Maryam Myika Day (Broadway's Tony-winning revival of
42nd Street), a Harlem-based actress and founder of Epiphany 3 Films, will star in The Negro Ensemble Company's New York premiere of
Offspring, a new play written by Jimmy Barden, directed by Stacy Waring.
Offspring will play a limited engagement of 16 performances, March 3-19 at the 45th Street Theatre (354 West 45th Street, NYC).
The play is "a provocative new drama challenging the everyday notions about race, family and community, revolves around the obsessive desire of a wealthy white heiress to have a child by a young black militant," according to press notes. (Please note: the play contains racially-charged dialogue and is intended for mature audiences only).
The cast of
Offspring will feature Day as Sharon Carter, a workplace discrimination and racial diversity consultant; Hisham Tawfiq as Kyle Hampton, a charming and handsome infertility genetics counselor; Janice Marie as Elizabeth Wheeling Grace, the single, white heiress to a wealthy Manhattan family; and Brad Holbrook as Elizabeth's brother Walker Glanville Grace, who together with his sister, helps runs the non-profit Grace Foundation, based in Harlem.
"The Negro Ensemble Company, Inc. (NEC) presents live theatre performances by and about black people, to a culturally diverse audience that is often underserved by the theatrical community. Notable NEC alumni include:
Angela Bassett, Janet DuBois, Lawrence Fishburne,
Sherman Hemsley, Debbie Morgan,
Phylicia Rashad, Esther Rolle and
Lynn Whitfield."
In addition to starring in
Offspring, Maryam Myika Day is the star, writer and executivce producer of the film
Lavender: An Adaptation. The film company Epiphany 3 Films will screen the work on Saturday, March 11 from 8:30pm-10:00pm at the 9th Annual Reel Sisters Film Festival 'Against the Grain' program, at the Kumble Theater for the Performing Arts (Long Island University, Brooklyn Campus; located at One University Plaza, intersection of Flatbush and DeKalb Avenues in Brooklyn, NY). The Reel Sisters Film Festival (
www.ReelSisters.org), showcasing women of color filmmakers, is co-sponsored by
African Voices Magazine and the Media Arts Department of Long Island University, Brooklyn Campus.
Lavender: an Adaptation, starring Day as Maeve Taylor, marks Day's debut as both writer and executive producer.
"Lavender is the tale of young Maeve's migration from a poor and lonely upbringing in the rural South to the gritty streets and glamorous nightlife of Harlem, circa 1948. Maeve is soon faced with the cruel realities of a new life, her sexual awakening, physical abuse and her own enduring human spirit in the fight for the truth about her past."
The first project from Epiphany 3 Films since its inception in 2004,
Lavender received its world premiere in April 2005 at the Spaghetti Junction Urban Film Festival (Atlanta). The film was later presented at the 2005 ImageNation Independent Film and Music Festival, part of the 31st Annual Harlem Week Celebrations (New York City); Medgar Evers College (The City University of New York) 2005 Film and Cultural Series; and the 2005 Black Hollywood Resource and Education Film Series (Los Angeles). Visit
www.epiphany3films.com.
Day appeared on Broadway as an original company member in the 2001 Tony Award-winning musical revival of
42nd Street. Last December, she was seen in the movie version of
Mel Brooks'
The Producers (starring
Nathan Lane and
Matthew Broderick), and also in the independent film
Lifted by Academy Award-winning director Randy Dottin. As a producer, credits include the feature film
Alicia in Wonderland and the upcoming documentary film,
Black Sorority Project. In addition to other credits as a producer, Day also teaches modern dance in the Arts and Education program at Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.
Tickets to Offspring are $15.00 and available by calling Ticket
Central (
www.TicketCentral.com) at 212-279-4200. The Offspring
performance schedule for March 3-19 is: Wednesday-Saturday evenings at
8pm, with Saturday and Sunday matinees at 3pm. For more information, visit
www.NegroEnsembleCompany.org.
