Off-Broadway's BUILDING THE WALL to Donate to, Host Talk-Backs with Immigrant Rights Organizations

The producers of BUILDING THE WALL have announced a financial and programmatic partnership with a small group of immigrant rights organizations including the AFSC'S Immigrant Rights Program, Define American, the Immigrant Defense Project, and the New York Immigration Coalition.

Ten percent of every regular-priced ticket sold for the production will be donated to this group of organizations. In addition, a series of post-performance talkbacks will be held in conjunction with these organizations, on topics ranging from detention and private prisons to arts and activism (schedule to be announced at a later date).

BUILDING THE WALL, the new play by Pulitzer and Tony winner Robert Schenkkan (All The Way, Hacksaw Ridge - Academy Award nom. The Kentucky Cycle), will make its New York premiere beginning performances on Friday, May 12th at 8:00 pm and opening on Sunday, May 21st at 8:30 pm at New World Stages (340 West 50th St.) for a strictly limited engagement through July 9, 2017.

The two-person political suspense thriller will feature two stars of the screen and stage:
James Badge Dale (Small Engine Repair, The Pacific, "Rubicon", The Departed) and Tamara Tunie (Julius Caesar, "Law & Order: SVU", The Devil's Advocate) and will be directed by Ari Edelson(Artistic Director of the Exchange; Little Black Dress, Expats).

The design team includes: scenic design by Antje Ellermann, lighting design by Tyler Micoleau, costume design by Georgie Lee, and sound design by Bart Fasbender.

ABOUT THE PARTNERS:

American Friends Service Committee's Immigrant Rights Program
Founded in 1917, the American Friends Service Committee's mission is to promote lasting peace with justice, as a practical expression of faith in action. Since the 1990's, AFSC's Immigrant Rights Program has worked in New Jersey with a goal of achieving policies that respect the rights and dignity of all immigrants, including a fair and humane national immigration policy. The Immigrant Rights Program's successful integration of legal services, advocacy and organizing has made a dramatic difference in the lives of immigrants in New Jersey and beyond by ensuring that immigrant voices are heard in policy debates, by assisting immigrants with challenging immigration cases, and by changing the narrative about immigration issues to influence policy. They offer legal services to immigrants who are in detention, facing deportation, seeking to reunite with families, or in need of protection. Their staff organizes in immigrant communities, training emerging leaders and ensuring that those people most affected by immigration policy are advocates for change. The Immigrant Rights Program offers informational presentations and works with the media to educate communities about the system of detention and deportation that shatters families. For more information, go to www.afsc.org.

Define American
Define American is the nation's leading non-profit media advocacy organization that uses storytelling to shift and humanize the conversation around immigration, citizenship, and identity in a changing America. We believe that in order to change the politics of immigration, we must change the culture in which people see immigrants, documented and undocumented. For more information, visit: www.defineamerican.com.

Immigrant Defense Project
Immigrant Defense Project (IDP) fights for the human rights of immigrants in the criminal legal and immigration systems. Founded in response to the draconian 1996 U.S. immigration laws, our work focuses on ending the current era of unprecedented mass deportation by transforming these two unjust systems at multiple points. We use impact litigation and advocacy to challenge unfair laws and policies, and media and communications to counter the pervasive demonization of immigrants. Through expert legal advice, training, and resources for immigrants, legal defenders, and grassroots organizations across the country, we support those on the frontlines fighting for justice for immigrants and all of us. More information is available at IDP's website: www.immdefense.org.

New York Immigration Coalition
The New York Immigration Coalition is an umbrella policy and advocacy organization for nearly 200 groups in New York State that work with immigrants and refugees. The NYIC aims to achieve a fairer and more just society that values the contributions of immigrants and extends opportunity to all by promoting immigrants' full civic participation, fostering their leadership, and providing a unified voice and a vehicle for collective action for New York's diverse immigrant communities. For more information, visit: www.nyic.org.

From America's greatest political playwright, Pulitzer & Tony winner and Academy Award nominee Robert Schenkkan, comes a provocative 90-minute theatrical event set in the near future and deals with one of the most talked about topics of this past election. In a time when campaign rhetoric turns into real policies, BUILDING THE WALL reveals the power of theater to question who we are and where we might be going.

In an interview with Michael Paulson from The New York Times for a February 5th article, Schenkkan said: "I wrote this in a white-hot fury. We no longer live in a world that is business as usual - Trump has made that very clear - and if theater is going to remain relevant, we must become faster to respond. We cannot hope to be useful if we can't respond until 18 months after the fact. It is not a crazy or extreme fantasy. It's very solidly grounded in current American law, and Trump's rhetoric, and his most recent executive orders."

The play is produced by Jeffrey Richards, Rebecca Gold, Louise Gund, Ted Snowdon, Stephanie P. McClelland, Scott M. Delman, Barbara Freitag & Will Trice.

Website: www.Buildingthewallplay.com
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