Oscar Joyner Joins Producing Team of 'American Buffalo'

Vy Higginsen and her partners welcome radio mogul Oscar Joyner, in presenting the highly anticipated Broadway revival of David Mamet's masterpiece American Buffalo.  Starring an extraordinary multi-cultural cast – John Leguizamo, Cedric the Entertainer, and Haley Joel Osment – American Buffalo is directed by Robert Falls, and will begin performances Friday, October 31 at Broadway's Belasco Theatre, 111 West 44, between Sixth and Seventh Avenues.

In response to the addition of Mr. Joyner to the American Buffalo team, Vy Higginsen said, "I am so pleased and proud to welcome Oscar Joyner as he makes his theatre producing debut with David Mamet's American Buffalo.  Oscar's expertise in radio and television markets as well as his years of experience working with his father, Tom, will be a great addition to our team."

Oscar Joyner said, "As if Mamet plays aren't unique enough, the ensemble that is American Buffalo creates a unique opportunity to become involved in a one-of-a-kind production.  I couldn't resist the opportunity to lend my resources and expertise to a cast and production team already destined for greatness."

Mr. Joyner is President and Chief Operating Officer of REACH Media, Inc. headquartered in Dallas, TX, the parent company of The Tom Joyner Morning Show, BlackAmericaWeb.com and a host of other syndicated radio and television properties.  Mr. Joyner oversees a staff of over 80 people with annual revenue in excess of $50 million.  He is a proud graduate of Florida A&M University where he obtained his MBA with a double concentration in Marketing and Finance.  Since starting REACH Media, Mr. Joyner has personally overseen the creation of well known events such as the Tom Joyner Foundation® Fantastic Voyage Cruise®, the Tom Joyner Family Reunion, and the Southwest Airlines Sky Show which concluded in 2007.  He is also responsible for initiatives such as Take a Loved One to the Dr. Day. As Executive Producer of TJMS he leads a team of producers and programming executives to oversee guests, theme shows, marketing messages, and many of the features that are enjoyed by 8 million listeners each week on over 115 radio affiliates.

Mr. Joyner is a proud board member of the Florida A&M University Foundation, the National Black MBA Association, and the National Association of Broadcasters Education Foundation.  He is also a founding Board Member of the Tom Joyner Foundation® which has raised more than $55 million dollars to help students continue their education at Historically Black Colleges and Universities.  Mr. Joyner was recently listed as one of Ebony Magazines "Power 150."  He is co-founder and Principal of Educational Development Company of America (EDC). EDC has developed over $200 million dollars of multi-family student housing at various HBCU's as well as traditional colleges and universities. EDC developments can be found at Florida A&M University (Tallahassee, FL), Southern University (Baton Rouge, LA), Texas Southern University (Houston, TX), Jackson State University (Jackson, MS), as well as Mississippi State University and Texas A&M University at Corpus Christie.  Mr. Joyner is a proud member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.

David Mamet's classic American comedic drama American Buffalo, directed by two time Tony Award winner Robert Falls and starring Tony Award nominee John Leguizamo, and in their Broadway debuts, Cedric the Entertainer and Academy Award nominee Haley Joel Osment, follows three small-time crooks who wax philosophically about society while conspiring to steal a rare and valuable coin from a neighborhood collector.  Volcanic and motor mouthed Teach (Leguizamo) schemes and spars with fatherly, street-smart junk shop owner Donny (Cedric the Entertainer) enlisting Bobby (Osment), a slow-witted and desperate young delinquent, to carry out their misbegotten robbery. A hilarious, banter-fueled heist comedy and a heartbreaking portrait of criminal desperation, American Buffalo's all-star cast is powered by David Mamet's stark, rapid-fire, uniquely American and unforgettable dialogue.

John Leguizamo made his Broadway debut in his critically acclaimed Tony-nominated Freak (subsequently recorded for HBO, directed by Spike Lee) and followed that with two separate, equally successful runs of Sexaholix.   He also wrote and performed in the Drama Desk Award-winning Spic-O-Rama.  His achievements in Hollywood are no less astonishing.  He created, wrote and starred in the 1995 Latino-oriented variety show "House of Buggin" on FOX.  His movie career exploded with Carlito's Way, followed by blockbusters such as Executive Decision, The Fan, Moulin Rouge and Ice Age, to name a few.  Upcoming: Nothing Like the Holidays and Righteous Kill (with Al Pacino and Robert DeNiro).

