New Federal Theatre Has Dedicated Its November Readings Series To Ntozake Shange

Woodie King's New Federal Theatre has dedicated its November Readings Series to the memory of the late playwright Ntozake Shange, who died October 27. The series, now in progress, has been retitled "Ntozake Shange November Reading Series 2018." It runs from November 8 to 18, with readings of eight plays at Castillo Theatre, 543 W 42nd Street.

There is one change in the schedule: the final reading of the series, "Baldwin's Nigger" by Reginald T. Jackson, will start at 2:00 PM, not 7:00 PM as announced in our notice of October 26.

New Federal Theatre's close association with Ntozake Shange goes back to its 1976-76 season, when it presented the first production of "For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enough." NFT subsequently moved the play in a co-production with Joseph Papp to The Public Theater for eight weeks, then to Broadway's Booth Theatre (in a co-production). Woodie King then produced "Colored Girls..." in London, directed by Avery Brooks and in Australia, directed by Oz Scott.

The Ntozake Shange November Readings Series 2018 is devoted to brilliant one- and two-character plays, a dramatic form that most theaters neglect. It will be used to develop African-American writers and to select plays that New Federal Theatre may present as full productions in its 2019-20 season. The complete lineup includes works by Trevor Rhone, Howard Craft, Edgar Nkosi White, J.E. Franklin, Ivy Omere, Larry Muhammad, Richie McCall and Reginald T. Jackson. Admission is free but donations of $10 will be gratefully accepted. Box office is www.castillo.org. The box office number is 212-941-1234. For complete info, visit: www.newfederaltheatre.org.

The readings of the series are:

Thursday, November 8 at 7:00 PM - "Two Can Play" by Trevor Rhone, directed by Clinton Turner Davis. Gloria and Jim, a lower middle class couple in Jamaica, try their wildest schemes to escape gun crime and establish residence in the United States. They survive because they learn to communicate and rediscover each other. Performed by Michael Rogers and Joyce Silvester.

Friday, November 9 at 7:00 -- "The Fire of Freedom" by Howard Craft, directed by Pat Floyd, performed by Beethoven Oden. A portrait of Abraham H. Galloway (1837-1870), who was a fiery young slave rebel, radical abolitionist, and Union spy who rose out of bondage to become one of the most significant and stirring black leaders in the South during the Civil War. He later became one of the first black men elected to the North Carolina legislature.

Saturday, November 10 at 7:00 PM -- "The Birds of Baghdad" by Edgar Nkosi White, directed by Ajene Washington. A solo play performed by Nixon Caesar. A powerful, poetic narration that takes one from Baghdad to the island of Montserrat. It is a story filled with the pains of war and the beauty of nature.

Thursday, November 15 at 7:00 -- "The Day Mr. Kemper Talked To Us About Sensual Relations" by J.E. Franklin, directed by Eric Coleman. Performed by Malika Franklin. Based on the true story of a teacher who taught his pupils about sensual relationships and was fired for it in the 1960s. J.E. Franklin is author of "Black Girl."

Friday, November 16 at 7:00 -- "My Story, My Voice (a one-woman play)" by Ivy Omere, performed by the author, directed by Passion. The story of a young girl, child of Nigerian immigrants in England, who is cast out of her family into the foster care system and who later returns to navigate life in the troubled home of her own parents.

Saturday, November 17 at 2:00 PM -- Richie McCall in his solo play, "Me and Stepin," directed by Dathan Williams. A struggling actor journeys through years of side-splitting frustration and disappointment on his way to Broadway and finds his true voice in the unlikeliest of places--the spirit of America's most "dissed" black film actor, Stepin' Fetchit.

Saturday, November 17 at 7:00 -- "Looking for Leroy" by Larry Muhammad, directed by Patronia Paley. In this two-character play, a young theater intern and LeRoi Jones/Amiri Baraka debate fundamental questions of theater, aesthetics and artistic expression, weighing the added responsibility of artists of color. Performed by Russell Jones and NSangou Njikam.

Sunday, November 18 at 2:00 (NEW TIME) -- "Baldwin's Nigger" by Reginald T. Jackson, directed by Anderson Johnson. A two-character play about a fictional meeting between James Baldwin and a Jewish activist named Ezra who comes bearing money for the Civil Rights movement but then refuses to leave because of his intense interest in Baldwin. What transpires is a scandalous and informative evening. Jonathan Newberry will read James Baldwin and Chris Harcum will read Ezra.