Arts Center and the Rye Arts Center. Andrew is a composer in the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Songwriting Workshop.

For ticketing information, please visit www.fringenyc.org