Cedric the Entertainer burst onto the scene when he made his first TV stand-up appearance on "It's Showtime at the Apollo" and soon became a household name for his groundbreaking work as host of HBO's "Def Comedy Jam" and BET's "Comic View."  In 1996 he proved his acting chops when he had a starring role on the #1-rated sitcom "The StEve Harvey Show," and in 2003 went on to star in his own Fox variety series, "Cedric the Entertainer Presents," which garnered the AFTRA Award of Excellence in Television Programming.  Cedric's many successes spanning television and live performances immediately led to starring roles in such box office toppers as Barbershop, Johnson Family Vacation, Be Cool, Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, Madacascar, Street Kings and the critically acclaimed Talk to Me.  Considered to be one of the most prominent comic actors and performers of his generation, Cedric has performed for 2 US presidents and from 1997-2000 he was one of the four all-star headliners of the most successful comedy tour in history, The Kings Of Comedy.  This production will mark Cedric the Entertainer's Broadway debut.

For the blockbuster hit film The Sixth Sense, Haley Joel Osment received an Oscar nomination at age eleven as well as numerous film critics' awards and Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild award nominations.  Osment began his television and film career at age five, winning his first honor, the Youth in Film Award, for his role as Forrest, Jr. in the Oscar-winning Forrest Gump.  Other film credits include Home of the Giants, Secondhand Lions,  A.I.,  Pay it Forward, Edges of the Lord, Montana Amazon, Mixed Nuts, For Better or Worse, and Bogus.  Voice-overs include Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas, The Hunchback of Notre Dame Deux, The Country Bears, and The Jungle Book 2.  He made his acting debut in the television series "Thunder Alley," co-starred on "The Jeff Foxworthy Show," and appeared as Avery Brown on the long-running "Murphy Brown."  He has guest starred on "The Pretender," "Chicago Hope," "Touched By An Angel," "Walker Texas Ranger," and "Ally McBeal."  His television films include the HallMark Hall of Fame's "The Ransom of Red Chief," "The Lake," and "I'll Remember April."  Honors include three Young Star Awards for performances in TNT's "Last Stand at Saber River," the Hallmark presentation of "Cab to Canada," and The Sixth Sense as well as  the Broadcast Film Critics Award, the ShoWest Award, and two Saturn Awards.

David Mamet is Broadway's preeminent playwright.  American Buffalo and Glengarry, Glen Ross are two of his most renowned plays with Crytogram and Oleanna being but two of his Off-Broadway triumphs.  Mr. Mamet has written the screenplays of such Hollywood hits as The Verdict and Wag the Dog (Oscar nominations for both), The Postman Always Rings Twice, The Verdict, Ronin and State and Main.

Robert Falls, artistic director of Chicago's Goodman Theater which received the Regional Theatre Tony Award under his helm in 1991, has had numerous Broadway successes.  He received a Tony award for the 50th anniversary production of Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman, starring Brian Dennehy, and also directed Eugene O'Neill's Long Days Journey Into Night, starring Dennehy, Vanessa Redgrave, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, and Robert Sean Leonard, which received three Tony Awards.

American Buffalo is produced by Elliot Martin, Ben Sprecher, Louise Forlenza, Bryan Bantry/Michae  S. Rosenberg, Max Weitzenhoffer/Nica Burns, Wendy Federman, The Bozeman Group LLC, Stewart F. Lane/Bonnie Comley, Jay Harris, William Franzblau, Oscar Joyner, Ken Wydro/Vy Higginsen, Ray Larsen and Nelle Nugent.  In association with Max Cooper and Norton Herrick.

American Buffalo will play the following schedule at the Belasco Theatre (111 West 44th Street, between Sixth and Seventh Avenues): Tuesday at 7pm; Wednesday – Saturday at 8pm, Wednesday and Saturday at 2pm, and Sunday at 3pm.  Tickets can be arranged through www.Telecharge.com or by calling (212) 239-6262 / (888) 268-2020 (outside the NY Metro Area).  For more information, visit www.AmericanBuffaloBroadway.com.